Real estate agent personality type


Do You Have the Right Personality for a Career in Real Estate?

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January 19, 2018

by The CE Shop Team

Certain Traits May Help You Succeed

It is essential to thoroughly understand your own strengths and weaknesses before any big career step. If the things you want out of a career changes on a daily basis, a personality assessment such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® may help you find your footing. Your personality type can reveal how you work, how you interact with others, and how this information can help you. Many people complete the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and find a mirror self reflected on the page. Through C. G. Jung’s theory, a set of seemingly random questions quickly becomes an in-depth understanding of your personality.

This examination can prove advantageous as a real estate agent because it indicates how to best use your personality strengths in your workplace. Most real estate agents are associated with the ENTP personality. ENTP stands for extraversion, intuition, thinking, and perceiving. This indicates a person who is energized by time spent with others (Extraverted), who focuses on ideas and concepts rather than facts and details (Intuitive), who makes decisions based on logic and reason (Thinking), and who prefers to be spontaneous and flexible rather than planned and organized (Perceiving), according to Truity.

A career as a real estate agent is perfect for an ENTP because they are typically go-getters, with enough drive and ambition to create results. An ENTP is also motivated to find creative solutions to challenging problems. If something isn’t working right, an ENTP will devise a new process to be more efficient and productive. These traits make ENTPs a powerful force to be reckoned with when they are focused on accomplishing a project.

As you can probably tell by now, this personality type flawlessly fits into the exciting and comprehensive world of real estate. Real estate agents have the unique ability of juggling multiple tasks efficiently and effectively, all while staying on track after multiple distractions. This personality loves solving problems and would do well in situations that involve helping clients deal with multiple obstacles, issues, and demands. Finding the perfect career fit for your personality like this means maintaining a rewarding work life.

You can take the Myers-Briggs assessment yourself for $49.95 at MBTI or a variation of the Myers-Briggs assessment for free at 16Personalities. If your assessment reveals that you are not an ENTP, don’t start looking for a new career path just yet. Many personalities can be used effectively in a variety of ways. Real estate is not just an industry for ENTPs. You will find ways to highlight your personality strengths in your career, as long as you understand your own work habits and how to use them to your advantage.

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Top 11 Qualities of Successful Real Estate Agents

When you think of a real estate agent, who do you picture? Maybe it’s the type that’s portrayed in movies and in pop culture – they’re wearing an expensive suit and always on the phone. They’re often depicted as slick, fast-talking salespeople who are all about the deal and making fast cash. They’re usually super extroverted and the life of the party to the point of being overbearing.

Unfortunately, people in the real estate business are often painted as a “type,” but that’s not the truth. You might even feel discouraged from pursuing a career in real estate yourself because this personality doesn’t sound like you. 

In reality, real estate agents come from all walks of life. According to a recent survey conducted by Aceable, 46% of respondents said they chose to pursue a career in real estate because they wanted the opportunity to help/serve others.  That sure doesn’t sound like those slick salespeople we see on TV!

In this article, we’ll discuss the qualities of a good real estate agent. My hope is that at the end of this post, you won’t picture that real estate agent you always see in movies – you might even see yourself as an agent!

Personable

Being an extrovert isn’t necessarily a key trait of successful agents, but being personable is. Being personable does NOT mean you have to be the type that fills every moment of silence with conversation or that you talk a million miles a minute. It’s more important to care about and connect with your clients. People that make a personal connection, are engaging, and get along with everyone are well-suited for a career in real estate.

After all, real estate is about selling yourself as much as it’s about selling property. If you’re the type of person people are comfortable with and like being around, it will definitely help you grow your business.

Honest

Real estate agents get a bad rap for doing whatever it takes to close a deal, even if it means bending the truth. Every industry has its bad apples, but real estate has been depicted pretty unfairly. 

In reality, honesty and integrity are essential to being a successful real estate agent. Buying and selling houses is a big job with lots of time and money involved. Clients will need to put a lot of trust in you to ensure it all gets done with their best interests in mind. Referrals will help you big time in this business, and clients aren’t going to recommend you to their friends if they think you’re shady. Plus, there are serious legal ramifications for agents who engage in certain dishonest behaviors (like fraud). 

Good Communicator

Communication is key in real estate. Whether it’s communicating the value of your services to a seller, negotiating points for a purchase contract, or lining up the closing with the lender, deals hinge on how well you communicate. And let’s not forget, today buyers and sellers expect near-instant communication.

Further, being a good communicator means being a great listener. It’ll be crucial that you understand your client's needs. After all, it’s not your job to find a house that you love – it’s all about them!

