Optimism, the art of seeing the good in most things and expecting good things in the future, will help you in your real estate agent career. While knowledge, experience and social skills are all very important parts of the agent’s profession, optimism is something that builds confidence in yourself, inspires confidence in others and imbues all your dealings with the expectation that things will go well, making it more likely that they will.
Self-fulfilling prophecies are frameworks that you operate under that guide your actions and influence you to operate as if the prophecy you make has already come to pass. Therefore if you think positively about an outcome, you tend to act and react as if that outcome is already assured.
Imagine the reaction of someone you are guiding through the process of selling their home if you personally think that the home will never sell, that no one wants to buy in this market and you’re going to end up in the doldrums of the MLS listings. Your actions may be technically correct and your communications with your customer and the other individuals involved impeccable, but your attitude will rub off on other people who, even if they don’t remark on it, will “pick up” on your fears and negative thoughts through the subtleties of your body language.
Now, imagine that you build your framework of thought so that you expect everyone who does a walkthrough to like the house. You place advertisements, have photos taken and write the listings with the attitude of, “Of course this house will sell – it’s a great house!” You examine the market and come up with a strategy to show off this great house to its best advantage. You are much more likely to sell. Things that you don’t even notice will come into play; you will be more likely to grasp opportunities and buyers will react positively to your attitude.
A positive attitude is not just effective for selling houses; it can also help you through the slow times when it seems like nothing is moving. It can be difficult to keep an optimistic view of things, but if you keep seeing the good in people and opportunities, you are more likely to see an opportunity and make the most of it. Your attitude will be remembered by people who matter and that alone can get you referrals and chances that you would otherwise not be privy to.
People like to see an unpretentious optimist; the kind of person who lives their belief in the good in people and the best of situations. It makes them feel more positive about their situation and the future. Living your optimism will encourage the people around you – buyers, sellers, colleagues… to see the world like you are seeing it and encourage them to see home purchase and selling in a positive light, which will make the entire experience less stressful and happier.