As supply tightens and competition intensifies, listings are no longer won at the kitchen table, with agents getting ahead weeks before a seller raises their hand, shaping the decision long before the appraisal is booked. Here is how to do it.
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According to REA national customer training manager Tara Christianson, one of the biggest industry misconceptions was that vendors had a shortlist of agents to work with, when in reality, most had no one in mind when starting the selling process.
Speaking at the New Agent Academy in Brisbane, Christianson said agents often underestimated the early stage at which the seller’s decision-making process began and the extent of influence that could be built before any direct contact was made.
“People don’t usually have agents in mind. They’re starting to investigate a bit, but they don’t necessarily know exactly what they want or who they want, and they feel anxious going into the selling period,” Christianson said.
“It is not a done deal, and there are opportunities out there.”
She said that listings were not won at the appraisal, but in the weeks and months leading up to it, through visibility, responsiveness, and the emotional impression left long before the first meeting ever takes place.
Through their reputations, she said that agents can shape the narrative and compete for attention in the early research phase rather than at the listing presentation stage.
She added that sellers’ uncertainty was a major window of opportunity for agents willing to engage early and consistently.
“Two-thirds of sellers start the process without any actual agent in mind, which is fantastic because even if you are new to the industry, this means that there’s an opportunity to stand out.”
Christianson emphasised that by the time an agent walked into a seller’s home, their decision had often already been made, urging professionals to think carefully about the reputation they were building.
“Reputations are made long before the living room.”
Digital presence is now the first impression
According to Christianson, when choosing an agent, sellers had been looking at a consistent set of expectations, with much of that evaluation now happening online before any conversation even took place.
“We have 30 million visits to agents and agency search profiles in the past 12 months. What does that mean? It means people are researching agents.”
“It’s not just based on brands, it’s also based on the people who work for those brands as well.”
She warned that agents who failed to treat their online presence as a core business asset were effectively invisible during the most important stage of the decision-making process.
“Your online profiles right now are your resumes.”
She said social media can give agents a competitive edge by helping them stay visible, build familiarity early, and ultimately win more listings by being top of mind before sellers even engage.
She urged agents to use effective strategies and create a deliberate mix of content to attract new audiences, nurture existing followers, and convert engagement into leads.
“Think about what you can bring to the table. Is it that you have amazing local knowledge? Is it that you just get along really well with people?”
“Be consistent across all your channels. Think about the conversations that you hear. Create videos. If you hate being on video, y’all, you need to get over it.”
Christianson also emphasised that success comes from consistently showing up as a local expert, using tools like video, storytelling, and even AI to scale content, while maintaining rapid engagement and clear calls to action to turn attention into business outcomes.
But she said technical execution alone wasn’t enough, as the emotional experience drove long-term loyalty and referrals.
“People will forget what you said, and what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
The ‘winning formula’ is consistency, not charisma
According to Christianson, once sellers begin reaching out, competition tightens quickly, with the biggest differentiators being speed and responsiveness rather than branding or pricing strategy.
“Once sellers start looking for an agent, they often contact three, four, or five, and only a couple respond, and in this moment, responsiveness becomes the real differentiator.”
She said that in many cases, opportunities were lost not because another agent was better but because they responded first or more consistently.
Across the board, she said vendors were looking for agents with local knowledge, approachability, responsiveness, strong pricing outcomes, and competitive fees, creating the same opportunity set for both new and established agents.
She noted that the strongest signal from sellers was not presentation style or marketing flair, but alignment with outcomes.
When it came to success, Christianson said that discipline, rather than personality, was the most decisive factor.
“It’s not about being the loudest, the brightest, the flashiest. It’s about thinking about what those other people want that’s out there and the best outcome for them.”
She said that agents should focus on clear, consistent communication, confidence in the process, responsiveness, transparency, a strong local network, and a track record of results.
“These were the top qualities in general: confidence, clear plan, responsiveness and transparency, local network of results, and these are the things that agents should be concentrating on right now.”
Christianson also highlighted the importance of long-term engagement, noting that sellers often moved from passive to active status over time.
“Here’s the thing; no doesn’t mean no forever. No means just no right now. But that may not be coming, yes, tomorrow or the next day or the next day.”
“This is why consistent presence matters more than short bursts of marketing activity,” she concluded.
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Whether you’re breaking into the industry, building momentum in your first few years, or looking to sharpen your edge in a competitive market, the academy is designed to give you the tools to get ahead.
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