Still not sure whether you’ve got great communication skills? Consider if any of these sound like you:

  • You’re an active listener – you like to ask follow-up questions to make sure you’re on the same page 

  • You like to include everyone – you realize that decisions rarely impact one person, so you’re great at getting input from everyone involved

  • You are observant and know how to read body language, gestures, facial expressions, finger, hand, arm, and leg positions, and look for cues about unspoken thoughts or feelings

Enthusiastic Learner

If you detest learning new things, this career may not be the right fit for you. Real estate is an industry where things are constantly changing: the housing market, rules, regulations, your clients’ needs, you get the picture! This is why continuing education is such a vital part of maintaining your real estate license.

Plus, this is a job where you’ll run into unexpected, totally unforeseen issues. Every day experienced agents run into new problems they’ve never faced before that they have to handle on the fly.

Real estate problems are problems that don’t always have a straightforward answer or textbook solution. There could be more than one way to solve the problem. The question is, will you enjoy meeting these challenges?

Effective Networker

Being a good networker doesn’t mean you have to know thousands of people and be that person who’s always out and about handing business cards to anyone who will take them. But it does mean that you’re good at making connections, organizing them, and keeping in contact.

There’s no substitute for face-to-face interaction, but these days a lot of networking is done online. Many top real estate agents are experts at using social media to market their services, maintain personal connections, and network with others.

Detail-Oriented

In real estate, one small detail can undo a deal or cost you a client. You have to pay attention to the small cues that clue you into what a client wants and needs. You have to pay attention to every line of the contract to avoid costly errors. You must pay attention to the red flags that may be hard to spot during a home tour. You have to pay attention to how every listing photo is framed.

Those who lack attention to detail will have a much more difficult time getting their footing in real estate. Usually, all it takes is one avoidable blunder for serious agents to realize even the most minor details matter.

Tenacious

Being an agent takes tenacity. The average home buyer will look at ten homes before deciding to write an offer. Not every listing appointment is going to pan out. Deals can fall through despite your best efforts. You may have to cold call 20 leads or more before finally connecting with someone who’s interested in buying or selling.

The good news is that it gets easier with time. You’ll build your network and start getting more referrals. But it will take hard work and persistence to get to that point – does that sound like you?

Tech-Savvy

Technology moves at a swift pace my friend, and real estate is an industry that has always been impacted by technological advancements. The internet was a game changer for listings. Email was a revolution in sending and accessing documents. Social media has dramatically changed how agents market their business.

From e-signatures to virtual reality tools, real estate agents must be up-to-speed on the latest technology. This is especially true now that the tech-savvy millennial generation is the largest segment of home buyers.

Hard Worker

Real estate is hard work. Despite what many people think, it isn’t easy money, particularly when you’re just starting out. You’re running your own business from the ground up, which requires a remarkable amount of work no matter what industry you’re in.

You may spend hours searching through listings and arranging home tours only for a buyer to decide they want to wait six more months before buying. You then need to touch base regularly so that the lead remains warm and doesn’t get picked up by another agent. Once they decide to purchase a home, a lot of energy and effort may be needed just to get the deal accepted. And, after doing all this work you don’t receive a penny unless you make it to the closing table.

Add running a marketing campaign, completing continuing education, and juggling other active clients on top of that, and it’s easy to see why the best agents have a fantastic work ethic.

Self-Motivated

According to our study, 98% of folks polled said that their real estate career offered good flexibility, with 87% saying it allowed them to control their work hours. That kind of freedom and flexibility might sound perfect, but it puts a lot of responsibility on you! You’re creating a brand and running the show yourself. You’re the boss. No one is dictating your schedule or telling you what to do next.

To succeed in the real estate business, you’ve got to be self-motivated with an entrepreneurial spirit, have a keen business sense, and not be afraid to bet on yourself. Continuous improvement and growth is the primary goal, and that mindset will take you far in real estate.

Professional

Above all else, real estate agents with enviable careers are true professionals. They invest in their education, treat all clients with respect, and work every day to grow their business. True professionals are always on time and follow through on their promises.

Real estate is a serious business. Clients have a lot of money on the line, and they expect their agent to be a professional they can rely on. Anything less than that and you may earn a reputation for the wrong reasons.

There they are! These key personality traits can set you up for success as a top-performing real estate agent. If some of these descriptions don’t sound like you, that doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t cut out for a career in real estate. Some traits may come naturally, while others take a bit of work to fine-tune. 

So what do you think? Does a career in real estate sound like a good fit for you? If you’re ready to take that next step, we’d love to help! Our online courses prepare you for your real estate licensing exam, and you’ll get to learn at your own pace!

