John McGrath urges estate agents to be straight talking as many agents move somewhere between telling white lies, half truths or sugar-coating the truth

With his finger on the pulse of social media, estate agent John McGrath has used Facebook to urge his real estate colleagues to lift their game by among other things improving their knowledge of the communities they work in and being more transparent and straight talking with their clients.

He says agents should be be straight talking – "many agents move somewhere between telling white lies, half truths or sugar-coating the truth."

McGrath who also blogs and tweets regularly listed these seven tips on the McGrath Estate Agents Facebook page that he believes can make Australian estate agents the world's best:

1. Hyper local knowledge – Great agents have their finger on the pulse of the community & know far more than anyone else.

2. Massive transparency – the more unfiltered quality information you can provide customers the more success you’ll have. 

3. Out-listen the competition – Agents tend to talk more than listen – reverse that trend & you’ll rapidly grow your business. 

4. Be straight talking – many agents move somewhere between telling white lies, half truths or sugar-coating the truth. Be direct & honest about your views. 

5. Add value – putting an ad in the paper isn’t adding value – the IP & intelligent ideas you bring to the listing appointment are how you increase your value. 

6. Go the extra mile – If you do what’s expected you won’t separate yourself from the pack. Always over-deliver on expectations. 

7. Use price guides and floorplans – every buyer wants both. So give them what they want.