Why is Being a Realtor Stressful? The toll of Selling Homes (2024)

As a realtor, you must be able to sell yourself and your services. You also have to put in the time and effort required for listing properties, generating leads, and following up with potential clients. But what about the emotional side of being a realtor? Are there any hidden stressors that come with selling homes?

Aspiring real estate agents are often drawn to the profession by the promise of financial success, flexibility, and the excitement of helping clients buy or sell their homes. However, being a realtor is not all glamorous showings and easy sales. The reality of the job is often much more stressful than many anticipate. The emotional toll of selling homes can take a significant toll on realtors, leading to stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion. In this blog, we’ll explore the reasons why being a realtor can be so stressful, specifically focusing on the emotional toll of the job.

Why is Being a Realtor Stressful? The toll of Selling Homes (1)

We’ll discuss the demands of clients, the financial uncertainty, the high-pressure environment, the emotional investment, and the difficulty of balancing personal and professional life. We’ll also provide some strategies for coping with stress and avoiding burnout. By the end of this blog, readers will have a better understanding of the emotional toll of being a realtor, and how to manage the stresses of this demanding and rewarding profession.

Emotional pain

If you think about it, the real estate agent is in a unique position. They are dealing with people’s emotions, their money and their dreams.

If someone buys or sells a home it can be an emotional roller coaster for them. They may have been dreaming of this moment for years and now that it’s here they are nervous about making such an important decision or scared that they might make some costly mistakes along the way (like choosing the wrong home inspector). Then there is also all of the other stuff going on in their life at this time like moving out of one house into another or having kids who will be leaving home soon so it’s stressful!

Stressful situations

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Being a Realtor is stressful. The emotional toll of selling homes is real and can be very stressful. When you’re in the middle of closing on a home, many other things are going on at once: you’ve got to make sure everything goes smoothly with the seller’s end, coordinate with your clients and their agents or buyers’ agents to make sure everyone knows what they need to know when they need it and keep track of deadlines so that everyone involved knows when their part in the process needs to happen.

You may also have several clients at once who want updates on their respective sales or purchases and if something goes wrong with one sale (like discovering mold), then all your other clients might expect updates on whether or not their houses will sell as well due to similar conditions being present inside those homes as well

Working with difficult personalities

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If you’re a Realtor, you’ve probably dealt with some pretty difficult people in your time. These are the homeowners who make unreasonable demands and refuse to listen to reason; the first-time home buyers who push back on every little thing and can’t seem to understand why you’re not bending over backward for them; or even just those clients who seem more focused on getting what they want than satisfying their own needs.

These types of clients can be draining on your energy levels because they require so much time and patience from you and if they aren’t satisfied at any point during the process, they may end up leaving angry emails in response.

Being accountable for your decisions

You are responsible for the quality of your work, the success of your clients and company, and even the success of your team. It’s easy to feel like you’re letting everyone down if something goes wrong or doesn’t go as planned.

High-pressure environment

As a real estate agent, you’re under a lot of pressure to get your clients the best deal. There is no room for error; if you don’t close the sale and get them their dream home, it’s going to be on your shoulders.

You must also work with many different people while selling homes: buyers and sellers alike (and even their family members). You have to be able to adapt quickly in order not only to keep everyone happy but also to keep yourself sane!

Financial uncertainty

Stress is the body’s response to any demand or threat, and stress can be good or bad. When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that make it easier for you to handle whatever situation you’re in. If this happens too often over a long period, however, these hormones start doing more harm than good; they eventually wear down your immune system–and that’s when health problems start happening.

When it comes to buying or selling homes as a real estate agent (REALTOR), several factors can cause stress:

Balancing Personal and Professional Life

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As a real estate agent, you may be on long calls and expected to work long hours. You must be able to handle stress to successfully sell homes. Your personal life will suffer if it is not properly managed. After work, you would be too tired to prepare nutritious meals, keep a fitness routine, or spend time for yourself and your family.

The emotional toll of selling homes is especially stressful because agents often have no control over their workload and schedule–they’re at the mercy of their clients’ needs and demands. When asked about the most challenging aspect of being an agent, one said “the constantly changing situations of each deal.”

The emotional toll of selling homes is real and can be very stressful.

For many people, selling their homes is an emotional roller coaster. When you are trying to sell your home, many different emotions come into play: excitement, anxiety, frustration and even anger at times. The stress associated with these feelings can be overwhelming at times but also very rewarding when it’s all over!

Conclusion

All in all, I think it’s important to remember that being a Realtor is a stressful job. But it’s also one that can be extremely rewarding if you have the right attitude and mindset about it. If you’re ready for the challenge, then go out there and sell some houses!

