By Lauren Dunn
February 21, 2024

Working in real estate, agents often times find they’ll wear many hats over the course of a day. Sometimes we’ll be negotiators or managing a small hiccup that’s popped up in a transaction, while other times we’ll be acting as pseudo-therapists when clients are suddenly uneasy, or we’ll don our administrative assistant caps while filing forms.

Recently, I found myself wearing the “voice of reason” hat with a client-turned-friend who needed some education and guidance – both regarding our local area market, as well as what real estate can mean years from now.

We, like our clients, are always juggling many balls and have quite a bit going on in our lives. The main difference between us and them, however, is that buying and selling real estate – something that’s typically the largest transaction in an individual’s life – is something we’re fortunate to do every day and see all sides of. To many others, however, real estate is often laced with trepidation and uncertainty. The number of forms is dizzying, while the mountain of terms and definitions is exhausting; yet this is the time when we agents have an opportunity to do our finest work.

When I think of moving the ball forward, I imagine an NFL game where extra yardage is picked up here and there – sometimes 20 yards at a time, other times maybe just half or one yard. Roughly translated to our world, this means simply taking the next step. More doing, less talking, and focusing on taking any forward motion. 

As a huge believer in the power of real estate and its ability to transform lives, here are ways we can help move the ball forward if the current market has our clients experiencing nervousness and not keeping those goalposts in sight:

Help clients avoid the ostrich syndrome

So many folks want to buy real estate and think they have an idea of what they’re able to purchase, but many never make the call to really confirm a budget or to be thoroughly pre-approved. Ensuring that a connection is made with a reputable, trusted lender is an absolute must before embarking on any of the other house-hunting tasks. For our seller clients who may want to right-size, helping them accurately understand the equity in their home, identifying a property that’s a better fit and then seeing whether they can make the move solely with the equity or in tandem with getting a loan can bring them back to reality and be the very thing that spurs them into action. Bottom line: start talking numbers in a very real sense.    

Encourage clients not to believe everything they hear

We’re fortunate to live in a market that happens to be consistently sought after. The negativity that can often be found in other parts of the county may not paint a picture of what’s happening here in Southern California, so it’s important to control the narrative and get people listening to your local market expertise – not a broad-strokes script saturated with sweeping-generalizations that’s broadcast from the East Coast. Being an expert in our area is a fantastic way to bring clients back from The Dark Side.

Nudge clients to complete smaller tasks which builds trust that naturally leads to bigger tasks

After making that crucial introduction to a lender, connect with your clients and really listen to their hopes and dreams for their first, next, or investment property. Don’t simply ask questions – listen to what they’re saying, and read between the lines if necessary. Preview properties for them, show them how attainable their goals are, and ultimately get them comfortable with looking at properties with you. Continue to paint the picture and show, show, show. You may show 50 or 100 houses before they make an offer or get one accepted, but each one gets you closer to that end goal of your client closing escrow. 

Remind clients to “start where they’re at”

One of the things my brokers often say to agents is to “start where you’re at.” Don’t look at another agent’s production and think you need to be there, too – begin where you’re planted. Same thing goes for clients! A first-time homebuyer may not want to live in a certain city, but if that’s the price point that gets them into the real estate game, it is your duty to highlight the value that investment can hold in a few years’ time, 10 years’ time, and so on. Forecast some equity and show them what they could leverage to buy a second property. Remind them that rarely is one person in one property for the rest of their life, and that getting into a property that’s attainable in the here and now will make the dream home reachable someday. 

When you begin to hear rumblings within your sphere of influence from people who might be curious about real estate, make sure they know you’re a great resource for the facts, for encouragement, and for getting them to their goal. Paint the picture, show them what’s possible, and always move the ball forward. The power of real estate is, in a word, real.