Finding the best real estate agents can be a tough task for recruiters. After all, real estate is an industry that revolves around convincing others to make potentially risky investments. Knowing how to recruit real estate agents with the right skills and qualities can be tricky; in fact, it’s something that even the most seasoned human resource professionals sometimes struggle with.
Still, it’s possible to narrow down your prospects with the right interview questions and the most workable answers. To help you pick out the diamonds from the rough, here are some of the questions that establish a real estate agent’s skill, work ethic, and capacity to be a game-changer in the field.
What qualities do you possess that make you a good fit for the agency?
As with most jobs, one of the first things you should be looking for in a candidate is their ability to sell themselves. This question allows an applicant to showcase their best qualities, particularly their self-confidence and communication skills. A stellar candidate must be able to describe their strengths easily, one of which should include paying attention to a client’s needs and knowing how to work with different personalities.
How do you organize your schedule and manage your time?
A real estate agent’s job is often hectic and requires a high level of time management skills. This question will show you how a candidate handles multiple tasks: setting appointments, preparing for open houses, sending emails, updating the client database, and more. Your candidate must show that they have a system for organizing a fast-paced workday—and that they clearly abide by it.
How many homes have you sold over the past year?
Track record is another important factor when it comes to recruiting real estate agents. Of course, you would want to hire those who have a strong “sell count” and a reputation for client satisfaction. The metrics for sales often depend on the brokerage, but around 50 homes on a yearly average is a good starting figure.
That said, you may also be interviewing someone new to the industry such as a recent graduate or a career shifter. It wouldn’t be fair to judge them solely by their records, as their seasoned competitors will definitely have a leg up on experience. With this, it’s also worth vetting applicants based on the type of homes they have sold and the skills they used to close these sales.
How do you handle tough clients?
Encountering a particularly difficult client is inevitable for any real estate agent. As a recruiter, you would need to know how the applicant deals with buyers or sellers they cannot “vibe” with or are too demanding with their criteria. The answer to this question will show an applicant’s people skills, which is a non-negotiable quality for any real estate agent. Qualified applicants must mention the actions they took to address the situation and the results they were able to deliver despite the drawbacks.
What do you believe are the most effective advertisement strategies?
A good real estate agent is inherently resourceful. They must know how to maximize available resources, do research, determine the right demographics, and showcase a property’s selling points. Ideally, they should be aware of marketing tools in the digital landscape such as social media, digital ads, and property listing websites. They also need to be creative and be able to craft their messaging around what prospective buyers or sellers are really looking for. By asking this question, you can determine an applicant’s savviness and forward-thinking nature in our current digital age.
How do you prepare for open houses?
Open houses are one of those events where every good angle must be shown and everything must be perfect. This question reveals your applicant’s staging practices, which can make or break a client’s decision to buy a property. When applicants are describing staging procedures, make sure to pay attention to what they add and remove to make a property look enticing.
How do you make sure to meet clients’ needs at all times?
A real estate agent serves as a guide for home buyers who may not know what they want or sellers who don’t know how to put their properties on the market. Clients also have different personalities and traits, with some being extremely meticulous and others having a more “go with the flow” approach. If you intend to ask this question, make sure to determine an applicant’s process for personalizing their services. This may include the specific questions they ask clients, which you may want to watch out for during the interview.
What part of your job is the least enjoyable?
This one is a bit tricky and a lot more open-ended, but it will give you an insight into your applicant’s personality, honesty, and capacity to creatively manage obstacles. There’s really no right or wrong answer to this question, and your applicant’s answer can range from handling mundane administrative tasks to dealing with client frustrations. In the end, it’s up to you to judge the applicant’s cadence and the quality of their answer.
The Right Questions for the Right Choices
All in all, these questions are just a taste of what a prospective real estate agent may bring to the table. There are plenty of other industry-specific questions to consider, such as the applicant’s experience with developers and contractors, relevant training, and industry awards. However, these are often considered follow-ups and aren’t as telling as the ones mentioned above.
Essentially, the questions on this list are meant to uncover the green flags: expertise, honesty and integrity, excellent communication skills, and a strong negotiation mindset. At the end of the day, it’s the answers to these questions that help you determine if an applicant will turn out to be a worthy investment and a valuable addition to the team.