September 22nd - 2015

Miss Real Estate Manners

Courtesy is paramount in the real estate industry, according to the latest installment of tips and advice on professional behaviour in real estate from the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS®.

Miss Real Estate Manners

Courtesy is paramount in the real estate industry, according to the latest installment of tips and advice on professional behaviour in real estate from the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS®.

Miss Real Estate MannersThis is the third installment of tips on courtesy in real estate, taken from guidelines produced by the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR). The following article in the REALTOR® EDGE newsletter is excerpted from the guidelines with permission from LSTAR.

Real estate is a reputation business. What you do today may affect your reputation and business for years to come. Bear this in mind: in professional life, where career and business depend on the way you deal with your peers and clients, courtesy is of paramount importance. Here are 12 tips to help you observe the three Cs in real estate: courtesy, communication and common sense. 

  • Ensure that your Open House and For Sale signs are in compliance with municipal by-laws.  (A professional knows better than to post signs that aren’t.)

  • Use sidewalks and paths. Avoid unnecessary walking on the grass and through flowerbeds.  

  • Don’t smoke, eat or drink in a home while showing it. Encourage your prospects to wait until they are outside before lighting up or cracking open that can of pop. And don’t let them bring their pet to the viewing.

  • If occupants are home during showings, ask their permission before using the telephone or bathroom. 

  • Extend a courteous and positive attitude to your administrative staff and the administrative staff of other offices, clients, colleagues and the public.  

  • Ring the bell or knock on the door before entering a home (this also applies to a home that has a lockbox), since the owner may still be home. Call out when you enter a home if you were unable to reach someone by knocking on the door. Let them know who you are. You don’t want to give the sellers a heart attack … or be savaged by their pit bull.

  • Knock and announce yourself loudly before entering any closed room. It might be closed for a reason. Inform occupants that you are leaving after showings so they don’t have to wonder whether you’re still there.

  • Communicate clearly; don’t use jargon or slang that may not be readily understood. 

  • If your lockbox is in an unusual place, inform the showing REALTOR® where it is.  

  • Remove shoes or boots upon entering a home and encourage your customers and clients to do so as well. (Remember, we live in Canada; our shoes and boots are yucky a good part of the year!)

  • Do not tell people what you think.  Tell them what you know. 

  • Promise only what you can deliver and keep your promises.

The above tips are excerpted with permission from the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS®. Read LSTAR’s full Miss Manners document here.

September EDGE
Mentorship in real estate
Complaints service helps at stressful time
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Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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