Whether you’re looking at career possibilities or you have already acquired a license, you must know that job of a real estate agent isn’t easy. A successful career requires a detailed plan which gets revisited every day and a realization that the road to success often includes a lot of studying with even more flexible hours. A job in real estate can be a solid business with high income and exciting lifestyle potential. You must understand, however, that you’re an independent contractor working for a company and that it’s your business to grow or fail. Here are some ways and information on what do you need to succeed as a real estate agent.
What do Real Estate Agents do?
Real estate agents are licensed to help people buy, sell, and rent homes and other properties. The real estate agent has to work under a real estate brokerage that will guarantee the legality of the business. Brokers can work independently while agents can’t. Their regular day can consist of administrative work, marketing, meetings with clients, open houses, and property closings. Every working day is eventful, and your personal management skills are put to the test all the time. Therefore, additional investment in education, certifications, and licenses is much needed.
Education and licensing
First and foremost, even though you are building a business under your name, legally you need to be tied to a brokerage. Real estate licensees who work under an umbrella of a legal brokerage are real estate agents. The licensed broker ensures that all of the agents in the company comply with real estate laws and regulations. Even before entering the market, you need the proper education in real estate, which could come in the form of training under a licensed organization in Property Services (Real Estate), or mentorship that would give you the knowledge to apply for the real estate license after which you can look for a brokerage.
Who are the colleagues with whom you will have to cooperate?
The first position you should be aware of prior to starting your job is the broker. A broker is simply a real estate agent that after some time acquired the certificate to work as a real estate broker, thus becoming able to open their own companies that ensure the legality of the real estate business and mentor the real estate agents in their line of work. As mentioned, real estate agents have to work for a brokerage and that is also why this is the most important person you should consider when getting started. Property solicitors are your colleagues that also work in real estate by doing administration and covering legal matters of their and your clients. A solicitor is better equipped to handle more complex sales that contain more risk and almost any legal issue that may arise in the property business. Some states require one when buying a property, so do try to look into this line of work to ensure the easiest sales process.
A professional image
The way you are presenting yourself in business activities is one of the keys to reaching serious property buyers and sellers. The road to the best clients is by polishing your look – virtual and in real life likewise. Tidy clothing, hair, accessories, makeup, and every part of your appearance should be appropriate for your office and the local market at all times. Avoid strong perfume or cologne and too casual clothing. You should feel comfortable driving for multiple hours and walking around the villa and showing it to the clients. The emphasis should be on the papers you will be holding in your hands and the pleasant feeling you will give off. Be a good listener, engage in conversation, and charm your clients. When it comes to your online presence, a carefully thought-through website, and engaging social media, which should be free of grammatical errors and typos are a must. Furthermore, your email communication has to reflect the pleasant and polished impression you have on your clients. Be articulate, engaging, and charming in each phase, all the time.
Lead generation
Without buyers and sellers, there would be no transactions, so no work. The key that opens the doors to major success is finding and continually working with clients. Most people have the business of selling, buying, or renting at some point in their life. This simply means that every person you meet is a potential future client. When it comes to one of the most popular strategies in real estate, the sphere of influence, it follows similar thought – the people you know and the people you will get to know are all a part of your circle. A circle of family, friends, neighbors, classmates, business associates, social contacts, even the guy you meet at the gym and talk briefly from time to time. That is why you should have a business card on you at all times and always update your contacts list.
Follow your finances closely
Finances are the core result that shows how much any business is successful. Since the pay of the real estate agent depends on the number of successfully completed transmissions, you have to be really thorough in planning and managing your budget, especially when starting your journey in real estate. The funnel approach can be a great way to estimate income out the bottom of the funnel from the type and number of expected prospects that fall into the top of the funnel. This way you can always know how much you have and can expect from the contract. In the longer run, this strategy can save your business, if followed by accordingly priced business and financial planning. You have to revisit your finances and business plan often since many smaller investments in the business can build quickly to a hefty price, especially while you are starting and still need many certifications and generating your leads from zero.
Organize, prioritize, and be consistent
The best advice you can receive for this position is to be available. Follow your clients’ lifestyle and help them find or sell their properties by being available when most of the people are – weekends and evenings. At the beginning of your business journey, the time you spent on building it can, and most probably will take over your life. In this line of work, organization is of the utmost importance. You have to juggle administration, marketing, communication, and handling the client every day of your work. Make a schedule that you will follow, and maybe even consider getting the help of business plan examples readily available online for free. Additionally, investment in personal skills training, such as time management, proactive communication, or nonverbal communication can help you tremendously with your clients, yourself, and your personal life.
The bottom line is that the job of a real estate agent is just like any other business that starts from zero. It is not impossible to make it, but you have to be sure of what you are doing and have a clear vision backed by a carefully developed business plan. The complexity of the position, however, does not take from the thrill of the new presentation and the completion of the paperwork. Magic from the clients’ sentence: ‘We are buying’ will most certainly never bore you and instead, make your business worth the effort.
Author – My name is Grace Wilson. I’m a 27-year-old biotechnologist and kind of a bookish girl. Surfing the Internet is my favorite, that’s why I’ve turned to blog. Following a healthy mindset and lifestyle is what I consider my life principle. If interested, follow my Twitter.