Power Up Your Morning
Ask any successful agent and they will tell you that how you start the day will be one of the biggest keys to reaching your goals. Get up and get motivated, have a plan and know where you want to go during the day. Do the things that matter most to you in the morning when you are the most motivated and take control of your day.
How Competitive Is Real Estate What About Technologys Effects On The Real Estate Industry
Real estate is a competitive industry, but, just like any other sales job, networking and developing relationships are key to a successful career. However, in the 21st century, competition is not only with other realtors but with technology itself. Customers can find a plethora of information on properties before even reaching out to a real estate agent or brokerage. On the other hand, technology allows agents to market themselves and conduct business on their social media platforms. Learn how to leverage the competition to your advantage and show how you differ from the rest.
Give Yourself A Solid Foundation
Getting a valuable real estate education and choosing the right broker to supervise your work will set you up for success as a Florida real estate professional.
Florida requires all agents to complete a 63-hour real estate course and pass a state exam. You need to choose a real estate school that will properly prepare you to pass your exam. Ideally, you also want your courses to be convenient, engaging, and quick! With Aceable Real Estate School, you can complete your Florida course online, pass your Florida real estate exam, and launch your new career in just a few short months.
Then, you need to choose a Florida broker. The right brokerage will help you jump-start your Florida real estate career by offering ongoing training, administrative support, and targeted marketing. Take the time to interview multiple brokers to find the best fit for you.
You May Like: How To Start Computer Science Career
Strengths First And Block Out The Noise
When you first start your career define your strengths and weaknesses. Stick to your strengths and dont try to do too much. If you are good at social media but are terrible cold calling, start with social media and block out the noise that tells you to pound the phone all day. The fastest way for new agents to fail is for them to try and reinvent themselves to something they are not.
You Are A Lead Generator
Every new agent should think of themselves as a lead generator. That has to be your number one focus.
Most new agents dont have a network of buyers and sellers to tap into once they get licensed. So, how do you generate buyer and seller leads? My recommendation dont. Start with leasing. There are a lot more tenants than buyers and sellers and they are much easier to secure as clients. They also move every 12 months, will work with new agents, and renting is recession proof. Some tenants will also become future buyers and others will refer you more business, but all are now part of your precious network. Im not discouraging sales as a new agent, but I know how hard it is to build your business on sales when you are new or newer.
There are some additional great ways new agents can generate leads.
FREE Guide: Learn how to earn more with our 2018 Real Estate Agent Income Guide.
Don’t Miss: Career Path In Data Science
Create A Strong Brand Identity
Real estate agents and brokers often market their services on the strength of their brand and personality. Crafting a memorable brand identity is a crucial element for any real estate professional.
Your brand identity represents how people know you and your business. It affects how customers perceive your reputation or the reputation of your company.
Ask yourself these essential questions:
- What identity/personality do I want my real estate brand to project?
- Who will want my products or services?
- What can clients get from my services that they cant get anywhere else?
- What can clients get from working with me that they cant get anywhere else?
- What are my brand values?
- What is the most critical part of my customers experience?
Your answers to these questions will build the core of your brand. All of your future branding and rebranding decisions should expand on these ideas. Your business name, logo, and website should all grow from the concepts you laid out here.
Far too many real estate companies have identical logos. Be sure your real estate logo is unique. And dont forget about real estate signage. Leave dull signs to others and instead, get real estate signs that sell.
The truth is that you dont have to spend thousands of dollars on building a strong brand identity. Here are a few pricing guides that can help you identify the sweet spot for pricing:
S To Starting A Real Estate Career
A real estate career, over the long term, can be a lucrative small business.
If you want to take the plunge and start your own real estate business instead of just treating real estate as a career, heres what you need to know.
The real estate market is enormous. There are about 2 million active real estate licensees and over 86,000 real estate brokerage firms in the United States. The median gross income for a real estate licensee is around $42,000.
According to the National Association of Realtors, annual sales have been increasing for more than a decade. And while 2020 and a global pandemic put a lot of pressure on the real estate market, the end of 2020 saw a strong rebound in real estate sales around the country.
Lets take a look at seven steps you should take to start a real estate business:
> > This is a condensed version of How to Start a Real Estate Business: The Definitive Step-by-Step Guide. Read the full guide to get more actionable insights and resources to help you start your real estate business.