Why is Being a Realtor Stressful? The toll of Selling Homes (2024)

FAQs

Why is Being a Realtor Stressful? The toll of Selling Homes? ›

The emotional toll of selling homes is especially stressful because agents often have no control over their workload and schedule–they're at the mercy of their clients' needs and demands. When asked about the most challenging aspect of being an agent, one said “the constantly changing situations of each deal.”

Why is being a realtor stressful? ›

Uncertainty about real estate market

Every realtor is worried about not being able to sell their properties and how it will affect his or her commissions at the end of the month. This uncertainty is real and can cause a lot of stress for realtors and their clients.

Why is selling houses so stressful? ›

So much of it is out of your control, and you spend a lot of time just waiting,” adds top real estate agent Dalton Carroll of Arlington, Texas. “You're waiting for showings, waiting for offers, waiting for your buyer to submit repair requests, and waiting on the lender for the clear to close.”

Why is being a realtor so hard? ›

Earning a living selling real estate is hard work. You have to be organized in order to keep track of legal documents, meetings, and all the tasks that go into multiple listings. You may go without a paycheck for periods of time because the work is often commission-based.

What do realtors struggle with the most? ›

5 of the Biggest Real Estate Challenges + How Agents Can Overcome Them
  • Fierce Competition. ...
  • Long Hours. ...
  • Time Management. ...
  • It Feels Like a Thankless Job.
Nov 18, 2023

What are the negatives of being a real estate agent? ›

The Pros and Cons of a Real Estate Career
  • Pro #1. Achieving Freedom. ...
  • Pro #2. Feeling Responsible. ...
  • Pro #3. Being Respected. ...
  • Pro #4. Excitement. ...
  • Con #1. Having Nothing to Do. ...
  • Con #2. Doing the Wrong Things. ...
  • Con #3. Weird Working Hours. ...
  • Con #4. Irregular Income.

What is the hardest part of selling a house? ›

Getting your home ready for sale is number one. Looking good is essential- clean and depersonalise. The clean-up is the hardest part, and the more thorough you are, the better will your results be.

Why sales is the most stressful job? ›

Many sales professionals receive some sort of commission-based compensation. In other words, if they don't sell, they don't earn money (beyond their base salary). This dynamic can create a great deal of stress, especially when selling in a competitive market.

What are the hardest months to sell a house? ›

  • Best and worst times to sell a house, by month. ...
  • Spring and summer are the best seasons to sell. ...
  • Fall and winter are the worst seasons to sell. ...
  • November is the worst month to sell.
Jan 5, 2024

Why I failed as a realtor? ›

Three common mistakes that agents make is inadequate prospecting, failing to market properties in ways that lead to fast sales, and not following up with clients. Real estate agents must be motivated because generating leads and marketing listings takes creativity and hard work.

What state is the hardest to be a realtor? ›

Some states present more hurdles than others due to high living standards, low average salaries, strict licensing barriers, or depressed home values. The worst states to be a real estate agent include Hawaii, California, New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

Why did you stop being a real estate agent? ›

1. Wrong Expectations. The number one reason people quit real estate is because they expect to see immediate results. People expect a solid month of hard work to result in a good deal and a lot of money, and when it doesn't, they are quick to decide real estate must not be for them.

Why is being a real estate agent stressful? ›

The emotional toll of selling homes is especially stressful because agents often have no control over their workload and schedule–they're at the mercy of their clients' needs and demands. When asked about the most challenging aspect of being an agent, one said “the constantly changing situations of each deal.”

What scares realtors the most? ›

1) Fear of rejection.

This is often the first thing to come to mind when realtors are asked to share their biggest fear, especially for those agents who are new to the industry. It's a scary thing to put yourself out there—to go door-knocking or cold-calling.

Why do so many fail in real estate? ›

According to them, 75% of real estate agents fail within the first year, and 87% fail within five years. Some common mistakes that agents make include, inadequate prospecting, not marketing properties in ways that lead to fast sales, and not following up with clients. But let's dive deeper into this.

Is an estate agent a stressful job? ›

86% of estate agents canvassed by the Boundless Happiness Survey recently said they experienced some sort of stress at work and 43% said they were 'very stressed'.

Why do people quit being a realtor? ›

Having false expectations in real estate can be catastrophic. It is the number one reason why people quit the business. It is important to keep a goal mindset and to get rid of any expectations you may have.

Is owning real estate stressful? ›

The level of stress associated with investing, owning, and managing multiple properties really depends on the individual. If you do well managing multiple projects, people, and money this may not be too stressful for you.

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