Updated 9/23/22

Profession without age: how to become a real estate agent :: City :: RBC Real Estate

There are no age restrictions in this profession. Both today's graduates and people with extensive work experience can try themselves as a realtor. There are no special faculties teaching this profession in any state educational institution. At the same time, in order to succeed, the realtor will have to master a wide range of skills and competencies. Brokers often have to be lawyers, psychologists, diplomats, analysts and even designers at the same time.

However, this does not scare the Russians. According to market participants, the real estate business continues to attract compatriots for a number of reasons. We learned about how to become a successful realtor from scratch and where to get professional skills.

Today, a real estate agent is not just an intermediary dealing with a whole range of tasks. A good specialist should understand the current market situation, have sufficient legal, technological, marketing and financial qualifications. Studying the market situation and understanding its development trends, consulting potential sellers and buyers, selecting suitable options for them, conducting legal due diligence of a property, transaction support - this is not a complete list of duties of a modern broker.

“In addition, a realtor often acts as a psychologist. During the conclusion of the transaction, both sellers and buyers experience severe stress. The task of the specialist in this case is to relieve the tension that may lead to the failure of the agreement, ”says Mikhail Kulikov, director of the secondary market department at Inkom-Nedvizhimost.

It is widely believed that real estate work is a source of easy big money and does not require a professional approach and qualifications. “Such a delusion was formed back in 90 years. Then, with some reservations, this could be called true. The market was only in its infancy and was not only civilized, but even somehow structured. Today, consumer demands and expectations have changed, work technologies have stepped far ahead. Under these conditions, it is simply unrealistic to work successfully without having the necessary knowledge and skills,” says Oleg Samoilov, Vice President of the Russian Guild of Realtors* (RGR).

With the onset of the crisis, working as a real estate agent has become much more difficult, says Mikhail Kulikov. “The crisis hit small real estate agencies especially hard. Single brokers also have a hard time. Most often, in the absence of clients, they are engaged in some other activity, returning to the real estate market after its revival. During crisis turbulences, it is better to be on the staff of an industry-leading company,” he adds.

Photo: ITAR-TASS/ Valery Matytsin

Those candidates who already have experience in sales, a law firm or a bank will have an advantage when applying for a job. As practice shows, such employees are the most successful, says Ilya Progonnov, head of the apartment sales department of the residential real estate department of Penny Lane Realty. However, a person from the street can also become a broker.

Large real estate agencies are ready to train their future employees on their own. As a rule, the program includes trainings and practical exercises on negotiation, sales technology, and legal issues. Novice realtors learn to search for and attract clients, draw up contracts, engage in the formation and support of transactions. In addition, they study the areas of the city and the level of real estate prices.

The basic vocational training course, which provides the necessary basic knowledge, can be taken not only from the employer. For example, training for brokers is carried out by professional organizations - the Moscow Association of Realtors and the Russian Guild of Realtors. In the latter, for example, there is a special program of voluntary certification. It includes the necessary market knowledge and service delivery standards. At the end of the training, all graduates must confirm their knowledge by successfully passing the exam.

It is best to start your career in a reputable real estate agency, where they are ready to devote time to a beginner, advises Oleg Samoilov from RGR. “The practice of mentoring has been developed in the real estate industry. A novice realtor will have to go through a number of stages: “watch how I do”, “do it with me”, “do it under my supervision”, “do it according to my instructions”, “do it yourself, but report to me” and just “do it” . Most often, problems arise for those who have passed only half of this path, but already consider themselves specialists. Faced with a non-standard situation in negotiations or in a complex transaction, they are lost. In the agency, in any case, more experienced colleagues, lawyers and managers will insure, ”he explains.

Choosing your market segment is an important issue for a novice broker. The easiest is mass rental housing. People with a low level of competence can get there. However, this segment is less prestigious: a lot of impressions, high competition and low earnings. Transactions in other segments require more experience and patience. You need to be ready to regularly improve your skills in order to meet the changing realities of the market, Oleg Samoilov is sure. Today, there are also various courses and seminars for advanced training, including remote ones.

Photo: ITAR-TASS/ Alexander Ryumin

Real estate agent is a profession without age. Both a graduate of the institute and a person with experience can try their hand, says Alexander Moskatov, managing director of the brokerage department of the Miel-Network of Real Estate Offices company. At the same time, it is very important for a potential candidate to be able to present themselves. “We should not be ashamed of our employee. His speech must be correct, he must understand the social level of the people with whom he will work. We must try to match them at least outwardly. But if we see the presence of the competencies we need, appearance and education go by the wayside,” explains Ilya Progonnov from Penny Lane Realty.