Read Also: Build Your Future Career Path
Keep And Massage Your Database
Every number and email you get should be part of your network. In order to keep your network working for you, you need to stay in touch with them. A monthly newsletter discussing market data, local city information, and a personal touch should do the trick. Consider handwritten holiday cards, swag with your contact info, and emails just to check in.
Its a good idea to keep notes about your clients to reference when reaching out in the future Offer referral fees to your network to let them know it pays to send you business. Your network is your livelihood and should be maintained at all costs, otherwise, youll be stuck at square one.
Get Your Contacts On A System Now
You might already have MS Outlook on your computer and this can be the best beginning management system decision. Even better for many is using the free Gmail and other Google tools. Settlement Room is also a great system, but you might be pinching pennies when you first start out and it’s costlier.
Recommended Reading: Career Options In Computer Science
Become A Real Estate Assistant
Getting experience in a brokerage office can illuminate the day-to-day duties of agents and brokers. Youll get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in a brokerage office, including all of the work real estate agents perform that you might not be aware of, such as marketing, paperwork, and lead generation.
If answering incoming client calls, performing marketing tasks, and putting together listing presentations sounds like a good way to get hands-on experience to you, try applying for positions as a real estate assistant. Not only will you get a good idea of the daily operations at a real estate brokerage, but you could also improve your chances of landing a position as a real estate agent at a brokerage once youve earned your license. Your experience and the connections you make as a real estate assistant could give you a leg up in the industry later. Its also not uncommon for newly licensed agents to start their career working as an assistant for an established agent.
Develop And Refine Your Idea
How do your natural strengths differentiate you from the other real estate businesses in the area? Consider the following questions:
- What skills set me apart?
- What is the purpose of my business?
- Who am I providing a service or product to?
- What is the maximum figure I can safely spend on this real estate business?
- Do I need outside capital? How much?
- What kind of work/life balance am I looking to achieve?
- What are my expectations for starting a real estate business?
Competition is hard enough make it easier to stand out with a specialty when you start a real estate company. Maybe you want to be the area expert in short sales, only focus on rental property management, or perhaps you are the go-to resource for landlord/tenant laws for your state.
Its important to find a niche. As we emphasize in our definitive guide on how to start a business, choosing a niche will increase your chance of success.
Also Check: How Does An Mba Help Your Career
Understanding Your Market Will Take You Far
Top-earning real estate agents have one thing in common: They know their local real estate market. Beyond the official requirements and formal information youll learn throughout your coursework, you need to understand your local market to understand what potential buyers want. Say youre working as an agent in El Paso. Your clients will frequently ask you questions like:
Read Also: Career Opportunities That Involve Digital Technology
Benefits Of Becoming An Agent
There are many benefits to becoming a real estate agent. First, it offers flexibility. You can set your own hours and decide when and where to work. Second, it offers great earning potential. Agents typically earn a commission on each sale they make. Finally, it gives you the opportunity to meet new people and learn more about your local market.
Also Check: Oklahoma Department Of Career And Technology Education
Whats It Like To Be A Real Estate Agent
A Real Estate Agent may specialise in the sale, purchase or leasing and management of residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural property whether it be existing dwellings, off the plan or vacant lots of land.
Tasks and duties
- Seeking out prospective vendors and identifying potential buyers.
- Promoting sales of properties through brochures, open houses, print and online listings.
- Presenting properties and accompanying prospective buyers during property inspections.
- Writing vendor reports, appraising properties, preparing contracts and documents, negotiating terms between buyers and sellers and facilitating settlements.
- Advising clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements and related matters, such as construction work, financing, maintenance, repairs, and appraisals.
- Developing networks of solicitors, lenders, and tradespeople to whom clients may be referred.
As a Real Estate Agent, you are in the people business so face-to-face meetings and phone calls are a big part of the job. You will be responsible for presenting properties in the best possible light, highlighting their key selling attributes in order to obtain the best price for the vendor whilst being remunerated in commissions.
Many Real Estate Agents work on weekends, particularly those in residential sales, as this is the time when auctions and open inspections typically occur.
Prepare For The Slow Season
Do you remember the story of the grasshopper that sang all summer and was left with nothing to eat when winter came? Take note! This fable applies to your career too. While it might feel like the real estate business is feast or famine, there are strategies you can use to keep your business booming year-round.
