Top 7 Mistakes Rookie Real Estate Agents Make

Every time I speak to someone about my business and career, it always comes up that “they’ve thought about getting into real estate” or know anyone who has. With so many people considering getting into property, and getting into property – why aren’t there more lucrative Realtors on the globe? Well, there’s only so much business to bypass, so there can only be so many Real Estate Agents in the world. I feel, however, that the inherent nature of the business, and how different it really is from traditional careers, helps it be difficult for the average person to successfully make the transition into the Real Estate Business. As a brokerage, I see many new agents make their way into my office – for an interview, and sometimes to begin with their careers. New REALTORS bring many great qualities to the table – lots of energy and ambition – but they also make a lot of common mistakes. Here are the 7 top mistakes rookie REALTORS Make.

1) No Business Plan or Business Strategy

So many new agents put almost all their emphasis on which Real Estate Brokerage they will join when their shiny new license will come in the mail. Why? Because most new REALTORS have never experienced business for themselves – they’ve only worked as employees. They, mistakenly, think that getting into the Real Estate business is “obtaining a new job.” What they’re missing is that they are about to get into business for themselves. If you have ever opened the doors to ANY business, you know that one of many key ingredients is your business plan. Your organization plan helps you define where you’re going, how you’re getting there, and what it’s going to take for you yourself to make your real estate business a success. Here are the essentials of any good business plan:

A) Goals – What do you want? Make sure they are clear, concise, measurable, and achievable.

B) Services You Provide – you don’t want to be the “jack of most trades & master of none” – choose residential or commercial, buyers/sellers/renters, and what area(s) you would like to specialize in. New residential real estate agents tend to have the most success with buyers/renters and then move on to listing homes after they’ve completed a few transactions.

C) Market – that are you marketing yourself to?

D) Budget – consider yourself “new agent, inc.” and jot down EVERY expense you have – gas, groceries, cellular phone, etc… Then write down the brand new expenses you’re taking on – board dues, increased gas, increased cell usage, marketing (essential), etc…

E) Funding – how are you going to pay for your budget w/ no income for the initial (at the very least) 60 days? With the goals you’ve set on your own, when do you want to break even?

F) Marketing Plan – how are you going to obtain the word out about your services? The MOST effective way to market yourself is to your personal sphere of influence (people you know). Make sure you do so effectively and systematically.

2) Not Using the GREATEST Closing Team

They say the best businesspeople surround themselves with people who are smarter than themselves. It requires a fairly big team to close a transaction – Buyer’s Agent, Listing Agent, Lender, INSURANCE PROFESSIONAL, Title Officer, Inspector, Appraiser, and sometimes more! As an agent, you are in the position to refer your client to whoever you select, and you should be sure that anyone you refer in will undoubtedly be an asset to the transaction, not somebody who will bring you more headache. And the closing team you refer in, or “put your name to,” are there to make you shine! If they perform well, you get to take part of the credit because you referred them into the transaction.

The deadliest duo out there is the New Real Estate Agent & New LARGE FINANCIAL COMPANY. They get together and decide that, through their combined marketing efforts, they can take over the planet! They’re both focusing on the proper part of their business – marketing – but they’re doing one another no favors by choosing to give each other business. In the event that you refer in a bad insurance agent, it might result in a minor hiccup in the transaction – you create a simple phone call and a fresh agent can bind the property in less than one hour. However, because it normally takes at least two weeks to close a loan, if you are using an inexperienced lender, the result can be disastrous! You might find yourself in a position of “begging for a contract extension,” or worse, being denied a contract extension.

An excellent closing team will typically learn than their role in the transaction. For this reason, you can turn in their mind with questions, and they’ll step in (quietly) when they visit a potential mistake – because they want to assist you to, and in exchange receive more of one’s business. Using good, experienced players for your closing team will help you infinitely in conducting business worth MORE business…and best of all, it’s free!

3) Not Arming Themselves with the Necessary Tools

Getting started as a Real Estate Agent is expensive. In Texas, the license alone can be an investment which will cost between $700 and $900 (not taking into account the quantity of time you’ll invest.) However, you’ll come across even more expenses when you go to arm yourself with the required tools of the trade. And do not fool yourself – they are necessary – because your competition are definitely using every tool to greatly help THEM.

A) MLS Access is probably the most expensive necessity you are going to run into. Joining your neighborhood (and state & national, automagically) Board of Realtors will allow you to pay for MLS access, and in Austin, Texas, will run around $1000. However, don’t skimp in this area. Getting MLS access is probably the most important things you can do. The Continuum what differentiates us from your own average salesman – we don’t sell homes, we present the homes that we have available. With MLS Access, you will have 99% of the virginia homes in your area open to present to your clients.

B) Mobile Phone w/ a Beefy Plan – These days, everyone has a cellular phone. But not everyone has a plan that will facilitate the level of use that REALTORS need. Plan on getting at the very least 2000 minutes per month. You want, and need, to be available to your clients 24/7 – not only nights and weekends.