Why Veterans Make Great Real Estate Agents

Veterans make phenomenal real estate agents.

Partially due to the values reinforced by military training, a considerable number of veterans have built successful post-military careers in the real estate industry. Our informal Facebook poll found that nearly a third (28 percent) of our military-friendly real estate agents are veterans, making them perfect advocates for military buyers and sellers.

Let’s examine the traits that translate so well from military service to real estate, and learn why veterans make great real estate agents.

Decisiveness

Military service requires quick thinking and decisive action. As does the real estate industry.

Decisiveness can be an agent’s best weapon during intense negotiations or a tough market. Should you counsel a seller to accept an offer? Will a price reduction help or hinder a stale listing?

Service members (and officers in particular) are trained to quickly evaluate options and choose a course of action. Veterans who roll that skill into a real estate career can make better use of time with efficient and resolute actions.

Initiative

The most successful service members take initiative at every opportunity. The nature of military service forces our troops to solve problems, some of which can be extremely complex. Service members quickly learn that taking initiative is the first step toward solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Approaching problems without hesitation is also a great skill for real estate agents. Veteran real estate agents understand that “more is lost by indecision than the wrong decision” and aren’t afraid to take initiative in the workplace.

That initiative can take several forms in the real estate industry, from confidently asking for new listings to trying out the latest technological tools.

Knowledge

As the Marine Corps says, military training is a “non-stop journey.” There’s always a new skill, a new technology or a new strategy to learn.

That thirst for knowledge can serve a veteran real estate agent well. Real estate is a competitive field, and the best agents are the ones who commit to continual learning and improvement. With a solid appreciation of knowledge, agents with a military background can always be at the forefront of industry ideas and technology.

Integrity

Both the Army and the Marine Corps list “integrity” as an essential leadership characteristic. Those with integrity honor values through actions and inspire trust among others. Integrity enables service members to make good decisions, even if those decisions are unpopular or difficult.

Those with a military background can easily transfer the value of integrity to a real estate career. Maintaining trust and building a reputation requires integrity at every juncture, during every transaction and with every client. Over time, that trust and reputation can translate into referrals (and sales) from satisfied clients.

Values to live by

Core military values tend to stick with our veterans. Those principles can provide numerous advantages in any field and in the real estate industry in particular.

The real estate industry is extremely fortunate to have such great veteran representation. At the Veterans United Realty blog, we want to extend our thanks for your past service and for all you continue to do for our industry and our country.

Are you a veteran?

If you're a real estate agent and a veteran, we want to hear from you! How do you use your service skills in your civilian career?