Are Women Better Estate Agents Than Men?
In Celebration To International Women’s Day, I Thought I Would Ask The Question “Do Women Make Better Estate Agents Than Men?”
And just so you know, I’m not asking the question to illicit controversy for controversy’s sake. And I’m not asking it with the intent to bash males or bash male real estate agents.
Then why am I doing this, you ask? Well, why the heck not?! This is seriously interesting, not to mention fun. And you thought rent vs buy was a great debate. Well, you haven’t seen anything yet.
Let’s discuss. But allow me to, first and foremost, declare that this conversation doesn’t at all change my infinite respect for male agents, and I have had the great pleasure of being on the other side of sales transactions with some of them.
But, as much as I love buying up listings and selling my properties to these individuals, this blog post is about women. So, once again, let’s discuss.
Listening skills
Telling is not selling. In other words, it’s more important to listen than to talk if you’re a real estate agent. A study says that men listen with only one side of their brains while women use both to listen. Another study noticed that parts of the female brain linked to emotions, calculating risks, and the ability to listen were more prominent. There is further evidence that men are more likely to be action-oriented listeners, while women are more likely to be people-oriented listeners.
Emotional energy
To be fair, most females elicit a certain sweetness. The very feelings that many females are judged for having are the ones that make us open and approachable. Some women would even hug their clients and probably ask them about their weekend or how they feel at some point. Women genuinely consider themselves invested in the other person’s well-being. There is a reason why males struggle to master the softer skills of women. They are part of a robust masculine society that sets people up to be tough and suck it up, so feminine qualities are not OK for guys to have. Yet they are valuable things in sales.
Romantic priming
A halfway attractive female with a brain and some confidence can charm a man, any man. Romantic priming became effective when considered a tie-breaker. So basically, if two agents are competing for a listing with the same skill and offering set, the person who can create the romantic priming effect may have an advantage when asking for the sale. And this is not about women scooping up male clients because they think she’s hot. It’s about the effect that being genuinely charming has.
Emotional intuition
Women are commonly believed to have stronger intuition than men. That is why it is called women’s intuition and not men’s intuition. Men’s brains are neurologically wired to be more logical, and therefore more effective at linking perception with action. When it comes to real estate, better people skills equal happier clients, better relationships with other agents, better ability to read the body and emotional language of those clients and agents. It is also quicker to pick up on motivating factors when it comes to sale and negotiation.
Performance
According to Forbes magazine, quoting UK government research, “firms with more women on their boards “outperform their rivals with a 42% higher return on sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity. Other research has found that teams which involve women are more intelligent than teams made up of men alone.”
Longer-term
Research shows that women are better than men at taking a longer-term perspective. Whilst a male agent might focus on the job at hand; his female colleague might be considering it in the broader context of the business as a whole, which might reveal other opportunities.
After reading through these thoughts and facts, are you surprised? Are women better real estate agents?
In the end, it comes down to the individual. Scientific studies may suggest that women may be better listeners, sweeter, less intimidating, more charming, and determined. Still, like any advantage, if the advantage is not used, it ceases being an advantage, especially when we know that our industry is full of males with tremendous sales skills and proven results.
On a final note – if you’re looking for a good-listening, sweet, charming, sharp and not too intimidating real estate agent, contact me today!
Liana Loporto-Browne MNAEA President. More than just an estate agent.
020 8265 5028
