Congratulations! After all that preparation, you are finally ready to start your career, helping people find their dream homes!
So where do you go from here? You learn so much in real estate school, but now you need a brokerage to help you build your business.
IF YOU HAVEN’T CHOSE A BROKERAGE, YOU’LL WANT TO INTERVIEW SOME TO FIND A GOOD FIT.
- Do they have mentors or the opportunity for you to work on a team?
- What is their commission split, will have the capability to negotiate it?
- What fees do you have to pay? Do you pay them upfront, what fees get deducted from your commission?
- Do they have desk space that you can use for free or for rent?
- Do they provide free printing and copying?
- What kind of marketing do they provide?
- Is there floortime or any mandatory meeting you have to attend?
Once you have joined a brokerage, registered with your local Realtors associate, and attended their orientation, you’ll need a mentor to work with.
It would be helpful to have someone who does not mind frequent phone calls or texts while you work through your first transactions.
You’ll want to have someone who can look over your shoulder, check your documents for mistakes or omissions and guide you through the steps of the transaction from making and offer all the way to the closing table. It takes completing a few transactions to learn the lingo and feel comfortable answering all the questions that a client may have!
TIME TO MARKET YOURSELF!
- Get your headshot taken professionally, order your business cards, and name badge and set up your social media
- Announce your new position on your social media sites
- Mail postcards to your neighborhood and any areas you want to prospect.
- Wear your name badge while running errands and pass your business cards out to vendors your frequently visit.
- Attend networking events sponsored but the Realtors association, your brokerage, the Chamber of Commerce, or community events.
- Volunteer in your community and represent your brokerage.
START WORKING WHEREVER YOU CAN…. EVEN IF IT’S JUST FOR THE EXPERIENCE.
- Host open houses for other agents in your brokerage, take the contact information from potential buyers, and follow up with them.
- Ride along with other agents to showings and see how they are conducted.
- Accompany your mentor agent on listing appointments and take notes.
- Attend other agent’s open houses. You’ll learn about the market area and may need a listing agent that needs a buyers agent to refer to!
- Take snacks or lunch to the offices of local lenders, insurance agents, home inspectors, and title companies to get your face and name recognized.
- Schedule meetings with lenders and learn about their products and how the lending process works. They will be happy to know you are a good referral source.
JUST GO FOR IT!
The only way you can really become successful in any career path is just to get started! Know that you can rely on your brokerage for support and make sure that you are ready to work! Learn from any mistakes you made, and be the best Real Estate Professional you can! Always be on the lookout for where you can continue to learn, check out any classes offered by your brokerage, or Realtors Association!
