Make room for real estate veterans
Realtor Notebook
By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, October 8, 2009.
Flickr image by AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker.As if the housing market, unemployment rate and the economy in general are not scary enough -- there are people in our industry who are scaring Realtors instead of helping them.
Last summer at the National Association of Realtors headquarters a group of us were told that the average Realtor is 52 and female -- the average age had dropped from 54 in a previous report.
NAR has created the Young Professionals Network as a resource for younger real estate professionals, and chapters of this group have sprung up across the country.
I think it is a good idea to get younger members involved and I applaud the way NAR is cultivating them and listening to them. We need younger members -- they are the future of NAR.
At the same time, our industry seems to have a strange set of beliefs about people who are over 40.
We are being told that young people have skills that older people do not have, and we call them technical skills. We hear that younger people use text messages but the rest of us don't; younger people use technology and they use it differently.
Seriously, text-messaging isn't new and it isn't hard to use, and I think the first time I used it was before my 20-something children had cell phones. I couldn't help but notice that my 80-something parents have the capability on their Jitterbug (it's a cell phone designed for seniors).
Often the phrase "technical skills" scares people away. Technical skills are not needed to use most of the online tools -- that is why they have become so popular.
Anyone can use them ... unless they are told that they require "technical skills." Those words make it all seem so complicated and scary. The skills that are needed are social skills and communication skills, which I suspect are prerequisites for most successful businesspeople over 50.
No one needs to know how to program a computer, or build a network, database or Web site from scratch. Those are technical skills. Signing up for Twitter and using it to send messages is not a technical skill. ...CONTINUED
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Submitted by Jerzy (George) Szkup on October 8, 2009 - 3:31pm.
George Szkup
www.DestinationTucson.biz
Teresa,
I would like to support the notion that age of a realtor has nothing to do with skills necessary to buy or sell a house. Also, truly necessary "skills" are limited to navigating MLS, printing necessary forms and communicating with a client. The rest is using above skills well!
I have agent (around 40) working for me - she has a "crappy" website, no Blog but runs an ad in a local church paper. She closes around one transaction per month because she has a "cousin" on every block in the neighborhood. Also, I have another agent (64) - he has no website, in fact he does not have a computer and closes around a transaction very two or three month - he "pounds" the streets in his area all day long! I - the boss (82) have, average, good website with IDX, publish a Blog every month, I am present on Trulia and Twitter and I have a hell of the time finding clients? - I work mostly with buyers.
George in Tucson
ttp://www.trulia.com/profile/httptruliacomprofilegeorgeszkup/
http://twitter.com/geoszk/
http://www.DestinationTucson.biz
Submitted by Ileri Ogunfiditimi, REALTOR® on October 8, 2009 - 9:23pm.
I agree with George that age has nothing to do with being successful in sales - specifically real estate brokerage. Many people like to compare the real estate brokerage industry to other corporate professional service industries without considering the unique differences which exist between the industries.
One of the unique aspects of practicing real estate brokerage as an occupation is that there isn't (in most cases) a corporate ladder to climb or seniority system. The existence of a hierarchy system really depends on the individual brokerage firms' culture and business platform.
Thankfully, real estate agents have options in choosing which type of brokerage firm to associate with. So, whether one is a 40 year veteran or a one-week rookie, it's the level of professional skill which ultimately determines who gets the assignment.
Ileri Ogunfiditimi, REALTOR®
Ileri Ogunfiditimi, LLC/Jobin Realty
7825 Tuckerman Lane, Suite 201
Potomac, MD 20854
Direct Dial (240)403-3400, Ext 742
Direct Fax (866)283-7840
Email: ileri@ileriogunfiditimi.com
www.ileriogunfiditimi.com
www.jobinrealty.com
Submitted by Bill Fooks on October 9, 2009 - 1:54am.
Bill Fooks
TFT realty Marketing Service
Warwick, RI http://www.fooksteam.com
I like to hear all this. The younger people don't know how to close a deal.There sales skills are low, but "tech" skills high. Now if we could combine the older skilled sales persons selling skills wih the younger persons "tech" skills we would really have a star.
Submitted by Travis Wright on October 9, 2009 - 2:47pm.
Right on, Sister!
Travis Wright
travis-wright@comcast.net