Crack the listing code: What every new agent must know

Last year, Hibberd accounted for 382 listings, and placed fifth in REB's Top 100 Agents ranking.

She said that her work is split roughly among project marketing, amalgamating sites, off-the-plan projects, and residential properties, all based on her 35-year local reputation.

“I have a reputation for being a very straight shooter, and I'm a strong negotiator, and people know that I work very hard for my vendors, which means that listings will come to me,” Hibberd told REB.

“I have many properties that I've sold three or four times over the years. It just keeps coming back.”

Yet it wasn’t always that way.

Like everyone else, Hibberd had to start building her career and hustle for listings. She spoke with REB, providing extensive advice for younger agents on how to win quality listings.

She said that while getting listings simply by being a big name in the industry takes time, young agents have plenty of opportunities to build their book, emphasising the importance of working the buyer pool and knowing their local area.

Work the buyer pool

According to Hibberd, young agents should focus on servicing buyers and building trustworthy relationships to start building their contacts.

“The best place for new agents to get listings is from the buyer pool.”

She said that new industry players should pair up with senior agents to learn from them, build their knowledge and get to know buyers.

“See if you can work with a senior agent to help them call old leads and help them and get a buyer pool for yourself.”

“Work those buyers often, they're sellers and do open houses. Do as many open houses as you can, meet new people, and always follow up.”

By attending open homes, new agents can learn how to present themselves, use the opportunity to build their knowledge, and share their profile with buyers.

“I see some people doing open houses where they just stand there scrolling through on their phone, there's no enthusiasm, no passion.”

“Buyers that come through might also be looking to sell. You can't just be lolling around leaning on the wall and talking to the other agent, you've really got to be able to show that you are there to sell the property.”

She said that by sharing insights about the property, its developer, and other matters, she engages buyers while giving them space to view it.

“So, being enthusiastic and presenting yourself well at an open house and showing that you have a lot of energy to be a good agent and really do the best you can on selling the property.”

In addition to shadowing senior agents, Hibberd said new agents should use their agency’s resources to develop their buyer pool.

She said that for young agents, the best source of listings is past buyers and those who didn’t purchase.

“Some of the younger agents are very quick to make assumptions that everyone on a buyer book from 12 months ago has bought, but that's not the case.

While many new agents mistakenly assume old leads are no longer useful, these contacts can still be looking to buy or may need to sell.

“You have to keep working the buyers.”

Be proactive in your area

Hibberd said that having a presence in the community will be key for newcomers to build their network and subsequent listing pools.

She said agents should “show their faces” everywhere and take every opportunity to be part of their community.

“Kids, school sports friend groups, just past clients, door knocking, get your face out there.”

According to Hibberd, there are no restrictions on where to find opportunities, as she often drives around spotting new developments, renovations, or activity like painters, and immediately starts investigating who owns or is developing them.

“You've got to really love what I call the catch and kill of real estate.”

Additionally, agents should have a complete understanding of their areas, including planning rules and upcoming developments.

“You've got to really know your patch, understanding planning rules and knowing your patch of property, what's going on there.”

While younger agents might be intimidated by bolder approaches, they need to find what works best for them in order to stay connected to buyers and sellers.

“Some agents excel on the phone while others thrive face-to-face, so it’s important to choose the approach that suits your style rather than expecting one method to fit all,” she said.

Quality over quantity

While it may sound surprising for new agents, Hibberd said that ultimately, they should focus on quality listings over quantity.

“Not all businesses are good. A lot of young agents are very hungry to take on listings, and they're listings that they shouldn't take on.”

She stressed the importance of discernment in choosing listings, advising agents – especially younger ones – to know when to say no or walk away from opportunities that aren’t a good fit, such as unmotivated clients or vendors with unrealistic expectations.

“Some vendors have very unrealistic expectations sometimes, and if you don't feel that they're going to be understanding, they may not be the client to take on at that particular time.

“Sometimes you are better off to be the second agent in the door and just bow out gracefully and pick it up the second time around.”

She also underscored the value of patience and strategic thinking, and pointed out that longer days on market can be misinterpreted, but the ultimate goal is a successful sale at the right price.

“Days on market can be misinterpreted. Many agents start their pitch with their days on market; I don’t.”

“My days on the market are slightly longer, for good reason: sometimes it takes a while but I’ll still get the price that the owner wanted.”

Hibberd said that by focusing on quality, persistence, and understanding each client’s situation, new agents can learn negotiation skills and smart business judgement.