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The short answer is, it takes at least 3 years to become a certified real estate agent. Read on to find out what becoming one involves.
If you have had enough of working for someone else and fancy yourself as a real estate agent, there’s nothing to stop you setting up an agency, yet, like all other sectors, it is all about reputation and performance. Another way to put it is, you must be hardworking, customer focused and eager to please, and as for how long it would take you to become established, that all depends on how busy you are.
What's Inside
A People Person
As with many industries, selling real estate involves people skills, and if you are a good communicator with a pleasant and likable personality, you should do well. Of course, sales is all about effective communication, and those who have a genuine desire to make their customers happy, definitely have an advantage. People do not like to do business unless they warm to the salesperson, and this is a basic human trait, which means people who are likable, trustworthy, and keen to help, would generally excel.
Associations and Networks
What do homeowners do to find real estate agents? Many use the free services of an online agent-finder, so you do need to register with a leading agent-finding service, and when they refer you to a client, you pay them an agreed commission upon the sale. As the agent-finding service is free to the property owner, the majority will happily use the service, which gives them up to date information on agent performance.
Digital Marketing
Any newcomer into the real estate sector would have no choice but to engage the services of an SEO company, as all of your rivals will be using specialist SEO services to get their message out. Social media marketing is a very effective way to make your presence known, and with industry experts in your corner, you can quickly gain a reputation as an agent that delivers. Here are a few tips on how to sell your home fast, which is worth a read.
Short and Long-Term Goals
When creating your business plan, you should set firm, realistic goals for the first 6 months and one year. It might be to sell x number of property units by a specific date, and with yearly targets, you will steadily reach your goal to be the number one agent in your region. The real estate sector is extremely competitive, and if you survive the first 6 months, that is a very good sign, and you might have to lower your commission at the outset, to persuade homeowners to choose you rather than the experienced agency they have used before.
Presentation
How you present properties has a direct effect on performance, so you will need to recruit a very good photographer, one who is experienced with real estate, and you should offer your clients a virtual viewing, which can be done with specialist videography. This is especially important during the global pandemic, as buyers would prefer a virtual tour of any potential property, and with many agents offering virtual viewing, it is an essential feature if you want to be at the top of the tree.
Transparency
This is currently the buzzword in the real estate sector, as clients expect fixed fees with no hidden extras, and by focusing on both price and performance, you can gain a reputation as a professional agent who delivers. Of course, sellers are interested in commission rates, and you can be at the top of the price range if your performance is very good.
Training
If you have zero experience in real estate, you would be advised to spend at least 2 years as a trainee, working with an experienced agent, where you can learn the ropes, and as you gain more sales experience, you can learn how to motivate your team, something that will prove to be invaluable when you start your own agency. If you look at the backgrounds of the successful real estate agents, you will find that they all came up through the ranks, so to speak, starting at the very bottom, and you could set yourself a goal of 3 years, to open your own agency.
Setting Up Your Own Agency
When you feel you have enough practical experience in the industry, you can start by registering the business, and with expert legal advice, you can choose the right setup. Aside from a prestigious business address, you would need a central office, and while most activity happens online these days, you still need an office. The other thing you need is a reliable and efficient staff, and if you have done your marketing right, there should be a lot of homeowners looking to sell their property through you, and with professional salespeople, sales should come. Here is some information about setting up your own business, which is recommended reading for all entrepreneurs.
Register with Agent-Finding Platforms
There are always new markets opening up, and in the real estate industry, the latest trend is for homeowners to use an online real estate agent-finding service, which means you need to register with all of these platforms. When you search online for agent-finders, you will see a button on their website for agents, and if you click on that, you can begin the registration process, and when you make a sale from an agent-finder inquiry, you pay them the agreed commission.
Tenacity and Determination
Setting up any business involves encountering obstacles, and the real estate sector is no exception, and whatever the problem, you must overcome and make sure that your standards are of the highest order. If you apply yourself 100% and have a good business ethic, there is every reason to expect that you will be successful, and just how much depends on you.
To conclude, you are looking at a 3-year learning period, to acquire the necessary skills, and when you feel you are ready to go it alone, spend the time to put together a solid business plan and you won’t regret it.
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