I was thinking this morning about the year I started out in real estate. I remember the feeling of being scared, excited, apprehensive and lost all at the same time.
I have always watched many new agents come and go during my career. I have witnessed what characteristics the survivors and superstars have and what the common denominator is for those that do not survive. I was also thinking about what I would have done that first year in 1980 if I knew then what I know now and here is my list:
1. I would have immediately gotten in my car and spent the first 2-3 weeks driving around town and become familiar with not only my companies listings, but with the competitions.
2. I would have created a mailing list of those in my Church, rotary club, friends, family, etc. And would have mailed them something of value at least every quarter. I am not talking about recipes but something of value like market reports, interest rate changes, area news, etc.
3. I would have taken a class on creative writing and photography and would have learned how to write attractive attention getting real estate ads and awesome photos. When I look at the real estate ads and photos of those years I can't help but giggle and it isn't much better today.
4. I would have never gotten sucked into relying on floor time to make me successful. The agents that have always relied on floor time have never been top producers. When I elected to stop taking floor time in 1997 my business exploded because I was able to focus 100% of my energy on growing my own lead generating machine.
5. I would have never expected anything from my Broker other than to run a solid, honest and respected firm. Too many blame the Broker for their failure. Bill Gates never depended on anyone to make him successful and the Realtors that rely on their Brokers to make them successful will never reach the level of success they are capable of.
6. I would have talked less and listened more. Back in 1980 the "Look at me" era was starting and this meant there was an enormous Realtor ego in advertising and I never liked it. Many Realtors wanted to let their client know how great they are. This still happens in today's market to some degree. Although I never embraced this concept, I could have been a better listener.
There it is...."If I had known then what I know now"
Kelly - Thank you so very much my friend and you are so right.
Pamela - Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Have a great day.
Brilliance, clarity, and logic. It has become your trademark to me. Oh...and your gentle, loving manner.
Your words here today are good for every facet of this (and probably many, many other) industries. This will help me as I move from part time to (hopefully) full time in my business, and I will be happy to share your lessons with others.
Thanks, George!
Roy - Thank you and I that is so true
Jaynee - Thank you for making my day with your kind words my friend!
Candace - You are humbling me my friend. I am just bringing to the table what I feel in my heart and if it has any value at all to others like yourself then that brings joy to my heart.
George,
Excellent post! I gave you a 5. I haven't been in the business all that time, but I can already agree with you on some of your point. The rest are all food for thought and I'm making the notes to myself now to address some of them so I can be a better agent sooner. Thanks for the post!!
George, I watched a interview with Warren Buffet last night on TV. He gives them their goals at the beginning of the year and then turns them loose. He is available IF they need him, but he doesn't look over their shoulders and micro-manage them. I like that and I think it applies to the point you are trying to make. Excellent advice for anyone !
Bridget - Thank you very much. If it helps one person I am truly blessed
Lisa & Robert - I always appreciate you stopping by and thank you so very much
Great post. I'll share what I would have done different also.
1-Learn the entire market the first month.
2-Build my internet presence instead of wasting money on print ads.
3-Put a followup system in place.
4-Work my SoI more effectively with my system in place.
5-Prospected more proactively.
Brandon - Thanks but I didn't have the internet in 1980....LOL but others can surely do it. Have a great evening.
Debbie - Yes, if we could all go back and doing again.
Chuck - Thank you my friend
Melissa - Thank you so much and you are welcome to use this post or any other I write. Have a great day.
Sam - As always, thanks for commenting and for sharing your thoughts.
George - this is a wonderful list! Thank you for putting it together.
One of my best time investments has been networking. But one has to be careful where they spend their time doing this. I attend many different functions and events, but I will only remain in a group if I get a feel for a return on my investment. Time = money. It's a simple equation.
In my neighborhood there are 4 Realtors. But I am the only one that has made a point of meeting the neighbors and letting them know what I do. They like this. And two of the neighbors have already said that they intend to list their homes with me in the spring when their kids will be ending school.
