Be Curious
One of the best aspects of our profession is that we get to meet an incredible range of different people over the course of any year. After some time you start to see themes appear and you sub-consciously start to group together different personality types with their common traits. It just seems to happen automatically as you try to best cater for their real estate needs.
We see everyone from the super wealthy to those that are struggling to make ends meet. We find them all slightly different regardless of their financial capability, sometimes challenging, but all are interesting as observers of the human condition. Our general fascination is what makes people tick.
One of the traits that we commonly find in those who have achieved some level of financial success, is that they are generally curious about the world. They ask questions, they chase information, they will see a glimmer of an opportunity and explore it, even if it comes to nothing. They tend to talk less and listen more, but also provide an environment (often unknowingly) where other people are comfortable to share information with them.
This also seems to help them manage relationships, whether it be professional or personal. They enjoy a good sense of intuition which is really just another form of curiosity. They are interested in people and react early to prevent situations they can influence from worsening. In other words, they can read the play through their built up experience of being curious and watchful.
The opposite of curious are those that have the unfortunate habit of talking at you, and then only concentrating on what they are going to say next while you are replying to them. I’m sure we are all guilty of it sometimes but it rarely has a positive effect on the person you are conversing with.
If there was ever a trait that you would foster, encourage or instill in those you care about, then curiosity would be high on the list. At least that is our curious observation.