A few weeks back, I came across an interesting article with key points that have been floating around in the back of my mind ever since. David Marine wrote an article entitled “Changing the Conversation“, published on Inman Next, where he addresses negative connotations and a perception of mistrust attached to the real estate industry as a whole. In 2011, Gallup conducted a survey designed to rank a wide spectrum of industries according to perceived trustworthiness. Marine writes that according to these consumer polls only the oil industry and federal government ranked beneath the real estate industry, going on to add, “lawyers, car salesman, the airlines and other industries that you normally expect to get a bad rap all ranked significantly higher than real estate.”
As a real estate professional, I find representing the industry in a positive light to be essential. Trust is the cornerstone of any successful transaction, and successful transactions parlay into continued client referrals and thus, a successful career. In any service-based industry, providing a positive client experience is a non-negotiable.
I believe the lack of trust in our industry stems from the lack of perceived added value that agents provide to the home-buying process. “Perceived” being the key word! The bottom line is that we have to show our home-buyers why they are far better off using an agent vs. going it alone. We have to be experts in our cities and towns, study the trends, and know the ins and outs of the market through and through. Far beyond holding the keys that open a few properties our clients may want to gain entry to, we must be an expert in counseling clients through the entirety of the process. Gaining trust in the real estate industry can be done, and it starts no further than the a gent.
