The new agent playbook should include ‘leading with grace’
Major brokerage leaders are telling agents to be patient with other real estate professionals (and consumers) as the industry adjusts to new practices.
Key points:
- Real’s Sharran Srivatsaa and Anywhere’s Sue Yannaccone have both adopted the phrase “lead with grace” in recent days.
- Srivatsaa said that “kindness goes a long way,” especially when agents are worried about accidentally breaking rules or being fined.
- He also said he’d like to see online agent groups serve as forums to share “case studies” of successes rather than places to criticize one’s peers.
As the industry moves through its second week since new practice changes formally went into effect, brokerage leaders are still working to ensure that their agents not only have a solid grasp on the new rules, but that they have the right tools — and attitude — when working with other agents or consumers who may not be up to speed.
One phrase that has emerged as an adage for the moment is "lead with grace," where agents are encouraged to be patient and compassionate of their fellow real estate professionals. Real Brokerage President Sharran Srivatsaa dedicated a considerable portion of a recent webinar to the theme, while Anywhere Brands and Advisors CEO & President Sue Yannaccone appeared to adopt the same philosophy during a livestream to Anywhere agents.
"Not everybody is going to be prepared — or as prepared as you may be — and I think leading with grace is a really important thing," Yannaccone said. "There's so much confusion out there and different levels of understanding, so I think [we should be] leading with grace, and leading with the best of intentions, through all of this."
Rules can differ — 'you have to contextualize advice'
What does "leading with grace" look like? It's a shift in attitude and approach, Srivatsaa explained to Real Estate News, especially where there remains so much confusion and fear about what's unfolding.
"What agents are struggling with is if they put something in the MLS wrong without them knowing about it, they're going to get about $500 to $5,000 fine," Srivatsaa said.
There are three levels where big changes are happening, he elaborated, saying that professionals are witnessing change at the national, brokerage and state level where interpretation of the rules could differ, but so do the forms and processes. So agents have to be considerate when working with others in the field or discussing changes with real estate professionals online as rules and practices vary at the local level.
"The first thing of this idea of leading with grace is that when someone is sharing an idea — since we are still stabilizing on how all these practice changes that are happening across state lines — I've been telling our agents before you post anything, start with, 'Hey, here in Maryland, we do it this way,'" he said. "You have to contextualize advice, comments, etcetera — and if you don't do that, it creates so much pain."
Engage with other agents, but don't 'berate'
Srivatsaa has warned agents to "stop being cute" in finding clever workarounds to the settlement rule changes, but elaborated to Real Estate News that agents should continue to engage with one another online while staying focused on being productive.
"Kindness goes a long way" when discussing the rule changes and new industry practices with others, Srivatsaa said, adding that he'd like to see the popular Facebook groups become a place where agents can share "case studies" — or real world successes in practice — as opposed to "a forum for berating each other."
In addition to showing grace to their peers, Yannaccone said agents must also be patient with consumers as they learn what's changed in the industry. "Becoming fluent in the changes is really going to be important because it's new for everyone," she said during Anywhere's webinar.
But as with any major change, it's going to take some time for the dust to settle.
"I'm going to wager that over the next three to six months, we're going to see implementation of these forms and practices to be similar across the board," Srivatsaa told Real Estate News. "And once we have that, all agents can work more collaboratively."