Real estate can be a fun, exciting, fulfilling and lucrative career, but competition can be challenging, especially for newer agents. If you want to become a successful Realtor, you must work to set yourself apart as one of the best in the industry. Here are seven tips to help you achieve your goals.
1. Develop resiliency. Real estate can be challenging for newcomers, and it can take time to develop a solid income stream. The ability to bounce back after failure and your determination could be the most important factor in your real estate success.
2. Learn about small business. Real estate is not just about being a good salesperson—it’s about running your own business. Becoming a successful realtor requires you to build skills in communication, marketing, social media, organization, record keeping, and financial planning.
3. Become an expert in your local area. Internet real estate services like Redfin, Zillow and Trulia have changed the industry by offering quick and free information with little obligation to the user. But the one thing the internet can’t offer is personal insight and experience. Attend the training sessions your broker offers and take as many continuing education and professional development courses as you can. Reach out to other agents who have more experience in a specific local area.
4. Create a referral network. The most successful Realtors work primarily through referrals, so it is vital to build and maintain great relationships with your buyers and sellers. Make your primary goal to put people before commissions. We all deserve to get paid for our work, but helping clients get what is best for them, regardless of your commission, will build trust which leads to referrals.
5. Find a good mentor or training program. Your pre-license classes teach you a lot about legal definitions and calculations, but not much about sales or clients. Real estate is the prototypical, “learn on the job” career so it is vital to find someone who can teach you about the industry and inspire you to grow as an agent. If you don’t have a specific mentor, look for a broker that has training programs designed to help new agents be successful.
6. Provide great customer service. As your real estate career grows, you will work with more and more clients. It is not uncommon for successful Realtors to be handling 7 to 10 clients at the same time. You need to be available to give undivided attention to each.
7. Create a success plan and stay accountable. Many new Realtors start their careers with a lot of hope and excitement, but don’t have a road map to reach their goals. Create a clear and detailed plan for how you will be successful as a real estate agent. Set goals, make a list of things you need to learn, develop a strategy for attracting clients, find a good contact management app, and create a follow-up system. Ask your broker if they have any resources available to help you with your planning.
A good first step to a career in real estate is to take your pre-license courses at Scottsdale Community College (SCC). SCC’s Real Estate Pre-License program prepares you to qualify to take the Arizona Real Estate Licensing exam and for a career in real estate. The program meets the Arizona Department of Real Estate requirements and consists of REA201 – Real Estate Principles I and II and REA290AH – Real Estate Seminar: Contract Writing.
Phone us at (480) 423-6100 to enroll. Learn more about SCC's Real Estate programs.
Still have questions? Contact Jared Guess at jared.guess@scottsdalecc.edu
