5 Surprising Real Estate Myths Even Seasoned Pros Still Believe
Real estate is an industry full of conventional wisdom that doesn’t always hold up under scrutiny, and in our experience, even seasoned agents can get trapped by outdated beliefs that do more harm than good! At Sasquatch Agent Ops, we help real estate agents cut through the noise so that you can focus on what drives sustainable growth and success.
Below, we expose five myths that many real estate pros still buy into—and reveal the strategies that you should be implementing instead. Each myth busted below is a chance to modernize your strategy, refine your business, and maximize your impact.
Ready to let go of those outdated beliefs?
Myth #1: “Luxury Properties Sell Better with Traditional Marketing”
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Reality: Luxury homes deserve luxury marketing, which means using modern methods that allow a home to shine. Digital-first strategies and targeted social media ads often yield better results than luxury magazine placements or postcard campaigns.
Insight: We are living in a global, digital world. As such, high-net-worth buyers and sellers expect a customized real estate experience, often beginning online. Digital channels allow for precisely targeted campaigns that reach significantly more eyeballs, including global buyers who wouldn’t encounter local ads. Digital platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Google, and YouTube also allow ads to reach these buyers multiple times, enabling the message to sink in more fully—something that print marketing simply can’t match.
Moreover, whereas traditional print campaigns offer a ‘one-size-fits-all’ experience, digital campaigns enable you to tailor your messaging to the needs and preferences of your ideal clientele. We find that pairing high-quality video with targeted, tested copy is an excellent strategy to bring a listing to life and hook buyers. Some of our favorite listing videos include the storified video behind 47 Bennington Heights, by REAL agent Matt Lionetti, and Ryan Serhant’s scroll-stopping, fast-paced tour of his penthouse listing at 151 E 58th Street. Both videos hold attention and beautifully represent the home but they accomplish it in two different ways. With video, the marketing strategies are endless—all you need is a good idea and get recording.
What’s Next? On your next listing, pair your traditional marketing with a digital-first strategy. Hire a videographer to create engaging content and ads built for social. Prioritize a vertical format and make it short and snappy. Test various channels (we’ve seen great success on both Instagram and YouTube) and use a clear CTA that invites immediate interaction.
Myth #2: “Market Share and Sales Volume Are the Ultimate Measures of An Agent’s Success”
Reality: For starters, success is defined differently for everyone. However, we often find that when top agents prioritize market share and sales volume, it can be at the expense of profitability, client satisfaction, and longer-term success.
Insight: We advise our agents to focus instead on building a profitable client base. Doing so will bring consistent referrals and is far more sustainable than constantly chasing market share! When agents focus on nurturing their existing database, it leads to higher-quality referrals and steady income streams, even in market downturns.
Tactics we recommend include:
Hosting client appreciation events.
Thoughtful gifting at holidays or client anniversaries (think: free pies at Thanksgiving, surprise & delight gifts at one-year home anniversaries).
Sending recurring, value-packed email newsletters (we recommend a cadence of at least once a month).
Amassing online testimonials and reviews
Photo cred: Unsplash
Instead of aiming for volume, focus on developing a business that meets and exceeds client needs and earns their loyalty…for life.
Sasquatch Quick Tip: If you struggle to stay on top of client anniversaries, invest in a CRM and keep it up-to-date so that the process is automated.
What’s Next? Reevaluate your portfolio and shift your focus toward client retention and profitability metrics. Make customer experience a priority by creating a follow-up engagement strategy for clients post-transaction, which can lead to a valuable cycle of improvement and referrals.
Myth #3: “An Impressive Online Presence is Enough”
Reality: As we answered in tip #1, yes, a strong digital footprint is essential, but it’s not the only thing that matters. Sometimes, an over-reliance on digital marketing can isolate agents from the high-touch, community-driven relationships that actually win business.
Photo cred: Unsplash
Insight: In competitive markets, both sides of the coin matter: online and in-person. We like to think of it as a funnel, with online helping to secure top-of-the-mind awareness and in-person activities helping cinch the deal. Real estate is a personal journey, with clients seeking out an agent they like and trust to be their advisor. Buyers and sellers may discover and vet you online, but it’s the personal relationship and strategic offline networking that seal it shut. Proving your expertise and showing off your personality is easier to do when face-to-face. Plus, in-person interactions set you apart from other agents in ways that online profiles can’t.
So, while you’re out there building your Instagram presence and digitally advertising those listings, don’t forget to mix in some offline strategies to complement your online brand. Here are some tactics we recommend:
Host events: Buyer’s seminars, lunch & learns, happy hours—all you need is an exciting venue, some freebies (guides or swag), and an educational theme/ topic to draw potential clients to you.
Support local initiatives: Getting involved with charitable causes and events in the neighborhoods where you do business is a great way to meet new people and align your brand with a worthwhile cause.
Strategic offline networking: Take one person from your sphere of influence out to lunch once a month. Make it a catch-up lunch (don’t discuss business too heavily), and you’ll be surprised how your relationship grows. Initiatives such as these position you top-of-mind as the realtor of choice when your connections do decide to make a move.
Partner with other vendors in your area: Partner with a mortgage broker, financial expert, or simply a neighborhood cafe. They’ll gain access to your sphere, and you to theirs—it’s a win/win.
What’s Next: Identify one IRL tactic above that aligns with your brand and commit to doing it at a regular cadence.
Myth #4: “Negotiating for Price is the Most Important Skill”
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Reality: Yes, of course, price is an important element of a home purchase or sale, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. In complex real estate transactions, other factors such as contingencies, timing, and terms also play a pivotal role.
Insight: Today’s pros know that leveraging “non-price” negotiation tactics can create win-win outcomes and increase deal velocity. For many buyers and sellers, flexibility in timing to close goes a long way. With each side juggling their own schedules and priorities, closing faster can be equally as effective as a price negotiation. The same goes for home repairs as well as furniture. Crafting creative offers that minimize risk on both sides of the transaction is integral to success. Mastering these nuanced tactics can differentiate you from other agents and create a reputation as a savvy, solution-oriented negotiator.
What’s Next? Prepare for each negotiation by reviewing all possible deal terms, from contingencies to timeline flexibility. Approach every deal with an open and creative mindset, presenting options that meet the goals of both buyers and sellers.
Myth #5: “The More Tech Tools, the Better”
Photo cred: Key Renter
Reality: Having access to more tech tools doesn’t necessarily improve productivity. In fact, oftentimes, using more tools ends up creating more work and diluting your focus from the money-producing activities that actually matter.
Insight: Today’s agents are bombarded with a multitude of tech solutions—each one promising to simplify or solve a different problem in the real estate process. While some of these tools are indeed helpful, using too many can result in overwhelm, lost time, redundancies, and cause you to lose focus on your core business goals. Instead of trying to use every new tool that’s introduced, focus on mastering and maximizing the use of a few essential ones.
We recommend agents consolidate their tech stack by first picking (and sticking with) a CRM. (We like Follow Up Boss). With a CRM in place, agents can supplement it with easy-to-use tools like Canva, Calendly, ShowingTime, and ChatGPT, but we recommend each tool have a clear use and that it can be tied back directly to business goals. If not, time to purge and move on.
What’s Next? Take inventory of your current tech stack and assess which tools are essential versus redundant. Consolidate where possible and commit to fully learning and optimizing the few tools that drive real results for your business.
If you’re ready to break free from these outdated myths and level up your marketing and operations, explore our services to see how we can tailor our support to your unique goals. At Sasquatch Agent Ops, we help real estate professionals like yourself make sound, strategic business choices that position them for lasting success. Are you ready to take the next step? Let’s chat.