Thanks again for a thought provoking post.
If I knew what I know now... I would have become a realtor rather than go to college! Hindsight is always going to getcha in the back end.
Keep shaking and doing what works for you...
Michael K. - Thank you and best wishes to you.
Michael C. - You are welcome and we will keep on truckin!
George,
Thank you for the great list of tips.
Michelle - Thank you and I always want to share
Rick - Thank you for stopping by
Michelle - Thank you and I always want to share
Rick - Thank you for stopping by
George - this is a terrific post packed with wisdom, and yet the issues are really so simple and common sense, at least in retrospect.
Every new agent should read this, as well as others who have found themselves bogged down and unable to progress as far as they wish or are capable of.
Jeff
George,
Wow -- fantastic post that I could not agree with more and all new real estate agents need to take this to heart.
WONDERFUL information...I am sharing it will all my new agents!
George to what to contribute the bulk of your success.........what is your greatest system that works! As a newer agent, with several systems in place, some working and some working not so well, which is your best system. YOUR PRL and calling those contacts? expireds? fsbos? farming? networking.
I love your comment on the broker. Sometimes we think that the broker OWES us something more......you hit the nail right on the head!
George - What a great post. I have to admit I did pretty good on the list.
When I first started I would just scan the MLS make up fake searches, preview, preview.
I never took floor time I was forced to go out there and get the business.
Broker - What does the broker have to do with MY business?
Thanks for such a great post. Have an awesome day.
too bad AR wasn't around in 1980!
:-)
George
I love this post! Would you mind putting this in the Real Estate Rookie Group for new agents to read?
George,
Thanks for the reminder that if we don't learn from our mistakes we are doomed to repeat them. I have repeated many, and probably will again but not because you didn't warn me.
Best of luck
George,
This is a great post especially for newer agents. Thanks for sharing.
Joan - Thank you so very much
Dan - You are welcome. As is well here in Idaho and I hope all is well for you!
Desiree - Thank you my friend.
Kaye - Thank you and lets not look backward anymore...Lets forge strait ahead!
Your post reminded me. The first year I was licensed, I put 50,000 on my vehicle touring every new home builder and every major community around the Washington Beltway. I developed an "institutional" knowledge of the communities and the builders that I've built on all these years.
It pays to get the foundation right.
Good post George.
Great advice, well worth the read!
George,
How did I miss this post? This is one of your all time best!!! You are so right!! Floor time it useless and your broker really doesn't have anything to do with your success!!
Get out there, be positive, and make it happen!!
Bob - You lucky dog! Thanks for the comliment and I hope you have a wonderful life there in paradise!
Thanks for the advice George! That is some excellent advice.
"We can't go back and start again, but we can start from now and make a new end."
This is so helpful for us trying to get sratrted. Thanks so much for sharing.
Anna
I feel like I still have so much to learn. Every time I feel like I have an idea of what I should be doing something else comes along or someone says something completely different to make me think otherwise.
Thanks for all your great posts!
Great blog! One of the things I wished I had done was put 30% away for taxes at the end of year, create a budge and stick to it and add more names to my data base. I remember have 3 closing at the end of my first year. My checks totalled around $10,000.00. I thought I was rich! Oh my gosh, I never had so much money at one time. I should have gotten focused at that time with my money. I am in my 8th year of Real Estate and have made a lot more money but still need to learn money management. This should be a required course before getting your license. Good luck to all of you. I'm still learning from you.
Sharon
Wayne - Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend.
Sallie - I appreciate your comment and I wish you well.
George, Thank you so very much for sharing your wisdom. Your knowledge is Greatly appreciated.
Hi George...Just read this and boy can I relate. Little did we know how little we knew.
Congratulations on being selected twice by RE/MAX international.
Kathleen
It is always wise to evaluate where you have come from and what you can change to make things better. Thank you
Pippa - You are very welcome