Being a real estate agent is a great career choice that has you earning a good income while helping people achieve their dreams of owning a home. There are many ways to become an agent, but the most common way is to go through Realtor school or broker training.
That’s not always the best option for everyone, however. In fact, there are some individuals who can’t afford the expensive tuition fees nor do they have enough money to live on during training so it isn’t a viable option.
If you feel like you could be a successful realtor, then what about becoming self-employed? This article will talk about some different strategies for achieving this goal in Australia!
I’ve worked hard to create my own business, and I want to give back to the community by sharing my secrets with you. Whether you’re looking to start your own business, work as a part time entrepreneur, or just find new ways to run your current business, these tips will help.
This article will talk about 5 types of businesses and how to use them to launch your own company in Australia.
Create a website
After you earn your real estate license, what next? You must have a way for people to contact you! This is where having a great looking website becomes important. Your potential clients will want to know how to reach you if they are looking to buy or sell a house.
Most agents start out with Realtor.com as their online presence. This site allows users to search for agents, add them as contacts, and read agent profiles. Some even allow you to advertise for yourself!
But before you choose that option, there are some things you should consider. If you don’t take time to create a strong profile on sites such as Google+, LinkedIn, and Facebook, then nobody will find you! And we all know that being found is the first step to marketing a business.
Another thing most agents forget about Realtor.com is that it can be expensive to use. Many agents pay a monthly fee just to log in, making it difficult to access easily when money is tight.
Buy a logo and brand materials
As if being able to talk about houses, real estate fundamentals and marketing strategies for clients and potential customers isn’t enough, becoming a real estate agent is more than just knowing how to do things. It’s also about having an eye for detail, staying organized, running meetings, responding appropriately to feedback, etc. And while some of these skills are soft-skills, many require working with people so there’s another round of skill development that needs to take place!
Running your own business comes with its share of stress, but you will be smarting in mind as well as body when you know what it takes to succeed. You’ll have to deal not only with buyers and sellers but also other agents, office managers, stakeholders and others who work close by or with you, so interpersonal skills come into play too.
Business owners often say that one of their biggest challenges is finding time to rest because they are constantly busy. Releasing tension and focusing on non-work activities helps reset and refresh after work. For most successful entrepreneurs, sleep is a luxury they don’t afford.
Start a business
Being a real estate agent is a great way to make money by doing something you love. But before you can become an agent, you’ll need to start your own business!
Running a real estate agency requires you as the agent – person or company running it- to have adequate insurance cover. You must also be licensed as a broker (for selling) or solicitor (for buying and renting).
And even though most agents work from their own office, some companies offer housing -or ‘share house’- packages where you get part of an apartment or room in return for marketing services.
Know your market
As mentioned before, being an agent is a tough job that requires a lot of time and energy. Becoming successful in real estate takes more than just having a knack for numbers and property laws! Being able to identify and understand your market will play a big part in your success as an agent.
Your market includes things like location, price range, and types of homes and properties you are willing to represent. It also means knowing who your potential clients are within those parameters!
Finding out how to be successful in your market involves looking at both internal and external factors. This article will talk about some important internal and external components of being a real estate agent.
Find a team
As with any career, to become an agent you will need to be part of a team. Who that team is will depend on what area of real estate you want to focus on. There are many ways to become a real estate professional, but most require being trained as a broker or having at least sold your share in the business before you can work under someone else.
There are several organizations out there who offer certification as a Realtor, typically requiring around 1-2 years of training and exams. These include things such as The National Association Of Realtors (NAR), State Associations, And Various Other Businesses and Companies. Some only require people with no sales experience while others have a much lower requirement like one year of selling!
Finding teams to help you launch into the real estate industry is the next step towards becoming a successful agent.
Buy or lease a house
As of this writing, there are over 2 million real estate agents in America! That’s almost one agent for every 20 people. The average person is not aware of that number, however. Only about 1% of all individuals who want to be an agent actually become one.
The other 99% either choose to work as a business owner selling products or services directly to customers, or they choose to work for a broker (or brokerage) organization that has members who are paid by the company to represent their sellers and buyers.
There are several reasons why becoming a real estate agent is such a competitive career choice. To name a few: it can be fun doing deals and creating new relationships, you get to make money being helpful to others, and it gives you a sense of security since you have a job with benefits.
But how do you become part of the 2% that chooses to go into real estate as a profession? By buying or leasing a house!
That’t a great way to know if you will succeed as a Realtor, but it’s a good place to start. Starting from something simple makes it easier to navigate through the process later on. Plus, most realtor students only require a year to acquire their license, so don’t worry too much about what else you should do first yet!
What we can tell you though is that investing in a house is a smart idea.
Move into your house
After you graduate, finding an entry level position as a real estate agent is not easy. There are many ways to become an agent, but most require you to work in sales or marketing directly out of college with little experience.
Most real estate brokerages have what’s called a referral program where they will pay you to refer people to them. You get paid per successful referral which can add up quickly if you’re very active at referrals.
Some positions offer a placement service that pays for upfront costs like advertising materials and fees. Others may give you additional compensation for bringing in a new agent, so it’s worth looking into early on.
Having a real estate license doesn’t guarantee success as an agent, but being familiar with the market and having some skills under your belt can help you stand more chance.
Open a real estate agency
As of December 2017, there are over 1 million people that are licensed as real estate agents in America. This means that there is enough opportunity for you to make your dream career a reality!
If you’re already have some knowledge about real estate, then it’s time to start thinking about opening your own brokerage or business.
Most individuals begin their journey into becoming a real estate agent by working with a broker. A lot of people get confused because they think that brokers work exclusively for other people, but this isn’t true at all.
A non-broker can become a broker too! Becoming a broker doesn’t require having lots of money, nor does it require going through expensive formal schooling programs. What it requires is motivation and confidence to help others achieve their dreams of owning a home.
There are many ways to go about doing just that, and the best way will depend on you and your situation. By being smart about how to launch your real estate agency, you’ll be able to connect more effectively with your potential clients and grow your business.
