Congrats! You passed Your Test! NOW WHAT?
This is where it may get confusing…. you have your license, and you’re thrown to the wolves. Most people are told what to do at their 9-5 job and then drop out of real estate because they don’t know what to do next. These tips will get you going.
FEED YOUR BRAIN
I mentioned in other blogs that I’m heavy into podcasts and listening to YOUTUBE while I’m in the car, on walks with my dog, and when I’m cleaning out the garage (this is a lifetime job)
Why? Because you’re going to have MANY discussions and be involved in MANY situations. It is great to hear from others and what has happened to them, to help get your brain ready for these conversations.
YouTube and/or Podcasts:
- Hustle Humbly (go from beginning to end!, they also have a TOPIC list)
- Real Estate News
- Real Smart Podcast (GA Info)
- Today with Jared James
- Real Talk with Leigh Brown
- Glennda Baker
- Tom Ferry
- Knolly Williams
- Center for Realtor Development Podcast
- Drive with NAR
Here are a few books I enjoyed reading after getting licensed: (affiliate links for books that I read & enjoyed)
COLLECT YOUR PEEPS
Start your database. Who do you know? From old school friends to the softball parents…. put them all in one place with names, email, street addresses, and phone numbers. Just get started with an Excel Sheet and make it your own.
You’ll be solicited with a million options for a CRM (Customer Relationship Manager), but don’t pay for anything starting out. Most brokerages will have one that will work for you, and you should be able to import your excel sheet of names into it to get started.
The best CRM is the ONE THAT YOU WILL USE. Learn what you like/don’t like about your provided CRM before you start forking out money for one with more bells and whistles. Currently, we use MOXI as a CRM and there is not additional fee for that (some brokerages charge for this but don’t tell you until you’ve signed up)
Now that you are licensed, you can start making steps with your CRM and send out market information. I’ve found that most people like to know about the listings and sales in their immediate neighborhood. If your CRM has this capability, it is a good time to set this up.
HIT THE ROAD
Every weekend, you need to Preview Open Houses and go out an meet some agents at NEW CONSTRUCTION homes. Start taking notes about everyone you meet and what you liked and didn’t like. Find out what works and doesn’t work for each home. Which homes have a lot of visitors and which ones don’t? What does that Realtor® think of the current market?
If you are part of a Brokerage, find out who needs some free help with their OPEN HOUSE? Maybe, once you see a few, you could offer to hold an open house on extra weekends for another Realtor®. This is where you find BUYER CLIENTS…. those that are just out dipping their toe in the water… you can help them dive all the way in!
TRAINING
I am the Broker at ERA Wilder for our Savannah Area office, and we have lots of training available at our fingertips. The first training I did was an online course that went A-Z in managing clients. It was extremely valuable.
The next thing you need to do is get SUPER familiar with your local board’s MLS so you’ll know how to look up homes, get home details, search for homes, and set up searches for clients. Most have their own training. Remember that YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW. So do the training! (Savannah HIVE MLS)
How do you sign contracts with your brokerage. We use DOTLOOP, but there are MANY OF THEM. Make some “FAKE” clients and look at all of the forms that your state/city uses and ask questions early. Look up local podcasts and YouTube videos to explain the contracts, and realize, that they get updated annually.
People will ask questions to see how sure you are…. so be ready!
Good Luck!
I hope this was helpful information. Feel free to email with some questions.
ERA WILDER REALTY is looking to onboard some SAVANNAH REALTORS®, so let me know if you would like to find out more
Shoot me an email if you have a question or suggestion for this page!
LeslieSellsSavannah@gmail.com
Join The Discussion