Is real estate still a man's domain?

Over the years, real estate has traditionally been a man's domain. It was the men in the family who decided which house to buy or rent. But just like in any other field, women are making their presence felt in the real estate world too. Single as well as married women are realising the importance of owning a property in their name. It is for this reason that, just like their male counterparts, women closely follow news and updates on the real estate scenario in their homeland. Women are gradually emerging in the forefront as they are making worthwhile contributions towards buying and selling homes. The last few years have witnessed the emergence of more and more female real estate agents. Here are a few reasons for the growing success of women in real estate:

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Women listen carefully

It has been proven time and again that men and women communicate differently. Women are known to be better listeners than men. This works to their advantage in a field like real estate because agent needs to listen carefully to their potential buyer's needs. Only when you understand what the buyer is looking for, will you be able to make a successful sale.

Women are more detail oriented

This goes hand-in-hand with the first point. When you listen carefully to what your buyer is saying, you are able to pick on the details that are most important to him. For example, if the buyer addresses his concern about the neighbourhood not being child-friendly, you can pick on his concern and address the issue by providing a solution. When the buyer is assured that his concern has been successfully taken care of, he is more likely to consider buying the house.

Women understand families and children better

Women are naturally more nurturing than their male counterparts, and this gives them an edge in a field like real estate. For example, if a family consisting of a mother, father, and two young children are looking to buy a house, they'll opt for friendly neighbourhoods with lots of children and a good school nearby. Instead of showing them around 10 houses that may or may not meet their criteria, women are more likely to show them three or four houses that they'll take a liking to immediately.

Women inspire trust

Buying a house is a huge emotional and financial commitment. It's not like you enter a shop to buy a laptop, have a 10 minute conversation with the salesperson and walk out with your purchase. You need to build a relationship of trust and understanding with your agent and men and women both find it easier to establish a connection with female agents.

There has been a paradigm shift in the job positions that were originally reserved for men. While both genders have their positive attributes, one cannot ignore the fact that women are gradually making their presence felt in the real estate world.