Do you think the type of car you drive is important in the real estate business. I've been active in the bus for about 6 months have my 5th closing coming up and have 8 listings right now but nothing higher priced. I drive an economical car but feel uncomfortable when showing or attempting to list high dollar property. I hate to give up the econo-car with gas prices rising by the hour.

Let me tell you something about image.

Two agents I know just sold their big Cadillac SUV cars. One of them is looking for a "full time job."

Image meant nothing to them other than more debt.

One of the most successful agents in my area (who also owns my company) drives a 4 cylander Subaru.

Why feel uncomfortable for BEING SMART?

I'm sorry but all this $&*% about "image" is just plain STUPID.

Will driving a Cadillac make you a better agent?

No.

It will just make you a poorer one.

Be proud of yourself and be confident in your abilities.

And don't pooh pooh the lower end deals. One of the most successful weichert franchise offices last year got to the top of the heap by selling properties all under 200,000.

Do what you do WELL and screw "image."

How about a quasi expensive Mini-Cooper for good gas mileage ?
I don't drive one; but maybe it makes the right statement.

In this business, if you drive too good a car, they resent you.

If you drive something older, they think you're a failure.

It's a balancing act; and people like to participate in "your success"; not help someone who has already made it.

Whatever it is, make sure it is clean and not full of junk !

I drive a Volvo S-60 Sports Sedan because no one really knows how old it is; and it gets 33 miles per gallon on regular, and it takes me everywhere I need to go.

i drive the s-60 as well! great car.

my other vehicles are a ford ranger and a mercury cougar.

i would not pull up to some homes in my other cars. these sellers dont know you are a great agent... thye only know what they see of you until you speak..

for example.. you pull up in a beater. the seller thinks wow this guy knows how to talk a great game, but he does not look like he is as successful as he sounds...


pull up in a decent car and tell them, i will sell your home, and they believe you because you look the part that you talk.

it is a fine line as Vermont007 stated.

as long as you are in a late model clean car(no dents/fading/peeling paint) you will do just fine.



dont buy a car that you cant afford yet. wait until you can buy it easily then purhcase it or the car will be more of a burden than a tool.


Vermont007, i love the s-60! i am sold on volvo! great cars.

one of hte consumer reports that i read stated that the volvo s60 was the nicest car that you would never notice on the road! i find that to be very true

Certainly don't drive around in a rustbucket piece of crud. My comment really just meant to say that you don't need to have a $60,000 car to be a success.

My Honda van is a 2006, and looks great. Well, the inside is often dirty but most of my clients prefer to take their own cars anyway.

I see you are a very consistent person. Many people don't know that Volvo has been owned by FORD since the late 1990s.

Now, Ford will probably have to sell it to keep themselves afloat. (Jaguar and Land Rover left s few weeks ago).

Surprisingly, Ford has allowed Volvo to keep the same body on the S-60 from 2001 until 2009 - so much unlike Detroit. I hate experimental vehicles. (Hate is too strong a word). I like engines and chassis that have been around the track a few times.

Anyway, the S-60 fits right in there with your Ford Truck and that Mercury.

i dont like the experimental vehicles either.


my main point is that people trust others most like themselves. so, just like dress, people will often use someone who they perceive to be like them.

When I first read this sentence, I couldn't stop thinking that you were selling houses by riding the bus! LMAO!! I can just imagine hopping on the bus with a client to ride from house to house for showings...

I might contradict myself here, but I am going to give it a shot. I think image is important. The fine line statement is definitely true though. You want your clients to believe that you are successful. Overdoing it may backfire on you, so don't go out and buy a ferrari to go show properties to people buying a $200,000 home! That may seem a bit arrogant. I do think that having a nice car that shows you are successful is a good thing though. Image is a good way to portray success.

