Four Realtors® Share Their Favorite Real Estate Advice

PAR asked, “What’s the best piece of real estate advice you’ve been given over the years?” Here’s what four Realtors® had to say.

“Get out of the way,” said Jason Burkholder, member of the Reading-Berks Association of Realtors®.

“As Realtors®, it’s our job to advise and educate, but it’s not our decision – it’s the client’s. Take your ego out of it; it’s not about you. Give your clients the information and allow them to decide what’s best for them.”

“Read the contract. Read all the things,” shared Lisa Sanderson with the Pocono Mountains Association of Realtors®.

“I’ve found the best agents are the agents who really dig in and take advantage of all the information available to them,” she continued. “Knowing contracts, for example, is a critical factor in representing your clients, and can even give you a strategic advantage in negotiations and navigating transactions. And reading all the things can keep you out of trouble too. It’s our responsibility to be as well-informed as possible as we advise and work to ensure great outcomes for our people.”

“Set goals. Have an action plan. Show up. Stay educated,” said Sherrie Miller, member of the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors®.

“The key to a successful career in real estate is to have a goal of either income or number of transactions you want to achieve,” Miller added. “Break it down to how many transactions are needed in order to meet that goal. You will then need to break it down to how many contracts you need monthly/weekly and daily to meet that number. You then need to time block in order to make those contracts each day.”

“That’s why I say show up with a plan every day, and you will get there. It’s like planning a trip across the country. You wouldn’t dare to go without a road map or GPS. Planning is everything, and putting lead generation into action brings success.”

“1. It’s not a sin to lose business – it’s a sin to take a long time to lose business, and 2. How you do business is more important than how much business you do,” Tamer Gomaa, member of the Lancaster County Association of Realtors®, shared.

“Both of these statements are from Chris Voss, author of ‘Never Split the Difference,’ and Steve Schull, author of ‘The Full Free Agent,’” he attributed. “Both statements align with what I think of being a professional real estate agent. They encourage agents to be true professionals and not make the transaction/deal their main focus.”

“They encourage agents to hold themselves to high standards and not fear loss of business or lack of business,” Gomaa added. “Standards for oneself and standards for the level of service the agent will commit to providing their client. When the agent sticks to their standards, their life becomes more harmonious and they reach a state of satisfaction. They are not running all over the place in search of business with the mentality of ‘something is better than nothing.’”