There isn’t one particular college degree, or specific work related experience, that ensures success as a great real estate agent. Real estate attracts people from all backgrounds! In fact, agents wear a lot of different hats in the course of helping their clients achieve the best results possible. So it helps if they’re able to bring a lot of different skill sets to the table when they get into the business.
But each agent usually has a strong suit which they’ve honed over the years that makes them most effective for their clients. For example, some are savvy and creative marketers, while others are tenacious negotiators.
So let’s have a little fun and look at 7 other professions that most real estate agents could do in their sleep, based on common skills that agents possess:
1) Matador
The ability to dodge a charging beast while looking graceful would make a matador an amazing agent. While you don’t have to deal with clients who are as angry as a raging bull all that often, it does happen. Being able to keep yourself calm while redirecting the other person’s anger, or at least sidestepping it, can be a lifesaver.
2) Magician
From a seller wanting you to sell their house for more than it’s worth, to a buyer wanting you to get them an impossibly good deal on a house, you’re sometimes expected to make the impossible happen. Whether it’s just sleight of hand, or actual magic, being a magician could be useful in those moments. Or, if all else fails, just make like David Copperfield and disappear.
3) Fortune teller
If only agents had a crystal ball, they could tell homeowners the perfect time to sell, and how much they’ll get for their house. They could show buyers the future and assure them that buying now isn’t a mistake, and the house will surely be worth way more when they sell years from now. And on a selfish note, they could see into the future and avoid working with clients that are going to waste their time and never end up in a closing.
4) Bounty hunter
If they can find a moving human being that doesn’t want to be found, they can certainly find their buyers the hidden gem of a deal on a house. Plus, they’re already used to only getting paid a bounty if (and when) they get the job done, so working on 100% commission won’t phase them in the least.
5) Bomb technician
It takes patience and the ability to remain calm under pressure to diffuse bombs for a living. While it isn’t nearly as critical to keep your cool when things get heated in a real estate transaction, it can make the difference between a deal blowing up, or keeping it together.
6) Referee
Whether it’s dealing with significant others who have significant relationship issues, or just a couple who simply can’t agree on which house to buy, a referee could be just the person to break things up and keep things moving along.
7) Ghost hunter
You’re probably thinking a ghost hunter would be great at being an agent because they can help buyers figure out if a house they like is haunted. True, that’d be useful. But their skill set would come in even handier if “ghosted” by a client after spending months showing them houses!