The question is, which one will you be? Will you go down into retirement simply as a real estate agent, or do you want more?
The realty industry has various responsibilities, which are segmented into multiple roles. In that mix is a real estate showing agent. What is a showing agent? A real estate showing agent is a real estate professional responsible for conducting home tours.
A showing agent schedules appointments with buyers and takes them on house tours. The aim? To give homebuyers experiences that will beckon them, draw them, and call them back to the home to close a sale. Showing agents offer clients tours that will forever be etched at the back of their minds.
How to become a real estate showing agent? Becoming a tour agent takes five steps, from achieving licensure within your state to finding a brokerage to work with and gaining access to a multiple listing service.
Below, we will dive further into the five steps to become a real estate showing agent. We will expound on the roles and responsibilities of a showing agent and the skills kit required for the job. So, let’s dig right into it.
How to Become a Real Estate Showing Agent
Regardless of the specialty you want to pursue in real estate, the starting point for most roles is one: becoming a real estate agent.
The first step to joining the real estate industry is often obtaining a license. And with your license in hand, you can freestyle at will.
Here are the five steps guaranteed to make a showing agent of you:
Step 1: Learn the Art of Sales
Most days, when you walk through the doors of your brokerage firm, desperately caffeinated and full of expectation, you will be handling multiple sales. But if every appointment is to be fruitful, you will need a delicate dose of persuasion, communication, and ninja-level precision for a successful execution.
That is why, before you chase pre-licensing education, you must ensure that sales mastery is a part of your arsenal.
Showing property relies heavily on understanding consumer motivations and navigating interpersonal dynamics. It is not about pushing the envelope too early.
In fact, one of the best sales advice I have ever received is to slow the clamp down. Until you have provided real value, in this case, helped the buyer envision their family life within a home.
Pro tip: Let the buyer want the home first. That way, they will start the sales process.
Future showing agents should explore sales fundamentals, including qualifying leads, building rapport, overcoming objections, negotiating, and closing deals. Choose a sales course or immerse yourself in best-selling sales books, listen to podcasts, and research the psychology around purchasing.
Grasping the psychology around what motivates house hunters to fall in love with a property can prove crucial. By comprehending core sales theories first, new real estate showing agents will feel far more prepared to thrive.
You can also check out booming real estate markets to see how agents in these markets are closing sales.
Step 2: Getting Licensed
Sales knowledge attained? Your next step is to bag a real estate license. Licensing requirements will differ in every state, but one similarity is that you will have to complete the pre-licensing education and take the exam.
Pro tip: Use several practice tests to prepare for exam day. A good real estate practice test will mimic exam questions and conditions, ensuring you don’t go into the exam blind.
Step 3: Find Employment
Real estate agents must have broker backing before they can receive their licenses. My advice is that you find a sponsoring broker before you even sit for your exam.
Search for job openings at prominent brokerages to gain experience in the showing sphere.
When drafting your resume, emphasize past customer service positions, cash handling jobs, and roles interfacing with the public. This will highlight transferable skills ideal for showing agent positions.
Keep in mind that brokerages may require some time spent in entry-level positions before leading your own showings. Be open to shadowing top producers, writing offers for their listings, and attending networking events. It is at these events you can capture your own buyer leads.
Once you have a few transactions under your belt, you can request to handle listing appointments and personalize tours for prospective buyers.
Pro tip: Having a professional online presence via LinkedIn is a great way to connect with brokers.
Step 4: Access the MLS
One concept worth noting is that most real estate showing agents don’t find homes or try to match buyers with homes. You swoop in once the real estate agent has everything in place, and you take the buyers to the predetermined homes.
But it is still a great idea to have access to a Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This comprehensive database of properties listed for sale in a geographic area can help you better understand the neighborhood in which your homes are located.
While MLS platforms require membership fees, your brokerages may include subscriptions for their agents.
Pro tip: Study every home in detail before a showing. You want to ensure you give buyers the best experience possible.
Step 5: Learn on the Job
Learning never stops, even for real estate veterans like my mother-in-law. But this is even more important for new real estate agents.
