Why a career transition from professional sportsperson to real estate sales makes sense

Most professional sportspeople are competitive, result-oriented, persistent and effective team players.  Today’s real estate market is fast paced and competitive, making a transition from a sporting career to a career in real estate a natural idea. If your personality and skill sets were honed as an athlete, you will be well suited to real estate for the following reasons:

1. Professional sportspeople understand how to perform under pressure, and when the heat is turned up, they remain calm and in control. Negotiating offers in private treaty sales or tracking bids in a fast- paced auction require the agent to be mentally tough, remain composed under pressure and work hard for a favourable outcome for their client.

2. Sportspeople know if they are not performing to their personal best, are familiar with goal setting and looking for ways to continually improve. Agents, too, need to set and stick to personal goals, being sure not to be distracted from the task at hand and being self- motivated to achieve their goals, undeterred by knock backs or rejections.

3. Sports games are measured by wins and losses- a black and white final outcome. Results are what matters. This is exactly what real estate sales is about- Results!  Elite athletes continually focus on   discerning what works or what doesn’t. If they are not succeeding, they try new strategies and recalibrate until they ultimately reach their desired goal. Real estate agents need to be on the look out for ways to improve and be ready to change their strategy if it is not effective in a particular situation.  

4. ‘Never give up’ is a mantra shared universally by successful sportspeople. Persistence pays off on the sports field and carries athletes through tough times. Likewise, the real estate market is not always booming, and sales are not always easy. Top sportspeople have already experienced the rewards of being persistent in their sport, so it’s only natural their relentless attitude will overflow into pushing hard to produce results for their real estate clients.

5. For professional sportspeople, being a good team player is essential. Even if they are not playing a team sport, they will work closely with a support team of coach, manager, physiotherapist, public relations, etc. Real estate agents need to work well with a variety of personality types, co- operating to work efficiently and effectively.

Whether it’s finding the perfect property for a buyer, negotiating the best deal for a seller, or managing a team through a real estate transaction, these situations are all a textbook fit for the competitive, result-oriented, persistent and teamwork-based prior professional sportsperson.