Now and then I stumble across the same argument on social media. Someone will dismiss an experienced REALTOR® because they assume technology has passed them by. A few days later, someone else will insist they would never trust a newer agent because they haven’t “put in their time.”
I usually find myself shaking my head at both sides.
I’ve been selling real estate since I was eighteen years old. When I started, there was no internet. There were no smartphones, digital cameras, electronic signatures, or Zillow. If a buyer wanted to see a house, we opened a giant book of listings. If we wanted to market a property, we relied on newspaper ads, postcards, and a lot of shoe leather.
The business I entered in 1988 barely resembles the one I work in today. That’s a good thing.
What hasn’t changed is that my clients deserve someone who knows what they’re doing. The mistake people make is assuming that ability comes from age alone.
I’ve met brand-new agents who impressed me from the very beginning. They asked questions, sought out mentors, embraced every opportunity to learn, and worked incredibly hard for their clients. I’ve also worked alongside agents with decades of experience who are still curious enough to admit there is always something new to learn.
Some people decide that because they’ve been doing something for a long time, they’ve mastered it. That’s a dangerous place to be in any profession. Real estate isn’t static. Contracts change. Marketing changes. Consumer expectations change. The technology we use to help our clients changes constantly. If you’re doing business exactly the way you did ten years ago, you’re probably already behind.
When someone asks me how long I’ve been in real estate, I’m proud to say, “Since I was eighteen.” Not because I think the number alone makes me a better REALTOR®, but because I’ve spent those years adapting instead of standing still. Experience matters. It gives you perspective. It gives you problem-solving skills. It teaches you what can go wrong and, more importantly, how to fix it.
But experience without curiosity has an expiration date.
If you’re interviewing REALTORS®, ask about their experience. Then ask how they market homes today. Ask how they communicate with clients. Ask how they stay current with changes in the industry. Those answers will tell you much more than the date on the bottom of their real estate license.
After nearly four decades, I still learn something new all the time. I hope I always will. I can’t imagine telling a client they deserve anything less. Every transaction teaches me something. I can’t promise every transaction will be easy. Real estate has a way of keeping all of us humble.
What I can promise is that when something unexpected happens—and eventually something always does—there’s a good chance I’ve seen it before. And if I haven’t, I’ll figure it out.
Maybe that’s why I’m still curious after all these years. I still take classes. I still learn new technology. I still ask questions. I still look for better ways to do my job because my clients deserve more than yesterday’s experience.
They deserve someone who’s still learning today.
Leave a Reply