What does a good real estate agent need in his daily work? In addition to ambition and self-discipline, negotiating skills and a good portion of empathy are undoubtedly part of the job description. But social media? At first glance, these two things – real estate broking and social media – do not necessarily seem to complement each other. Svetoslav Hristov from Engel & Völkers Ibiza disagrees.
Although the real estate agent has only recently begun to use his social channels for professional purposes, he is firmly convinced of the benefits of the digital world. Keep on reading to find out why Svetoslav Hristov decided to take the step of integrating social media into his professional life and what experience he has gained with it so far. The real estate agent also answered our questions in the video interview:
I started in November 2015, so that means 3 and a half years, more or less.
First it was the shop that got my attention. Not just the location, but the shop itself with the high quality interior and the style that it presents.
The company is not operating in Bulgaria, where I come from, and I wasn’t familiar with the brand. So, I made a research and found out that actually Engel & Völkers is the market leader on the island and I said to myself, this goes to the top of your wish list.
It’s exciting. I don’t know how much money I will earn at this very moment at the end of the month, who will I meet, where will I go today.
The freedom. As a freelancer. I‘m not stuck with working hours. I'm the person who decides what my calendar will look like.
Then there is the team. We have a great team, with whom it is a lot of fun to work with.
All this completes a motto that I really like. It says: Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life.
I actually have a real estate background from back in Bulgaria. The difference is that I was working there with first home buyers and then I moved to a commercial department. What we are doing here in Ibiza is mainly holiday homes.
After moving to Ibiza I did as well sales, working four years as a promoter for „Cirque de la Nuit”, selling events on the island. Thinking about that now, makes me realise that this period in my life was very important for me to improve my sales skills and especially doing it in different languages than my mother tongue. I learnt a lot in general.
It was actually the webinar of E&V which I watched that motivated me. It really got me and I decided to go for it.
I think that in the very near future the profile and the qualities of a real estate agent will completely change. It has started already. It’s not all about selling anymore.
15 years ago, for example, the real estate agents had to learn to work with Microsoft Word and Excel, today this is a very basic requirement that you need to have. In less period of time the Social Media will be a “must” for the future profile.
Now it is more important to spending more and more time with social media, being active, creative, giving valuable content, entertain, being up to date with different software and hardware solutions, being more and more recognisable by showing yourself with videos. In general I think that Social Media is making our job even more exciting and fun. It really develops ourselves professionally by getting out of our comfort zone. The agents that don’t follow that trend and don’t start being active now, are missing big opportunities in the near future. Reason for that is that Social Media is constantly changing and you need to keep an eye on it.
I'm still new in that and I have a lot to learn but I think the smartest way to do it is by making a Social Media Plan for the week and month. But at the end of the day being creative is a must whatever way you do it.
I did have requests, yes, but as I said I'm still new to this, so I think the big results will be coming in the future.
Just like Svetoslav Hristov, more and more real estate agents are discovering the benefits that social networks can have in client acquisition and communication. We support the people in our Engel & Völkers network with contemporary tools, webinars and workshops to help them succeed in the digital world. We want our real estate agents to be online pioneers in terms of service quality and competence.
Would you like to experience the team spirit, professionalism and exciting challenges of a real estate agent for yourself? Then become a part of Engel & Völkers! Whether you are a newcomer, a career changer or an industry professional with a real estate background – we look forward to hearing from you!
