Yesterday we had our Park Square Realty company 2010 kick off meeting. We discussed many real estate trends in Western Massachusetts and other statistical information that I will be sharing with you along the way. Then we discussed, at length, the dress code at the office. Specifically that there should be no jeans in the office unless you are participating in the Friday Charity Dress Down Day.
Now, I tend to dress business casual, so the no jeans thing doesn’t really affect me too much, but I did get to wondering what the public expects of us.
My boss made an analogy about going to a doctor and having him do your consultation wearing jeans. First off, I personally wouldn’t care as long as he was still well kept and not wearing dirty or torn clothing, I would be ok with the jeans, but that may be just me. Secondly, while I WISH the public perceived real estate agents on the same level as doctors, I don’t believe that to be the case.
Personally, the only time I wear jeans is when I am showing land or bank owned properties in the winter. Then and only then I will show up to an appointment in my Ugg boots and jeans. I love real estate, but not enough to literally freeze my fanny off.
Typically this is how I look when I do business:
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That being said, I think more important that wearing fancy suits or expensive business attire, we should consider our clients when we dress. I work with clients from all professions. I have a pretty good feeling for those that are very formal and would expect and respect my wearing a suit on appointments vs. those that are very casual and a fancy suit would make them uncomfortable.
What do you think? How do you want your real estate agent to dress? What expectations do you have? I would love to hear your opinions!
Lesley — This has been a continual topic of discussion in our area since the Governor wears blue jeans. LOL! I have seen agents in 3 piece suits…and some in jeans that a farmer would be proud to wear.
Having said all that, I think it is important to maintain a professional image when dealing with your clients. Any time that you are meeting with clients, showing property, etc, you should be dressed appropriately. And, if that means no jeans….then so be it. Now, going grocery shopping on Saturday morning is another story. 🙂
Thanks for the comment Clint…I agree on the professional appearance!
This is an interesting topic Lesley. When my wife & I went through our home buying & selling process a couple years back, our agent Tony always dressed professionally. He didn’t wear a tie, but he always wore dress pants and a shirt with a collar. Tony was the youngest agent in his office, and he’d dealt with situations where people wouldn’t work with him due to his age (they equated youth with inexperience). I’m guessing he felt that while he couldn’t do anything about his age, he could control his appearance. I distinctly remember that on the day we moved into our new house, we had an issue with the swimming pool filter. Tony was out there scooping leaves out of the pool in his dress pants & golf shirt, working up a good sweat in the process. He cared so much about making sure the house was perfect for us that he did what came naturally, even though he wasn’t dressed for pool chores. 🙂
I’d say our agent’s professional look was never something we gave much thought to, but looking back I think it was very important to generate a sense that he was always in control and working hard for us. There’s just something about the real estate business where buyers & sellers want to be around people who inspire confidence, and like it or not I think wardrobe does play into that. It’s probably why most agents drive nice cars, to present that image of success. So overall I’d say the no-jeans policy is a good one.
By the way- I work in software/social media and you have no idea how hypocritical I feel by writing this. I love my jeans and would hate to work in a profession where I couldn’t dress casually nearly every day!
Sounds like you had a wonderful agent! Thank you for your thoughts on this!
Lesley- I too think a professional appearance is important, but I live in Maine and showing properties in the winter in a dress or suit and heels isn’t feasible. That said, I usually wear dress jeans w/ a blazer or nice sweater unless I am doing an open house or on a listing appointment.
I totally agree that cold weather makes it more difficult to dress in this business!
I most certainly do care about how my REALTOR® presents herself/himself to me. I take into account weather, climate and of course the property being shown – but dressing professional is always a must.
Also – something to note is to consider culture when dressing too. If you’re showing to a culturally diverse audience, wearing certain outfits could be considered offensive.
Susan, good to know that you consider the climate of the appointment…I wondered if clients did. I understand what you mean about the cultural diversity, that one is difficult, because I am sure I don’t know enough about many cultures to be aware of my dress. I am pretty conservative in my style, though, so I think I would be safe in most situations.
I think that as long as my agent is dressed for “work”, the formality of the dress doesn’t matter too much. Some people look like a million bucks in a pair of smart jeans that are pulled together… it’s all in the presentation, not the clothes themselves. Business casual is appropriate for showings where a suit might be better for closings.
Having said that, it’s really critical that agents remember they are working with people to spend several times their annual salary in one purchase – so dress to inspire confidence in your expertise, professionalism and effectiveness – whatever the circumstances may be!
I would expect my Realtor to be dressed professional – at least business casual. Even when, as a first time home-buyer, we spent days driving around in my Realtor’s car looking at properties, I would dress professionally, myself! To me, the impressing should go both ways, if you want the transaction to be successful.
This is an ongoing debate in our office as well. I personally feel you should dress professionally and appropriately for your clients since perception can be realty for many. Our broker/owners make it known that we are expected to be dressed professionally in the office – not only for our clients but other agent’s clients as well. Unfortunately we do have one agent who frequently wears jeans and very casual tops (many with the Harley Davidson logo). She made this stance when she came into the company and has been allowed to continue to dress this way. While I’m cannot comment on what her clients think, it does create a lot of drama when other agents in the office wear jeans and then get called out for it. Double standards are never good and it unfortunately creates drama, drama, drama.
Great discussion, I must say you will never find me in a suit. Rarely in a tie, maybe dress pants and dress shirt. But personally I am more comfortable and confident in a nice pair of jeans, a dress shirt and dress shoes. I feel I connect with my clients better and faster this way. I never want to appear to be a fast talking suit trying to pull something over on someone. I am just a regular guy with some knowledge and experience that can be helpful to some regular people wanting to sell or purchase real estate. This view however might come from my Church. I attend a very casual church, my Pastor is often in jeans. I believe it is the way a person lives the other 6 days of the week that matter and not the way he dresses on Sun. (by the way I am often seen at Church on a Wed. night in a ball cap. lol!) Maybe I am just a rebel!