The profession of a realtor is not suitable for those who need stability in their work and the ability to sit straight on a chair, Mikhail Kulikov from Inkom-Nedvizhimost is sure. According to him, all good agents are a little adventurers. Accordingly, candidates who are naturally dynamic, mobile, sociable and cannot imagine their life without interesting communication are more likely to succeed.

In the process of work, you will have to contact with different people - buyers, sellers, contractors, other realtors. “Sometimes clients behave not quite adequately, but this medal has another side. One of the main advantages of the profession is the constant improvement of communication skills,” says Mikhail Kulikov.

The future realtor has many new skills to master. For example, you need to have technical knowledge regarding apartments, buildings, layouts and materials. It is equally important to navigate the legal plane. “Even before the transaction will be accompanied by a lawyer, we can identify many nuances. Of course, we are psychologists. Often a person not only buys an apartment, but also resolves incidental conflicts in the family. In addition, buying an apartment in the premium or elite market is a serious financial enterprise. This means that we must advise the client in terms of possible income, risks and prospects,” says Ilya Progonnov.

Nevertheless, the main condition for successful work in this profession is love for people, readiness to help them, Oleg Samoilov is sure. “You can call it empathy, the ability to understand the needs and circumstances of people, translate them into the language of the real estate market. Without this, it simply won’t work out in our profession seriously and for a long time, ”he concludes.

* The norms of the modern Russian literary language require the spelling of the word "realtor" through the letter "e". The brand "Russian Guild of Realtors" was registered before this linguistic norm came into force, therefore, in the name of the association, the word is written through the letter "e", as was customary at the beginning of 1990s.

Realtor's key to success

Good afternoon everyone! For many years I have been hearing from realtors of other agencies, but to be honest, I also had such realtors who were offended and freaked out by the fact that the client refused to work with them, scammed (bypassed the realtor and made a deal on his own). These realtors always found the reason outside, not in themselves. And the key to the success of a realtor lies not only in a clear knowledge of the product and laws, but in understanding psychology and, most importantly, in respect and love for the client. To love a client in my understanding is to be grateful to him that he turned to you and trusts you. And clients are different, and here the task of a professional realtor, a person who loves his profession, is to find the right approach, to speak a language that the client understands.

To do this, the main task is to rebuild your world from the "world of claims and insults" to the "world of gratitude and wealth." It was a discovery for me when I got acquainted with the psychology of wealth and prosperity. In 2003, Natalia Pravdina's books “I Attract Success” and “I Attract Wealth” came across my path, thanks to which another world, a different understanding of reality, opened up to me. Since then I have been living, applying the acquired knowledge, improving the world around me. So, the key to success consists of many (very interesting) steps:

  • Switching consciousness from negative to positive. Applying the acquired knowledge with faith and clear execution. The most difficult thing is at the beginning of the journey, you will have to control your thoughts and reprogram them in the right way.
  • Expand your horizons with psychology, in which you will find answers about different psychotypes of people, their behavior, understanding what they want and how to determine it correctly.
  • Learn to observe and analyze the information received, using the acquired knowledge. The key real realtor acts for the benefit of the client and this is the law!
  • Understand and follow laws
  • Understand economics and politics
  • Be self-organized and cheerful
  • to be decent
  • Constantly develop yourself

Thanks to the application of all the steps, the path to haste will be pleasant and, most importantly, real! The benefit that the realtor receives is beyond words.

To date, there is a lot of information in the media and on the Internet about psychotypes and their definitions.

For example: Mitch Anthony Terminology

I take the definitions of the OPAZ model from the article by Yuri Gallyamov. Thanks to the author.



Personality Guardian

People of this type tend to maintain and maintain relationships with others through compromise and any way to avoid conflict.

Their incentive: predictability. In their life, everything should be painted like clockwork.

Therefore, they will never dare to conduct real estate transactions on their own.

Often, many of them turn to realtors for help because of their main fear - the fear of change. Remove this fear from the Guardians, and they will become your clients!

Personality Entrepreneur

Determined, courageous and willing to take risks. He is not afraid of conflicts and always says what he thinks.

The Entrepreneur's incentive is victory. When communicating with such a person, first of all, you need to realize that only the result is important for him.

He has three questions for the realtor:

  1. What can you offer me to cooperate with you?
  2. Where is the way out of the situation, what result will I get?
  3. How much do I need to pay to solve my problem?

