A realestate agent will most likely have tools available to show you the most current listings. It might be a special software. It might be a tool that quickly calculates your possible payment rates with accompanying easy to understand clarifications of all the portions of your payment.



The important common thread to all these tools is that they are all designed to sell. Sales is essentially the same for real estate as it is for cars, diamond rings, or furniture etc. If you listen closely you will detect the common thread of "looking for a yes".

Basically most realtors are bright, well trained, capable individuals. They come equipped with all the tools their real estate broker can provide them. So what is the skill set that a realtor should possess that would set them apart from all the rest?

That skill set is almost certainly well developed listening skills. If you find your real estate agent talking more than you maybe that person doesn't have listening skills. How do you know for sure your real estate agent is a good listener and why is that so important?

The quickest way to determine your realtor's listening skills is with a test. Sometimes if you are looking for listening skills you will know right away that a particular person does not listen well. Anyway the test is to carefully identify a few specific items you find important in a home. Those might be a large master, quiet neighborhoods, a south facing view etc. It doesn't have to be a long list because just like the salesperson may be sorting customers, you should be sorting realtors.

Give a list to a prospective realtor. Have them email you 4-5 homes that may fit your needs. If your prospective realtor has good listening skills the homes presented will meet your list of features. If some of the homes do not closely fit than your prospective realtor is more of a salesperson than a listener. This person strives to convince you that a house will work for you. This real estate agent is normally very smooth at this. That is why it is important for you to understand you need a real estate agent with good listening skills or you will be convinced by that person what to buy rather than buying what you started out to buy.

This may seem obvious but in reality by not shopping for a real estate agent with this all important skill in mind, often times the sales oriented real estate agent exercises too strong of influences on what one actually ends up buying.