The reason I said I would contradict myself is because the majority of the time I drive my 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Most clients are usually shocked when I meet them and pull up in my sports car. Plus I look really young! That's a killer. Then I open my mouth and start discussing the business and how things work and I think I amaze people. My knowledge and intelligence starts to show. Then I don't think people really care what I am driving, as long as I know what I am doing. Plus most clients want to take their own car anyway, so they follow me to do showings. It hasn't created a major problem for about 3 years now! I will be getting an SUV soon though. It's definitely time for change. But that's my story. Take it or leave it.

~sigh~

I used to have a 1989 Iroc Z Camaro. Black. T tops. Brand new. Vroom, vroom...hubba hubba.

I was hot then.

Now, I'm just a frumpy, salt-n-pepper haired soccer mom in a Honda van....

I feel old...I need a camaro.

This subject has come up a few times already.

I quit worrying about what others thought of my automobile "image" many years ago. There are many agents in my area who are doing the same thing as Perky said... turning the lease and high $$$ vehicles in (many unwillingly).

I never have a car payment as I always drive a car I can pay for in full at the time of purchase. I a slump, I never have to worry about a car payment. I also keep my other expenses in check and it just makes good business sense to me. I bought my latest auto as a Christmas gift to myself last year.

On another note, I NEVER allow buyers to ride with me.. PERIOD! Buyers must take their own auto and meet me at a property. I've found that most buyers are more comfortable with this setup.

Keeping your late model auto clean and in good mechanical condition is much better than overbuying to impress.

Anyone shallow enough to list, buy and sell real estate based on who has the most expensive auto is not a good match for me anyway. I focus on results, not image. Bottom line.. focus on being the best you can be as your automobile doesn't list and sell real estate, you do! It's just another business tool, nothing more.

Perky, you're still hot I'm sure!

My 1998 Infiniti I-30 (22 MPG city, 27 MPG Highway) is in good condition, rides comfortably, is always clean and my clients, most of them frugle people themselves, don't complain about it at all. If a family is involved, I'll take the 2005 4-runner, but even it is not loaded down.

I try to make a favorable first impression over the phone prior to meeting with potential clients so that my appearance, allbeit professional, matters less when we meet.

I agree with Perky on this...no need to look fancy. In my circles driving a fancy car can actually work against you, in that I am often dealing with old farmers, etc. selling the family land. I've signed contracts on the hood of a tractor and regularly sit with clients on the tailgate of my F150 crewcab. I think all you really need is a clean, decent, and presentable car. Let your abilities shine through. Unless you are dealing with driving movie stars around I don't think it matters what you drive as long as it doesn't look like this:

I bet you're a chick magnet in that thing!

i say that it matters depending on the client. for example. in my area there are some exclusive neighborhoods where people drive expensive cars. they bought them because it is a status symbol. to those people, they will probably be more likely to think you are successful like they are if you drive an automobile that is representative of a successful person. remember that these people only know of you what you say, how you dress and what you pull into the driveway with. if the first impression of you is that "this person has a beater" then i think that it makes it harder to sell. if the first impression is positive or neutral, then i think it goes to the dress and verbiage that you use.

i dont drive a flashy car, but i am telling you that to some clients it does matter. i would not pull up to a 900k home in my truck and that is the point that i am getting at. i would not wear a suit to a 90k property either. there is a lot of psychology that goes into sales and imho, we are great (or supposed to be) at reading people and coming up with objections before they occur.



for example, i know that a fsbo will have certain objections. i rehearse them in my head before speaking with the fsbo.

i know that a 1mil property will have certain objections as well, i rehearse them before going to the door. one of the objections that they could think and not mention is "does this guy sell very many homes" if i look like i sell a lot of homes, they wont ask! at the end of the day, it is like dressing professional.

i drove the mercury and the truck before i got the volvo. trust me from experience. it is easier to be looked at as the professional if you look the part.

really, as long as it is clean and works, does not make funny noises, it is fine to use. but remember, sales is overcoming objections.


successfull---- if you look hte part you dont have to sell the part. people dont like sales people. the less selling you have to do, the better off you are.