New Agent Tips and Advice on How to Get into Real Estate
Being a new real estate agent can be scary. You’re in a new world. You’re not receiving a salary. Real estate school barely taught you anything relevant to actually achieving success in this industry and you don't want to make any real estate mistakes.
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Let’s help you break into the real estate world as a successful realtor. In this post, we’ll go over how to get into real estate and list out some new real estate agent tips that can help pave your way to success.
What Do You Need to Be a Real Estate Agent?
To become a real estate agent, you typically need to fulfill several requirements, which may vary depending on the location. However, common steps include:
- Education: Completing pre-licensing courses in real estate fundamentals and laws.
- Licensing Exam: Passing a state-approved real estate licensing exam.
- Background Check: Undergoing a background check to ensure eligibility.
- Brokerage Affiliation: Joining a licensed real estate brokerage firm.
- Continuing Education: Continuing education courses to maintain licensure.
Additionally, a good real estate agent possesses strong communication skills, market knowledge, negotiation prowess, and a client-centric approach to effectively guide clients through the buying or selling process and achieve their goals. To become a successful realtor, you need things like good communication skills, salesmanship, networking abilities, and a strong work ethic.
How to Get Into Real Estate: Obtain Your Real Estate License
The first and most essential real estate agent tip for beginners is to obtain your real estate license. After all, without a license, you can’t work as a real estate agent. So, taking the necessary courses is a must.
To get a real estate license, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Research your state’s requirements
There’s no national real estate license, which means you’ll have to research your state’s requirements. Each state’s requirements may differ based on age, education, exams, background checks, continuing education, fees, and more. - Step 2: Complete a pre-licensing course
No matter the state you’re looking to get your real estate license in, you’ll need to take a pre-licensing course, which can be done through a local real estate licensing school. - Step 3: Pass your real estate licensing exam
Your pre-licensing course will prepare you for your final exam, which is a test that will cover the practices, regulations, and laws applicable to the state you’re applying in. - Step 4: Activate your real estate license
Once you’ve passed your real estate exam, you’ll be able to activate your real estate license and become an official real estate agent.
You don’t have to go at it alone when it comes to getting your real estate license. Some new real estate agent advice is to enroll in a real estate coaching program, which can help you hone your skills and grow your business.
Additional Tips for New Real Estate Agents
Certainly, navigating the world of real estate as a new agent can be both exciting and challenging. But here are some additional tips and insights to help you succeed in this dynamic field. From building your client base to mastering effective communication and negotiation techniques, beginners need to feel empowered to navigate the intricacies of the real estate industry with confidence and finesse. Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your skills, here are some strategies and tips for new real estate agents.
Consider Joining a Team
An important real estate agent tip for new agents is to start by joining a team rather than flying solo. Teams can provide advice for new real estate agents that they can implement into their practice and become successful in their roles. If you’re new to real estate, learning from a team with experience can help you better understand what to expect.
Consider Starting as an ISA/OSA
Inside (or Outside) Sales Agents (ISAs/OSAs) are tasked with following up on leads and setting appointments. Starting out as an ISA/OSA can help you get your foot in the door and gain experience. If you’re looking for how to get into real estate, being an ISA can accelerate your path. Nothing like being put right in the middle of the action from day one!
Ask Yourself, Are You Interested or Committed?
Unfortunately, the market doesn’t need more part-time, halfway-engaged agents, which means you need to decide if you’re just interested in this career path, or if you’re committed to it. Those who succeed in this business are fully committed to doing everything in their power to succeed and to provide today’s modern customers with a seamless, five-star experience from start to finish.
So, which is it? Are you all in or just dabbling?
Play the Long Game
Another important real estate agent tip for beginners is to understand that real estate sales are not an “overnight success” type of business. To get into real estate, you need to understand and accept that you’re starting a five-year marathon, not a sprint.
Before you get discouraged, know this: Doing the things outlined on this list can accelerate your progress, but it’s still a process. Success in real estate takes time and disciplined action, so you need to be in it for the long run, not just for a quick buck.
With that said, you need to find your “why.” Knowing why you’re getting into real estate can help you stay focused and work toward your goals.
Know Your Story
Knowing your story is essential to becoming a successful real estate agent, but figuring out your story doesn’t always come easy. To determine what brings you to the real estate industry, you need a compelling story of why you got into real estate. It might take some soul searching, but it’s important to define exactly who you are, who you’re for, why you’re doing it, and why you’re better.
