As an introvert at work in the real estate industry, you may often feel like you’re swimming against the current. You probably enjoy spending time alone and working quietly while most of your colleagues network effortlessly, speak up without hesitation, and never get overlooked. But don’t give up! Thriving as a real estate agent doesn’t have to mean changing who you are. By embracing your strengths and accepting your weaknesses, you can be a well-rounded, efficient, and fearless real estate agent.

Is Real Estate Just For Extroverts?

One common misconception about real estate is that it is a field that favors extroverts. However, introverts can bring several unique strengths to the table.

For starters, being introverted doesn’t mean you’re shy; it just means you get your energy from time alone rather than time around people. Instead of hiding away in self-isolation, many introverts enjoy exerting themselves in public settings. It’s all about balance.

While rubbing shoulders at industry events and being the life of the party at open houses may be tasks best suited for extroverts, many real estate duties lend themselves well to introverts.

For example, introverts are often excellent at research and detail-oriented tasks such as writing property descriptions, analyzing market trends, and proofreading contracts.

Being a successful real estate agent requires you to wear many different hats, and your natural skills as an introvert will always be helpful.

Know Your Strengths As an Introvert

One of the best things you can do as an introverted real estate agent is to know your strengths. When you know what you’re good at, you can focus on honing and using those skills to your advantage. We all want to be well-rounded, but starting with a strengths-based approach will help you budget your time and energy best.

Introverts Are Great at Eliminating Distractions

Being an introvert has its advantages when it comes to concentration and focus. Since introverts gain energy from time alone, they can stick with the more mundane real estate tasks. The less social aspects of real estate can be challenging for extroverted people. Still, introverts can easily excel at marketing listings, creating efficient systems, and managing emails by avoiding distractions and focusing on the tasks at hand.

Listen More Than You Talk

Being a good listener is essential to success in real estate. Unfortunately, the stereotypical image of a real estate agent is fast-talking and rarely quiet. Introverts in the real estate world might find that they close more deals by listening more than they talk.

Listening has many benefits.

Careful listening allows you to understand your client’s perspective fully. By understanding their needs and wants, you’ll be able to cater their buying or selling experience to their exact expectations.

Listening helps you be a better negotiator, too. By demonstrating respect for other people’s points of view, you can quickly reach a mutually beneficial solution.

Think Before You Act

There’s a time and place for snap decisions in real estate, but delaying actions can also be beneficial.  As an introvert, you likely have a natural inclination to think things through before taking action. Thinking before you act can save you from making hasty decisions that you might later regret. It also allows you to avoid potential conflicts and misunderstandings.

How to Improve Your Weaknesses As an Introverted Agent

Real estate is a people business, which can be challenging for introverts. However, there are plenty of ways to improve your weaknesses and become a more well-rounded agent.

Avoid Self-Isolation

At the end of the day, all humans are social creatures. Introverts need to avoid self-isolation to stay on top of their game in the real estate world. There are several ways that introverts can avoid self-isolation.

One is to set aside time each day for social interaction, even if it is just a quick phone call or video chat with a friend. It also helps to get out of the house regularly, even when you might be working from home.

Working at a real estate brokerage means you’re part of a team, so you may need to overcome discomfort to be fully engaged. Having a real estate mentor to connect with can be a great way to stay connected with your team.

Speak Up When You Need Help (Or Know the Answer)

Being an introvert doesn’t mean you can’t be assertive when necessary. If you need help from a colleague, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask for it. The same goes for speaking up when you have the answer to a question.

Assertiveness doesn’t come naturally to everyone. If you’re introverted, you might find it especially difficult to speak up for yourself. However, there are ways to overcome this challenge. Start by practicing in low-stakes situations, such as making small requests of friends or family members. Try using a journaling practice to reflect on what was challenging and hone in on what you can improve.

As you become more comfortable, gradually increase the difficulty of the requests. For example, you could ask a friend for help with a task or project or give feedback on someone’s behavior.

Find Ways to Be Comfortable Networking

Networking remains essential to success in the real estate industry. This is one area in which extroverts may seem to have the upper hand. However, you don’t need to be the star of the show to create meaningful connections with future clients, other real estate agents, and your community as a whole.

One way to make networking more comfortable is to connect with people online before meeting them in person. For example, you could connect with someone on LinkedIn or join a Facebook group related to real estate.

Another way to ease into networking is to attend events with a friend or colleague. Having a more extroverted partner to help you approach other people can make it easy to break the ice.

Real Estate Needs More Introverts

You don’t have to be extroverted to be a great real estate agent; you just need to be yourself. Introversion is often seen as a disadvantage, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Start by highlighting your strengths and weaknesses, then you can direct your energy towards improving your weaknesses. With a strengths-based approach, introverts can truly thrive at anything they put their minds to.

About the Author:

As CEO of Re/Max Hallmark Peggy Hill Group Realty, Peggy Hill leads a successful team dedicated to providing their clients with the highest level of customer service. The Peggy Hill Group operates in Simcoe County and is currently the #1 Re/Max Team in Canada.