On average, a buyer is actively looking for a home for between three and six months, which means that if you got a new client tomorrow, they may still be months away from ready to make a move. Prime the pump by continuing to prospect in your busy months to fill the pipeline for when things quiet down. Make the time to prospect, understanding that it can be a long-term process before those prospects become leads and clients.
Don’t Miss: Career Path For Lab Technician
How Much Does It Cost To Start A Real Estate Business
Its hard to say how much money you need to start a real estate business.
Youll need to cover the cost of setting up the business, perhaps renting out an office and buying equipment like a laptop, website, and office supplies.
In addition to that, its also worth having prepared some money for marketing like digital real estate flyer creator, online advertising, or posts on Zillow.
Its worth having some collateral if youre starting out, its worth having for example 10% of the cost of a typical house, but its not necessary, especially if you work for a real estate broker.
Make A Financial Plan
The real estate industry is expensive. People invest their life savings into their ideal homes. If you want to trade in real estate, you must have a lot of money, perhaps several times the typical cost of real estate in your area. However, if you want to focus on selling or being the middleman, you should have some financial security but you dont have to worry about the costs of properties.
Also Check: My Computer Career Reviews 2020
Take The Licensing Exam
Your instructor should explain how to schedule, register, and pay for the licensing exam. The average cost of the test is $100-$300. Exams are computerized and consist of two parts: a national portion on general real estate principles and practices, and a state-specific section that covers your states real estate laws.
The exams are multiple-choice format, and the number of questions and time allotted for the exam vary by state. Each section is scored separately, and you must receive a passing grade on both sections to pass. If you fail one or both sections, youll have the opportunity to retake the exam. Each state has its own rules regarding the number of times you may retake an exam, how long you must wait between exams and the deadline for completing any retakes.
Learn From The Best: How Barbara Corcoran Bounced Back
OK. Now that youve got some tools to help build your resilience, lets take a look at another real-world example from Barbara Corcorans improbable rise to success. In this TEDx talk, she goes over exactly how she picked herself up and turned a humiliating public speaking failure into a career-defining moment. I highly doubt Corcoran knew about any of the tools we talked about when she bounced back, but as youll see, she used almost all of them.
Recommended Reading: Google Career Certificates Ux Design
How To Start Your Career In Real Estate
Starting a career in real estate can be an exciting, extremely rewarding and also a challenging career choice. For those who are entering the industry, you will be required to work in residential sales, property management or an administration role.To ensure you strive in this industry, it is really important to get the right start and have an eagerness to continue to develop and enhance your skills with the best training possible. While this can be a great career that is challenging, flexible and exciting, it is not for everyone. Heres what you need to know before you start your career in real estate.
Connect With Your Sphere Of Influence & Past Clients
After renewing your license and getting your feet on the ground, its a great time to reach out to your sphere of influence and past clients. Make sure to keep your message personal to avoid sounding sales-y and that youre just looking for business. Reach out with a personal message asking them how they’ve been or even consider putting together a past client event. Creating genuine connections creates a sense of trust and reliability that can ultimately bring you referrals and connections down the line. Plus, you never know who has been considering selling their home.
STEP FOUR
Recommended Reading: Armed Forces Career Center Air Force
Real Estate Examination And Licensing Fees
Estimated cost: $325+
Your real estate license application fee will generally cost around $25. You will also have to pay for fingerprinting and a background check. These will cost about $100 altogether. The actual state exam fee will vary, but it is generally less than $50. Then you will pay about $150 for the license itself.
Craft Your Ideal Personal Plan
Before you set the right financial goals for your business, you need clear financial goals for your life.
Commissions are great but let’s face it we all came into this business wanting something bigger and better than what we have right now. Whether that’s the 187-foot yacht of your dreams or the ability to leave the office at 2:00 p.m. so you can pick up your kids from school, take time to think through what your ideal life would look like.
Questions to consider:
- What time do you want to start work?
- What time do you want to finish?
- How do you want to feel each day?
- How much money do you want to make?
Want to retire at 65? Pay your kids’ college in full? Figure out how much you need to put aside every month in order to make that happen. It’s so much easier to keep picking up that phone when you know exactly where your profits and commissions are going.
You May Like: Health Care Solutions And Career Group
