Tips for Better Communication

In real estate, as in most interpersonal arenas, communication is vitally important. When communication breaks down or falls short, frustration and even hostility can arise. Your job as a real estate agent relies on communication with your clients, with your wider audience, with your professional associates, and with those who work with you in your office. 

Successful, smooth communication will directly improve your success, because everyone who has a great experience interacting with you is more likely to hire you, align with you professionally, and recommend you to their friends and family. 

With that in mind, let’s dive into our best tips for communicating better at work and beyond. 

Remain Organized

Our best recommendations won’t help you much if your organizational skills are significantly sub-par. Forms, emails, appointments, and deadlines are your bread and butter. Failure to practice excellent organization will leave those with whom you interact feeling ignored, brushed off, or worse, forgotten. 

Be Mindful of Tone  

The way you say something is as important as what you say. Pay attention to your tone to avoid misunderstandings and hurt feelings. If necessary, practice important conversations with a trusted friend or loved one who will give you accurate feedback. If this option isn’t available to you, consider recording yourself ahead of time so you can gauge how your tone will be received by others.

Stay Present

Minimize distractions and focus on the current conversation to strengthen connections and avoid misunderstandings. We are all perpetually connected to our phones, but an in-person meeting with a client is no time to be checking your notifications. Silence your phone, put it away, and demonstrate clearly that your client has your full attention.

Practice Active Listening

Pay close attention to the speaker, show you’re engaged using your body language, and respond appropriately. This skill will ensure the person with whom you are speaking truly feels heard, which will make them more likely to seek out further conversations with you. 

Reflect, Paraphrase, and Ask

This skill dovetails perfectly with active listening. When you feel as though you have a clear understanding of what your interlocutor is expressing to you, you can take a moment to reflect on their meaning. Then, paraphrase their meaning back to them, and ask if you have understood correctly. 

For example, you might say, “What I am hearing you say is that you are ready to begin searching for a home, but you would like information about price points within the neighborhoods that have caught your attention. Is my understanding correct?”

Continue to follow up with variations on this phrasing until the person with whom you are speaking confirms that you have accurately comprehended their meaning. 

Feedback and Clarification

Likewise, always encourage others to provide feedback for you. Be open to clarifying your own messages to ensure mutual understanding. If you aren’t being understood, never blame the other person, or expect them to adjust their communication style to cater to your preferences. Instead, be flexible, remain positive, and work patiently to be understood.

Clarity and Conciseness 

Express your thoughts clearly and avoid unnecessary details to ensure your message is easily understood. Your clients may ramble, but you must take care not to follow suit. Your clients may already feel overloaded with information due to the complexity of real estate transactions.

You can represent a calm oasis of clarity within the wider landscape of chaos. Achieve this goal, and your client will think of you fondly for years to come. 

Employ Body Language Awareness

Non-verbal cues are powerful. Maintain eye contact, use open body language, and be mindful of using appropriate gestures to enhance communication. Stand or sit with good posture but avoid appearing militant or rigid. Unfurrow your brow, let a twinkle enter your eyes, and make sure your smiles extend throughout your whole face. 

Practice Empathy

Take the time to understand others’ perspectives and feelings. Consistently demonstrate that you care about their experiences through your words and your actions. Remember important anniversaries, send appropriate messages of condolences when people experience loss, and use phrases that clearly communicate that you understand how an event or circumstance has impacted someone emotionally. 

“I’m sorry our offer on the Brentwood house was not accepted. I hear how disappointing this is for you, and how concerned you are about what this means for your chances to purchase your dream home. I have a series of plans prepared to make this happen for you. Let me know when you’ve processed what has happened and you’re ready to talk about our next steps.”

This style of communication recognizes their feelings, validates them, offers encouragement, and provides space without abandoning your client in any way. 

Take Notes and Send Summaries

Throughout a conversation, you should feel free to jot notes on a notepad. Afterward, send an email containing a brief summary of what you have understood, as well as the actions to which you have committed. 

This is the perfect time and avenue for you to confirm your openness to follow-up questions as well. 

The Takeaway

No one launches their real estate career with the level of communication skills they will have ten years later. What matters is continual improvement. You can fast-track your progress using the techniques outlined above, as well as those you learn from your real estate mentors. 

You may find it helpful to take note of breakthroughs as you make them. Read back through your notes at least semi-annually to keep important communication lessons fresh in your mind. Repetition is the best way to build long-term knowledge out of facts you have gathered, so we encourage you to give yourself space in your schedule to make it happen!