Essential Skills for Successful Leasing Agents

In this article, we’re explaining more about leasing agents, including the leasing agent skills that are required to make one of these professionals a good choice to work with when you are looking to lease out a property or rent somewhere to live.

What is a leasing agent?

A leasing agent is someone who matches up property owners and tenants. Providing a bridge in the market between landlords and potential tenants of their homes. A leasing agent can work independently or through a property management company or agency. Leasing agents are able to provide a ‘connector’ service and should have the best interests of their customers at heart.

What does a leasing agent do?

Leasing agent skills revolve around connecting people. Their job is to work closely with tenants and property owners and help both through the process of renting a property. The leasing agent should handle the actual legal side of leases and give protection to everyone
involved in their transactions. Leasing agents also play a part in marketing and promoting properties, and they may work with websites and flyering agencies to promote the properties they have available. They can also be the person who shows potential tenants around the home and even set up an event such as an open house for people to come and look at the property.

Skills required for a Leasing Agent

Unfortunately, there are some leasing agents working who aren’t the most caring and considerate to their customers. You should always be on the lookout for the very best, and one way to do that is to fully understand what it takes to do the job well. Leasing agent qualities which can separate the good from the bad leasing agents have been described below.

Has Good Communicational skills

A huge part of the job of a leasing agent is being able to communicate. People working as leasing agents will need to work closely with a variety of different people, and they are usually very good at juggling these contacts. Also, they should be willing and able to answer questions you may have. A leasing agent who doesn’t communicate well could be a red flag.

Healthy Competitive Spirit and Persistence

Like it or not, the industry is a competitive one. Though we recommend a leasing agent who has integrity, they should also be willing to work hard to get the best deals for everyone and to compete for the best scenarios for their clients. Persistence is one of the leasing agency qualities to always look out for.

Values Customers

It’s the same for pretty much any industry really, customers need to be valued. Some of the worse leasing agents are out only for personal gain. The best leasing agents out there know that the best way to make a success of their own career is to work with others in order to get the best deal for everyone. Short term thinking and not valuing customers will only get an agent so far.

Seeks Improvement

Leasing agents should always be looking for ways to improve their service for everyone. As technology is changing, leasing is changing too. Those who don’t move with the times will get left behind. It is best for a leasing agent and for their customers if the agent is always trying to make improvements to the service they offer, to the deals they can provide and to their own skills. As with any profession, being able to move with the times and improve the offering of a business is always very helpful. Compare the property industry now to 20 years ago and you will see why this is such a huge benefit.

Is Proactive

For a leasing agent, being proactive is a great skill. It means being first to the information that’s out there, making a good impression and generally not waiting for others to swoop in before you! Also, as far as keeping good relationships with clients is concerned, actin quickly and getting things done can be a very good way to keep everyone happy. The difference between a leasing agent who makes a courtesy call to check how things are going, rather than one who waits for a problem to arise is always noticed by their customers and helps a leasing agent to build a good reputation and do what is right by their customers.