Track & Measure Everything
Another key real estate agent tip for beginners is to track and measure everything. There are certain habits you’ll want to start right from the beginning before they get difficult to adopt. Chief among them is tracking and measuring everything you do, which means collecting, analyzing, and understanding data. This is one of the most important pieces of new real estate agent advice on this list because it allows you to make informed decisions based on proof.
Know the Market
To get into real estate, one of the quickest ways to build confidence (and speak confidently) is to know your market inside and out.
The more you learn about your market, the more you’ll be able to identify trends and guide your clients to successful outcomes. In addition to these important features of the market, you’ll also have to have a firm grasp of talking points.
Know the Answer to “How’s the Market?”
If you’re getting into real estate, you’ll soon learn – especially when things get back to normal with increased social interactions –there’s one question you’ll hear more than any other: “How’s the market?”
Many agents make the mistake of responding with a simple “It’s good” or “I’m busy,” but those replies don’t lead them anywhere fruitful. It’s best to have a real estate script memorized that can help you answer this question, such as asking clients what their intentions are, such as buying, selling, investing, or renting.
Build and Organize Your Database
Use a CRM and start building a database. When you get your CRM up and running, start by uploading every contact you have inside of your phone.
Then, consider who else is in your orbit, such as family acquaintances, club members, church members, service providers like hairdressers, doctors, former co-workers, etc., and add them as well. Having a robust list of contacts can help you get referrals, spread your name, and grow your real estate business.
Choose Two Additional Lead Sources
When you get into real estate, marketing is essential if you’re going to run a successful real estate business. This new real estate agent advice will help you grow your brand and reach a broader audience that will result in more leads.
Starting out, your database/sphere should be one of your primary lead sources.
In addition to your database and sphere, it’s recommended to identify and implement two additional pillars of lead generation as well.
Get Comfortable on Video
Nothing connects with today’s consumers faster and more effectively than videos for real estate. If you’re camera shy or don’t like the way your voice sounds, take time to practice and get comfortable. Over time, speaking in front of a camera will become second nature.
Get on Social Media
This real estate agent tip should be a no-brainer, but make sure you’re active on social media and in real estate videos. On social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Youtube, you can show people the business side of you and the personal side.
Practice Your Scripts
Practice makes perfect, which is why you should take time every morning to practice your real estate script book before meeting with clients. By memorizing real estate scripts for different scenarios and objection handling, you can gain confidence when speaking and make selling homes easier.
Make Your Calls
While it might not be the most exciting new real estate agent advice, making your calls is an important part of the job. However, the key is doing it daily, not just when you get around to it or feel like it. An easy way to make calls is by following a simple 3-2-1 plan, which goes as follows:
- 3 hours of prospecting calls or other lead-generation
- Identify 2 leads
- Set one appointment
Strategize & Implement
Three strategies you need to create as a new agent are your email strategy, direct mail strategy, and your social media strategy.
Don’t just play it by ear. Instead, sit down, do the work, and learn best practices. Then, make sure you implement, stick to your plan, and review metrics regularly to see if adjustments are needed.
Master Your Presentation Skills
One of the most important credos in sales and marketing is to “Know your audience.” This is especially true on listing presentations. Match your presentation to the person rather than making the homeowner match your “one-size-fits-all” presentation.
As a new agent, you shouldn’t be too picky about who you work with. You can learn from every transaction, every showing, every renter, every buyer, every seller, and every investor. Even if it leads nowhere, it’s a learning experience. The more comfortable you get presenting to clients to win their business, the quicker your ascent will be.
Be a Sponge
Reading books, attending events, finding a real estate mentor, shadowing top producers – these are just some of the ways you can be a lifelong learner when you get into the real estate industry. There’s no such thing as “learning too much” at this stage of your journey, so take time to see how different people do things differently. Learn it all, apply what you like and ditch what you don’t.
Find Accountability
As a new agent, everything you need to do to be successful might seem manageable – for now. If you don’t remain disciplined day in and day out, you will never fulfill your true potential.
To remain a successful real estate agent, you need to find accountability.
Whether it’s another agent, your broker, a friend, a family member, or a real estate coach, you need someone to hold you accountable for the recurring actions and behaviors that create success.
Wrapping Up: What Should New Real Estate Agents Do?
Congratulations, you made it through all 19 new real estate agent tips on how to get into real estate successfully. From understanding the importance of accountability and knowing marketing, to creating a script and making your calls, this new real estate agent advice can help you run and grow a successful business.
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