I’ve Got Your Back: How to Be a Good Advocate for Your Real Estate Clients

To be an advocate for something is to speak or write on its behalf, but more often, an advocate for a real estate client acts on their behalf. Buyers and sellers come to you because you know real estate inside and out — they don’t — and you can advise them on which pitfalls to avoid and which golden rings to grab. When you become your clients’ real estate champion, they’ll be more than happy to sing your praises to anyone who’ll listen.

Here’s how to be a good advocate for your real estate clients.

Put yourself in their shoes

However long it’s been since you bought or sold a home, you should always remember what it’s like to be in your clients’ position: They’re about to make the biggest financial decision of their lives, they know very little about the buying or selling process, they acknowledge that they need help, and they’re hoping to find an agent who can empathize with their anxiety and be a caring guide.

Get on the same page

To help your clients, you must first understand what they want, need and expect from you as a real estate agent; you’ll then discover what makes your clients most anxious about their decision to buy or sell. The want you to find or sell their home (but they’re not entirely sure what they’re looking for). They need you to tell them how to do that (but they don’t want to be patronized). And they expect you to close as quickly, easily and cheaply as possible (but they want platinum service for a tin can price).

Don’t be afraid to tell the truth

Sometimes what clients need to hear isn’t always welcome, but you have to deliver the news, good or bad, if you want to prove your value and do what’s best for them. Sellers who cling to an unjustifiably inflated price or buyers who insist on submitting an unrealistic lowball offer need to rethink their stance — and you’re the only person who can tell them why.

Appreciate the past, but live in today

No matter how you feel about it, technology has made it easier for buyers and sellers to find real estate information; embracing it can help real estate agents in their daily lives, too. Rather than perusing the Sunday classifieds, consumers browse the Internet; instead of Thomas Guides, GPS lights the way; instead of waiting to return calls until you get back to the office, your cellphone is your 24/7 lifeline to the world. Much of how real estate agents once operated might have changed, but the fundamentals of customer service have not. Empowering consumers with information and context to make informed decisions is still entirely up to you.

Go the extra mile

When your seller receives an offer that looks good at the outset, how much time do you spend making sure it serves your client’s best interest? Are you on board if a client wants to negotiate or would you mostly advise them to accept an offer or list price because it can close the transaction more quickly? True advocacy is to act, write and speak on your client’s behalf. There are a million details a real estate agent has to remember on any given day, but asking “Is there something more I can do?” and going above and beyond what’s required is always a winning — and differentiating — approach.

Stay informed

A good advocate has all the facts, so it pays to do your homework. If a client likes a particular architecture style, find out if there are any hidden caveats in owning and maintaining that kind of home. If your seller’s home is in a neighborhood governed by an association, read up on any special considerations you should know when you help them list. How might your local market activity affect your clients’ decisions? Helping your clients understand the factors that might impact their transaction illustrates your expertise and positions you as a valuable ally.

Jump on it

Whatever tasks you face in your busy day — answering or returning calls, scheduling appointments, following up, checking in — a good advocate tackles them immediately to move their clients to the next step. Everybody likes checking items off their to-do list, and it’s even more satisfying when you’re making progress on behalf of your buyers and sellers.

Being a good advocate for real estate clients means caring enough to approach the transaction as if it were your own. Although today’s buyers and sellers have access to more real estate information than ever before, they still need you to put that information into context and act on their behalf.