Finding your passion and educating yourself about it is the first way to get into real estate. If you’re passionate about people, then becoming a residential sales associate or broker would be a good career path for you.
As humans we spend our lives talking about things – what brands are worth buying, which restaurants are must-haves, and how best to improve ourselves. As such, being able to talk about the difference between price points of homes and houses and yards like a pro makes you pretty attractive to employers.
If you can’t stand going through an endless list of reasons why a given property should be bought, you might want to consider other careers!
It’s great if you love numbers and arithmetic, but someone who doesn’t may still be able to make a successful career out of it if they have excellent communication skills. Likewise, if you’re artistic, you could become a professional interior designer or artist who sells their work online.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you’ve got a knack for creative thinking you could probably find employment as a advertising executive where you’d need to come up with clever ways to market products. There are many different areas within marketing, too, so there’s plenty to choose from once you’ve found your field.
Create a website
After you determine what area of real estate you want to work in, you will need to start looking for some way to get into that field. Most good Realtors have their own websites where they advertise themselves as well as their listings and properties.
This is an excellent way to gain exposure as an agent while people can search and find you easily! If you are willing to put in the effort, creating your own site is a great way to do so.
By having your own domain name (such as realsimpleblog.com) you create your own unique web address which other users can type in to reach you. It also helps your online presence by giving your audience a place to go to learn more about you.
There are many free website hosting sites out there such as Google Sites or WordPress.com where you can host and edit your pages and blogs. Since this article focused more on how to get started as a realtor without any experience, we will talk more about that next.
Market your business
As we mentioned before, being able to articulate what you want out of life is an important factor in finding employment. If you are willing to give up on your dream of owning a beach house this year, then be honest about it and don’t expect much help from people who feel that same passion you do.
Instead of thinking about how you can get into real estate as a beginner, think about what kind of career you would like to have and work backwards from there.
Start looking at openings near you for various positions such as broker, agent, assistant broker, etc. Then, do some research on those positions to see if they require any experience.
That will determine whether or not you need to go back to school or find ways to gain that experience through other means.
Find clients
As mentioned earlier, being an agent is a lot of work! Even after you have your license, it will take some time to find people that want to hire you as an agent. These potential employers or “clients” will go through your listing website to learn more about you before giving you their business.
Some things to consider when looking for real estate clientele are whether they’re reliable sellers or buyers, how much money they make, and what area they live in. Just because someone is wealthy does not mean they can provide good service!
By having low overhead, such as no mortgage broker fees, you will save money to put towards marketing materials and advertisements. You may also need to spend money on furniture and other agents’ services to help them get business too.
Finding new clients is a long process, but one that doesn’t stop once you have them. It takes repeat business to keep yourself successful as an agent.
Do not take on too many clients
Even if you are just starting your real estate career, or are still in school, you should know that having more than one client is totally fine!
Most people start their careers by working for others, but eventually they want their own business. Starting your own business requires you to invest in resources, such as advertising, marketing materials, website design, etc., which most people do not have at first.
By investing in these resources for yourself, you will help promote your career and grow your business. It’s also a good way to make money without actually owning a property.
However, don’t feel like you need to be constantly promoting yours brand and self-branding unless you really wanted to become a professional realtor.
Be a good listener
One of the biggest ways to gain trust is by being a good listener. People will often times feel comfortable with you after they have talked about their life for several minutes.
People love talking about themselves, so when someone else asks you about yourself, listen intently and ask thoughtful questions that are related to them.
This way, they get motivated to tell you more about themselves!
Interacting with people is an easy way to improve your social skills. Given that most professionals work in sales or business, speaking about these products and services is normal.
By listening well and asking intelligent questions, you’ll know how to put others at ease.
Real estate is a great career choice because it requires you to talk to many different types of individuals about their dreams and aspirations.
Communicate well
As mentioned earlier, being able to communicate clearly is one of the most important things to have when looking for employment anywhere. This includes talking with people about business related topics as well as speaking with other members of the team or department that you will be working with.
Proper communication can help solidify your reputation as an intelligent individual and professional who takes pride in what they do. It also helps ensure that none of you are missing anything key happening during the process.
Running into trouble because of poor communication could cost you money, hurt relationships, and even get you fired. Make sure everything is clear and everyone knows what is going on at all times!
Real estate agents must constantly educate themselves on the laws and regulations pertaining to their field. Not only does it give them an edge over others, but it also raises their profile which may bring more clients.
There’s no reason to not brush up on those laws now if you think you’re ready to begin your career. Take some time to look through these real estate job tips so that you know just what you need to be doing next.
Be consistent
Consistency is one of the biggest traits that employers look at when hiring someone for a job. If you are not able to consistently put in the effort needed to achieve your goals, then it shows that you do not have any commitment to succeeding.
As mentioned before, real estate agents without experience will need to be persistent until they find an agent position that fits their qualifications.
Land on opportunities when appropriate and stay focused on getting results. Don’t get distracted by things that can easily be forgotten.
If you feel like giving up, don’t! Instead, pick another opportunity that seems more promising.
Build a strong relationship with your clients
As mentioned before, being able to connect with people is a great way to start building your career as an agent. Being familiar with how things work in real estate will help you to keep up-to-date on all of the products that brokerages offer, as well as helping you to identify potential homes for sale or rent.
As a seller’s agent, you will be representing one individual’s dream home so making connections with them can win over new business. For example, if someone you know is looking to sell their house, talk to them about some agents they have used in the past and see what kind of results they got.
If they gave good feedback, ask whether they would hire those individuals to represent them in the future. This could lead to you getting employment as a representative for the company!
For a buyer’s agent, meeting people who want to buy a house is just as important. They will probably look at houses around theirs to determine which ones fit into their budget and lifestyle, and having knowledge of the area can make it easier to find ones that match.
By educating yourself about the market, you will also be aware of any changes happening that may affect the value of properties in your area.
