Advice for New Real Estate Agents – Set Yourself Up for Success

Make sure you have some money saved. In real estate, you're on an eat what you kill basis; that's commission only baby. So, remember the effort you put forth today will hopefully get you paid 90 days from now. And to survive and beat that very awful statistic, you need to make sure that you've got money in the bank as a safety net.

Know your market. Study the numbers. You can never go wrong by learning and sharpening that tool to truly know what you're talking about. Prepare yourself so that when you go out in the real world and you're talking to people and they say, “Hey, how's the market?” You know what to say. You’ve studied the numbers. You know what things are selling for, you know your neighborhoods, and you really feel confident about the knowledge you are providing.

Make sure that you're doing some form of marketing. Whether that means you're holding open houses, you're going door knocking, you're sending postcards or mailers, or you're making videos on Instagram. All of these are forms of branding and marketing. The only way you're going to win it for the long haul is by doing it consistently and not giving up. Making videos on Instagram and getting my brand out there consistently over the last almost four years has catapulted my career and really given me some stability and confidence as a Realtor in my area.

Join a team. I really do believe new agents could benefit from being on a team where you have a mentor, someone who's holding your hand and showing you the way. I had a mentor and I started as an assistant. I then went on to join a team and now I'm on my own. Looking back now, going through the school of hard knocks, really finding my way and watching other people succeed and fail, and gaining all of that wisdom has only added to my toolbox and benefited me in the long run. I highly recommend that if you've considered it, look into joining a team and make sure that it's with someone that you like and respect.