Every Entrepreneur has a fear of failure. If he understands that you are not striving to fulfill his instructions with high responsibility and competence, he will instantly refuse your services.

For this type of personality, it is important:

  • what is your competence in real estate - he chooses the best
  • how confident are you in the success of his deal
  • that you are making every effort to win him.

Personality Analyst

closed type. A certain person in a case. He always thinks everything through 58 times and weighs everything before making a decision.

To conclude a contract and keep such a client, it is important to give him the opportunity to feel right.

Customers of this type will not rest until they thoroughly study all the terms of the contract. It is they who may require acquaintance with the director of the agency, request his charter, check other documents.

Analyst's fear of making a mistake. It is he who will gladly study each clause of the contract and ask questions:

  1. Why can't I find a buyer on my own by signing an agreement with an agency?
  2. Why should I leave the original documents for the apartment with you?

From your answers to the questions of the Analyst, his decision on cooperation depends.

A realtor who fails to neutralize this client's fear of making a mistake risks losing him.

If the agent correctly (from the point of view of the Analyst) responds to his questions, then the conversation will move into a constructive direction:

— Yes, Sergei Sigismundovich! You correctly drew attention to this clause of the contract, it is very important, because ...

It is important to hear what the client sees as a problem, what worries him in this clause of the contract. And then show the benefit that he will receive. And in no case do not argue with him.

If we talk about the Achilles heel of Analysts, then it is worth noting that they tend to criticize and condemn. Experienced realtors are painfully familiar with situations when advances and transactions are disrupted due to an “arrived in time” assistant in the person of a lawyer who is lagging behind the interests of the opposite side.

Scrupulousness and meticulousness in trifles often harms the result of both parties.

Although, we must pay tribute to the fact that without analysts we would have lost the quality of life. They are the ones who provide it to us.

And finally, the last in the list of psychotypes, but far from the last in terms of vitality, is the ringleader.

Personality type Ringleader

Believe in the best, people with creative thinking. Life optimists. You won't get bored with them.

Energy boils in these people, they are the soul of the company.

The stimulus of this personality type is recognition.

When communicating with the ringleader, it is important to evaluate everything that he will talk about. Listen to him, even if it's not about the case!

Usually, these are excellent storytellers, and they are looking for those ears that can take in the whole stream of necessary and not very necessary information. It’s hard to resist their charm, so you can and should pay attention to what they are interested in in order to achieve the result you need.

Having received recognition of his merits and friendly support from your side, he will be happy to cooperate with you.

On the other hand, if you talk dryly with the ringleader only about business and are indifferent to what is interesting to him in life, then you need to be ready to part with him.

An important internal question of the ringleader may sound like this:

  • Who will solve my problem?

When choosing a realtor, the ringleader first of all chooses a person with whom he will be pleased to communicate.

All buyers have a different character and temperament, all have their own characteristics and shortcomings. But the task of a good seller is to make the most difficult client his friend, earn his trust, and turn all the shortcomings into virtues. Coach for realtors, Galina Parusova, analyzed the nuances of working in the industry and described the types of clients in the real estate industry in the book “Features of Realtor Skill”.

"Dominant type" - impulsive, straightforward and decisive. Clients of this type consider themselves right "a priori", because they pay money and "order the music." They tend to be the leaders themselves and put forward their own conditions. Such buyers are more likely to choose "business" or "premium" class housing. To achieve the location of such clients and take the situation "under control", the realtor needs to be confident, show erudition and professionalism.

"Immediate type" - such buyers are prone to emotionality and talkativeness, but at the same time they listen rather badly. They are usually in no hurry to make a decision, they need someone to help and push them. They will appreciate conversational skills, a sense of humor, and topical advice.

"Skeptics" - prone to punctuality and pedantry. They show little emotion, but they can bring some surprises, such as bringing a lawyer to a meeting or preparing a long list of questions. The main thing for this psychological type of client is the possibility of making a balanced independent decision. They will appreciate brevity - facts, figures and accurate information.

"Dependent type" - customers of this warehouse are very sociable and friendly, but rather fearful and cautious. It is important for them to see in the realtor a person interested in their well-being. The most important thing for a realtor in this case will be to earn the trust of the client.

I prefer this definition “If a person:

  1. Fear of Life - a client without initiative, not active on the life line. It is necessary for a realtor to work through authority, to praise for the past, to give compliments
  2. Fear of Death - the client is very fast (in fact, a hidden aggressor), he always wants to keep his figure high, he clearly knows what he wants. The task of the realtor is to praise, to use such phrases: “I am listening to you”, “I have an idea”, “What do you think?”, “Your opinion”.
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