Real estate agents help people with the biggest financial transactions of their lives. As a real estate agent, maintaining a professional appearance is paramount to success. Here are some tips to keep a professional appearance as a real estate agent no matter what types of properties you have listed for sale.

Dress

The first thing anyone notices when they meet you in person, even before you say a word, is your appearance. Your clothes, hair, and other visual features are important. Realtors should dress respectably in either business casual or professional attire.

Dress similarly to how you would dress for any professional office job. Your outfit should be clean, free of holes and other defects, and should ensure a professional appearance. To play it safe, cover any visible tattoos and keep piercings to what is considered respectable in your local area.

Car

Real estate agents sometimes drive clients to tour properties, so your vehicle should be clean and in good repair. You don’t need a fancy luxury car, but something well maintained and spotlessly clean is a minimum.

Any sedan or SUV works fine. It can even be an older model car as long as it is in good shape. Contrary to the opinion of some, having a Mercedes, BMW, or other luxury brand does not mean you will sell more houses or be respected more. It just means you spent more on a car. Choose wisely, but also make sure your kids don’t spill and leave messes in the backseat before picking up a client.

Office

Real estate agents hardly need a physical office these days. You can meet at client homes, the property, title company offices, or even a coffee shop. If you do have an office, however, it is important to maintain a professional appearance there as well.

Your office should be clean, safe, and easy to find. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy but it shouldn’t be sparse and look like a temporary space. Make your business at home there with a professional desk, seating for visitors, a sign or placard at the front door, and some added comforts like a coffee pot and water cooler.

Website

Your professional appearance goes farther than your physical appearance and office. It goes online as well. In the 2010s, all successful real estate agents should have a professional, well designed, easy-to-use website.

You should have your own .com website address that doesn’t end with .blogspot.com, .wordpress.com, or anything else. Your website address should use your name or your company’s name. The site should be mobile responsive, contain contact information, office location information, an about page that discusses your qualifications and experience, and listings of current homes you are selling.

Starting in January, 2017, you are best off using SSL, a protocol that gives users a secure connection to your website using https. You can add SSL through many hosts for free. You can also buy a cheap SSL certificate starting around $9 per year.

Associations and Licenses

Realtor certifications and licenses help show that you are an expert in a specific field within real estate and membership in organizations like the National Association of Realtors shows that you care about having a professional appearance. To further show that you are a trustworthy and experienced agent, consider joining local real estate organizations and listing sites.

AgentHarvest is one such site with vetted listings of agents across the country. Each home search starts with finding the perfect agent, and the best agents join our growing community at AgentHarvest.

If you are buying or selling a house and are looking to hire a successful real estate agent to help you through the process, take a look at AgentHarvest's list of top-ranking local Realtors in your area. We found these agents by examining their sales track records, awards, rankings, client testimonials and by conducting personal interviews.