12 hours in the life of a real estate agent

At first glance it seems simple to be a real estate agent, you show people houses, apartments, they choose, they buy, you go home, you spend time with your loved ones and then you rest, so that you can start over the next day. An ideal scenario, we could say.

„Being a real estate agent is not difficult, if you love people and you love helping them. Most of the time, finding the ideal solution for a client who wants to buy a new home with the money saved over a lifetime is a demanding activity, which requires a lot of dedication and attention on our part.” This is what our colleague Silviu Marin, one of the first employees of New Concept Living, told me. He agreed to tell us what a day in his life as a real estate agent and team leader looks like.

07:00 AM – „I try to wake up early every morning, so I can enjoy an hour of quiet before the hustle and bustle of the city and the agency begins. Most of the time I start my day with a short espresso, the planner and a little order in my thoughts. Phones start ringing early, so I always have the planner with me, ready to write down. From the experience of the last years I learned that you have to be organized in sales. I pay attention to the needs of my clients, I try to find the best option for them, and this can happen in 2 weeks or in 6 months. Of course, you understand why it's good to have everything written down, to always be ready to inform a client when we have a new offer in our portfolio or when a family wants to view a certain house.”

08:00 AM – „At this time I usually have breakfast. Sometimes I eat at home, but most of all I like to have breakfast in the city with some colleagues or partners, collaborators. In this way I manage to discuss the availability on the Sibiu real estate market, the complexes that are being designed/built or aspects of interest for the New Concept Living team.”

09:00 AM – „At 9:00 or even shortly before 9:00 I arrive at our office on Calea Dumbrăvii no. 61 and I put my planner in order, together with my colleague who helps me. I talk to clients, schedule meetings, interact with the rest of the team. I like to schedule meetings for the first part of the day, because I have more energy and there is less traffic in the city.”

11:00 AM – „At this time I am on site, viewing real estate together with the buyers. During all this time, the phone also rings, so I have to pay attention to this aspect as well, without taking my focus off the client during the viewing. I love people, I love to communicate with them and although it may seem demanding, most of the time I manage with a lot of organization, dedication and a touch of humor to reconcile both fields.
I'm not just a salesman, I'm primarily a real estate advisor. I like to help my clients see the pros and cons of the properties they view, understand where compromise is possible and where not, realize the importance of the neighborhood in which they will purchase or other aspects of interest to them. This takes time, but I prefer to schedule a meeting or two and be there 100% than to run five clients on the same day. Quality prevails and I know that this is valid for my colleagues, as well.”

13:30 PM – „Lunch time most likely finds me at the table with some colleagues from the New Concept Living team, with our manager or with a real estate developer. Our agency has the largest portfolio of new homes in the city, and those residential complexes I take over are my responsibility: I make sure we are up to speed regarding the availability, that prices are up to date on our sites, and then I communicate these details also to my colleagues.”

16:00 PM – „I am lucky to have a colleague who helps me with promoting the ads in my portfolio, but in the afternoon I usually do the same. It is very important that I am always informed in respect to what is being sold in the city, so I am able to help my customers in the most efficient way possible.”

17:30 PM – „Around 17:00, 17:30 I leave for home, but not before scheduling all my meetings for the next day. It's been a few years since I started working on the Sibiu real estate market, so I'm glad to receive recommendations from the people I've already helped to sell their house or find an apartment. They call me for help, so at this time of day I schedule real estate takeovers or viewings. It is often difficult to find the ideal time for both the buyer and the seller, so good communication and rigorous punctuality are needed.
Being a real estate agent can be very demanding at times, but the rewards and satisfactions are equally great.”

19:00 PM – „I know that „a healthy mind lives in a healthy body.” So around 19:00, I play football two days a week. Other times I go out for a talk with my friends or go to a movie. It often happens that we talk about real estate here as well. I am passionate about what I do, my friends know this and they don’t miss any opportunity to ask me what is new in the city, what the trends or prices are.”

Photo credit: New Concept Living
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