You don’t need a new set of skills if you want to work with the international market, what you´ll need is to adjust the skills you’ve developed as a real estate professional and be ready to increase your cultural and economic knowledge. Take note of the main areas you should dedicate to.
- Legal and business knowledge
International buyers expect their real estate agent to be a source of legal and market information about the country where they intent to buy a house, being able to inform them, for instance, about the selling values and main characteristics of a specific area. Proving that you’re able to give them precise and updated information will be fundamental to generating trust.
- Networking
Your professional network is one of the best sources of referrals, so you must keep connected to specialists and professionals that work with international clients. This way, if an opportunity arises, you’ll be their top of mind contact.
- Presentations
Your focus must be to inform and not to persuade. Include relevant information about the property and its surroundings, as well as a comparative analysis of prices in different areas.
- Communication
The physical, cultural and linguistic distance may be overcome by a closer communication, adapted to the different profiles of international buyers (a retired person that wants to move to a country looking for better life quality doesn’t have the same needs as an investor). Talking the same language is an absolute advantage, but the most important thing is that the communication foresees clients’ necessities and concerns.
- Patience
Creating a client portfolio is a demanding task that will take time and it’s possible that your first deals will be small. But, as you start making more deals the number of satisfied clients will increase and the probabilities of referrals, generating a snowball effect.
- Client support
Flexibility is mandatory if you want to work with international buyers, because you’ll probably have to help with some issues that a local client would have solved by themselves. You must be focused on overcoming the distance constraints, making all processes as simple as you can.
- Marketing
To have an effective marketing strategy you must first define the segment of international buyers that you want to reach. Wanting to sell to everyone is not a good idea, you’ll find yourself quickly getting lost in some disconnected action, unable to prioritise tasks. The more specific your segment is, the better you’ll know what you need to do communicate with it.
- Technology
To be updated in terms of technology is key to overcoming distance constraints and be able to communicate. You must know how to do a videocall on your client´s chosen platforms (Zoom, Teams etc), use communication platforms (Whatsapp etc) and document sharing software (for example, Wetransfer) to be able to succeed in working with an international buyer.
- Value proposal
Your services, experience and specialities should be presented to clients in an informative way. If you have a support team of professionals that will be able to help your client, let them know that. Provide references, testimonies and examples of deals you’ve helped to finalize- And do all of this in tools that use the mother language of your buyer.
This article is an introduction to the 5 days to obtain CIPS NAR Designation.