Transparency is good for business. In real estate, it's essential. For most clients, you'll be helping them with one of the biggest financial transactions of their lives. They need to know that they can trust you. Transparency and honesty are crucial for earning new business, as well as providing the best possible service to current clients. Here's how transparency builds trust and why it's essential for every agent.

• Transparency When Setting Expectations
  Promising the moon and failing to deliver is one of the easiest ways to ruin trust with a client. If it's an extreme seller's market, preparing your buyer for that reality and showing them how to navigate a challenging market is a much better way to build trust than making lofty promises. The same goes for a seller if the situation is reversed.

• Being the Bearer of Negative News
  Sometimes, you'll have to relay negative news to clients they won't be happy to hear. For example, a seller was hiding an issue with a home from your buyer, or a buyer's offer fell through at the last moment for your seller. Delivering that type of news isn't always easy, but it's also part of the job. You might not be the cause of the bad news, but you can score major trust points by being transparent and helping the client work through it.

• Owning Mistakes
  Real estate is a busy, fast-paced industry; even the most skilled, experienced agents aren't immune to the occasional mistake. This is one of the hardest times to be transparent, but also the most important. As in many walks of life, how you respond to the mistake is what really matters most. Being honest about a mistake and responding appropriately is the best way to move forward. As long as you rectify the mistake, the relationship with the client can ultimately come out stronger in the end.

• Responding to Reviews
  This goes hand-in-hand with being honest about mistakes—except that not every bad online review will be due to an error on your part. If you get a bad review, the worst thing is to respond in a similarly negative way. While offering an honest, transparent take on the situation in your response may not win over the person who left a negative review, prospects who see the review later will recognize that you took the high road with a fair, honest response.

• Sometimes, It's Easy to Be Transparent
  It's harder to be transparent in situations where it's awkward or uncomfortable, which is why we've focused mostly on those types of situations. Handling challenges is a great way to build trust, after all. As an agent, remember that you'll have many opportunities to deliver positive, potentially life-changing news to clients as well, and in those moments, it's easy to be transparent.

Why Homesale Realty? We help you develop the skills and habits you need to thrive in a fast-paced, rewarding industry. Ready to take the next steps in your real estate career? Contact BHHS Homesale Realty to learn more.