People First, The Rest Falls Into Place

My desire when I decided to start blogging was to express to the world (and other agents as well) the trials, successes, failures, hardships, findings, and all around life of what it's like to go from never being involved in real estate, to becoming (I hope) a top producing and well respected real estate agent. First off to get this out in the open, real estate is definitely not the glamour position that many think it is or that they make it look like on "Million Dollar Listing", it is a lot of hard work, long hours, and a LOT of disappointment. There are times when you feel like a "power agent" because you're showing a $750,000 house, but there are also times when, for example, you walk into a $30k house that has mold everywhere and it smells like your locker room from middle school when the kids weren't quite sure if they needed deoderent yet (which parents I strongly encourage you to tell your kids that when in doubt they do need it). Basically you have different opportunities presented to you, but when it comes down to it, in the beginning you have to prove yourself and make that money! When you first start you truly have to take what you can get, especially when this is your primary source of income, and in my case by primary, I mean only. Taking a buyer who's looking at a cheap house or looking for a cheap lease isn't belittling yourself, it's gaining experience. Regardless of the price you fill out the same paperwork and handle everything in the same way, the numbers on the paper are just different. I had a woman contact me the other day looking to lease a house for $900 or less, she was the daughter of a current client of mine and they were hoping we could put their house hunt on hold because finding their daughter a lease was more important at the time. Now I could only find six houses in the area in her price range and the one she settled on was $575/month and it paid a 25% commission. That's barely enough to pay my gas to get out to where the house was, but her and her family are good people and deserve to be treated that way. You can't put a price on a client, we aren't here to measure people by how much they make. I'm not a martyr or anything and I completely understand that we have to make money, because as I mentioned, this is my source of income, but let's not look at people like dollar signs. I think a lot of agents need to lose their pride and remember why they are in this business, is it to pad your wallet or to help someone find a place they can live and grow a family.

Now I am not trying to get all sentimental on you guys, but in just my short time in this business there are some agents that need to get over themselves, and they need to do it fast. You didn't become the big bad realtor over night, and you didn't do it on your own. The only reason we all have jobs and make money is because of people, all kinds of people, not just wealthy people looking for a million dollar home. In fact, if there weren't $30,000 homes then million dollar homes wouldn't be special. Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now, just thought that needed to be said.

To me real estate is a wild bronco running through the plains, it's fast, it's wild, it's unpredictable, but with the right training and right care it can be tamed and it can be mastered. I look forward to the challenge of real estate and I look forward to working hard and failing and making mistakes. I look forward to one day selling a million dollar house, but I also look forward to helping that person who is looking for the $900 lease. Why? Because people are still people and if we aren't in this business to help them, then why on earth would they want to help us back?

First lesson in real estate learned:Treat people with kindness and respect because you care about them, not because of what they are going to do for you, and they will take care of you.

Choosing The Right Agency To Work For

If you ever leave your house...ever, you know that there are countless real estate agencies and a lot of them are trying to make a dollar off of you without providing much help. (If you have already gotten your real estate license you will get countless letters from companies in the mail trying to get you to sign on with them) There are, however, also great companies that are willing to work with you and help you ease into this new career that you have chosen. The important thing for you to do is find out which company is willing to help you out the most.

One of the biggest things to ask about or figure out is if they will help you with lead generation. Find a company who will give you potential clients, because without that resource it is going to be very hard to get started. Unless you are extremely well connecting within the community or city you wish to work for, clients at the beginning are going to be hard to come by, so this is an amazingly awesome service that a good agency will offer you. Because a good agency should have a relationship with you in where the more successful you are the more successful they are, so by helping you get on your feet they in turn are setting themselves up for success.

Another very important thing is an office manager or some other person in the office who is a "godfather" or seasoned veteran of real estate and knows the ins and outs of real estate. who is willing to sit down with you and really invest some time in teaching you how to execute a contract, get it to the title company, work with mortgage brokers, the list goes on.

Also, be looking for a broker who is around the office, not just someone that takes 50% of your commission on a sale. A good broker will be around the office helping generate leads and will be there for the overall care of the company, answering questions, and so on and so on.

Spend some time researching different companies because this will determine not only your happiness but your income, both of those things are very important I assure you.

So, you've decided to do real estate...now what?

Getting into real estate is a lot like transferring to a new high school. You know you're supposed to go to class and do good on tests and all of that good stuff, but you're not 100% sure how you should get there. In my short time in this business, I would say there is no "right" or "wrong" way for you to come about this. It is going to take a lot of time, since you must complete five classes and then pass two exams. Now, honestly the classes were a breeze, I finished those in a mere one day a piece. The examinations however, were a different story. I studied my butt off for those, going through my review materials over and over, taking every practice test and quiz I could get my hands on. I will tell you now. The state and national exams are somewhat difficult. I passed both on my first try, but they were much more challenging then the classes, so don't be fooled after taking the classes thinking the exams will be a joke. Just for record I took the classes online.

Another thing you're gonna want to keep in the back of your mind is up front cost. Now, let me say this again. UP FRONT COST. You're looking at roughly $700 for your classes. $105 to register with TREC $61 to take the licensing exams. $45 to get fingerprinted once you pass the exams and then about $1,000 annually to be registered with the MLS and the CSS (you pay most of that up front). Also, remember most agencies have you listed as an independent contractor, so you will be paying your own gas, insurance, etc. You are also going to probably want to make sure your car stays clean, your shirts stay nice and crisp from the cleaners, and you'll want to invest in a GPS for your car. Unless you are extremely familiar with the area you would be working this is an ESSENTIAL. Anyway, I say all that to say, up front I probably forked over roughly $2,200 to get rolling on my real estate career. Some agencies will also require you to have coaching which for me is $150/month, but working with Winans GMAC they take care of me and reimburse me for those classes.

So, know what you are getting yourself into. Real estate is not something you are going to want to just have a hobby of. It's expensive, time consuming, and people are trusting you with the biggest investment they will probably ever make. So, don't take this profession lightly and decide carefully if it is right for you and if you have the desire and means to get into it up front. In short, don't go into it without a desire in your heart to do it right. Don't hastily jump into it and $2,000-$3,000 later decide it's not for you. Make sure it's something you're ready for and if it is then you will succeed and you will enjoy it.