What they all have in common. This was what I wanted to know. In my first book, Walking and Talking – 57 Stories of Success and Humor in the Real Estate World of Business, I recounted stories from some of the top real estate professionals in the Midwest. After observing their careers and listening to their stories, I asked myself this: Other than their sheer success, what do all of these winners in real estate have in common? This is what I learned:

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4 Characteristics of Top Real Estate Pros …

1. They create structure in an unstructured environment.

Real estate is not your typical 9 to 5 job, where opportunities are clearly identified and day-to-day responsibilities are well-defined. It is up to the real estate professional to identify the problems and opportunities; to set a plan of action that will bring success. They are not told how to allocate their time, or which deals to pursue or ignore.

The successful ones create a great framework for activity.

2. They share characteristics of creativity, optimism, confidence, and persistence.

Not all of the contributors to Walking and Talking were particularly good students in school. Surprisingly, not all of them are consistently hard workers. Nor are they all exceptionally talented. But, all of them share the traits mentioned above.

As a result, they are very good at:

a.) Teaching themselves what they need to know to excel,
b.) Focusing their energy on the most important tasks at hand, and
c.) Working effectively with other people.

3. Top real estate pros are not deterred by risk.

Very little, if any, of their income is guaranteed.

Their time and effort is always at risk. They incur the costs of failure and enjoy the rewards of success that result from choices they make, efforts they put forth, and conditions in the marketplace. They respect risk, but are not deterred by it.

4. They succeed in very unique and different ways from each other.

This is their most important character trait: They all take different paths, thereby taking advantage of their individual skills and talents.

There is not one formula for success to follow, but hundreds!

This is why it is almost impossible to predict, out of a group of newcomers to real estate, which individuals will ultimately succeed.

The commonality among these high achievers is that they all take a unique approach to their business. If their shoes fit, they wear them, and keep walking and talking!

They have unique plans, which is one of the reasons I wrote Single Page Life Plan for Realtors (available at Amazon). To learn more about the book, click here.

Question: What other common traits or skills do they share?