When first starting out as a real estate showing agent, gleaning from experienced brokers is invaluable to learn the ins and outs of listing appointments.
Tagging along to showings with veteran agents allows newbies to get familiar with local neighborhoods on a deeper level. By going on this ride-along, you can observe:
- How seasoned pros highlight home features, answer buyer questions, and navigate the viewing process.
- How seasoned showing agents stage homes for maximum appeal and impact.
- The details they focus on and what language they use to describe amenities or recent upgrades.
This on-the-job training helps new agents strengthen their showmanship abilities to best showcase listings.
Also note negotiation tactics successful agents deploy, like emphasizing competitive comparables and reiterating seller incentives to drive serious buyer interest. Then, replicate these methods when conducting your showings.
Pro tip: Should any agent invite you on their tour, carry a notebook. Sponge every piece of information and learn as much as you can.
Responsibilities
A showing agent plays a critical behind-the-scenes role in guiding real estate transactions. Though not closing deals directly, showing agents lay the foundation for contracts and sales to ultimately materialize.
Their duties span from showcasing homes in the best possible light during tours to negotiating offers to facilitate positive outcomes. Tour agents partner with real estate agents, making it easier for them to close deals.
Imagine an incredibly productive real estate agent who has more listings than she has time to adequately showcase. Her plate already overflows with managing existing client relationships, overseeing advertising for her properties, negotiating offers, and pushing deals to close.
By partnering with a showing agent, this real estate agent can remove several activities from their plate and focus on closing deals or other core revenue-generating tasks.
On any given day, a showing agent may juggle a diverse range of responsibilities. For example:
- Highlighting home features and tracking buyer reactions during showings
- Addressing specific questions and concerns from interested buyers
- Providing timely feedback to agents and sometimes sellers on showing outcomes
- Consulting with buyers on competitive offer strategies tailored to each property
How to Grow Your Skills and Income as a Showing Agent
After taking up your place as a real estate showing agent, you will still need to enhance your showing skills and knowledge. Many tools and resources are available to help you elevate these abilities.
For instance, online courses offer comprehensive training on key aspects such as property valuation, negotiation techniques, legal issues, etc. You can lean on mobile applications like Zillow or Realtor.com to provide instant access to market trends and listings.
Managing your time effectively is equally critical in this fast-paced industry. To stay organized amidst multiple showings and client meetings, consider using scheduling software or project management apps like Asana software or Trello to track tasks seamlessly across different devices.
Another important aspect of your work is keeping tabs on expenses incurred during property showings, from transportation costs to marketing materials. A simple yet effective way could be maintaining an expense diary where all outgoings are logged regularly.
But for a more seamless and digital approach, financial management software like Intuit’s QuickBooks offers more sophisticated tracking features for a detailed overview of your spending patterns.
Let’s illustrate this with an example: Imagine being a showing agent juggling between five properties spread across town within one day. That is quite hectic! Now visualize having all appointments neatly arranged in your digital calendar with reminders for each one; isn’t it less stressful?
Moreover, imagine ending the day knowing exactly how much was spent on fueling the car because every penny was accounted for in your expense tracker – no nasty surprises at month-end!
By harnessing these tools and strategies effectively, not only will you improve as a showing agent but also ensure smooth sailing through daily operations while keeping finances under control.
Keys to Success
Becoming a real estate showing agent opens up an exciting career path in the property market. With a grasp on sales and backed by the best agent tools, you can start your journey to real estate success.
Next Steps
1. Immerse yourself in sales fundamentals: Read books, take courses, and listen to podcasts.
2. Obtain your real estate license: Complete pre-licensing education and pass the exam.
3. Find employment with a reputable brokerage firm: Start by shadowing top producers before handling your own showings.
4. Access MLS databases: Familiarize yourself with properties listed for sale in your area of operation.
5. Learn on the job from experienced brokers: Observe how they handle showings and negotiations.
Got any questions? Feel free to share them below! If you’ve already started this process or have experiences as a showing agent that could help others just starting out, we’d love for you to share those too! Together, we can build an engaged community of successful real estate professionals!
