Welcome to the exciting world of real estate! You have already assessed yourself and established that you can, indeed, cut it as a real estate agent.
You have the right attitude. You have the passion and drive to succeed in this business. But is that all? You can’t just wade into an industry and expect to succeed, can you?
Therefore, what next? What must you do to succeed?
Well, you must address certain fundamentals and remain dedicated throughout, investing time and effort in this business. You must find a competitive edge. You must find a way to become that extraordinary agent whom customers rave about and refer others to.
Here, we isolate the jigsaw pieces you need to fit together to enjoy success in real estate agency.
MENTORSHIP
You need a trusted mentor or partner who will hold your hand along the way and deftly but professionally guide you on the road to success. Do you have one? How credible and experienced is your mentor? Are you sure this partner will place an umbrella over your head when it rains or when the scorching sun becomes intolerable?
You need a partner who will support you in training, referrals, marketing, technology and administration. Find yourself a partner who can offer you these tools. Although you will be operating your business independently, you should not be left to your devices in your daily operations or long-term business planning.
You can then go on to succeed. This is because you will be fully concentrating on what you are supposed to: link property sellers to buyers and vice-versa.
Essentially, you should be in business for yourself, but not by yourself!
Go find that partner today. That should be your key success pillar.
UNDERSTAND THE MARKET
As an agent, you’re the sturdy bridge that connects buyers with sellers. You should be a professional armed with deep knowledge of the real estate industry.
Buyers should be confident that you will give them the information and advice they can use to make the right decisions. Sellers should trust you to get them the right buyers whose prices are closer to their projections. Landlords or landladies should be assured that you will connect them to tenants who can afford the rent or lease and will not stress them.
You are a real estate consultant now. Can your customers bank on your knowledge and advice? For example, when advising a client on price, do you have supporting comparable analysis on the price in the market for that location and type of house or apartment?
UNDERSTAND REAL ESTATE LAW
It takes two to tango. When a buyer and a seller, or a landlord/landlady and tenant agree to do business, real estate law comes into effect. These two parties have rights and obligations based on the contract they draw up.
Do you understand real estate law well enough to guide your clients appropriately? You should have the ability to give information on the basic legalities around the transactions. Remember, ignorance is no defence!
LEARN CONTINUOUSLY
For you to grow in this career, you need to continuously learn. Apart from technical training, you also need training that brings out the entrepreneurial spirit of an agent. Can your partner or mentor guarantee you this?
Constantly upgrading your skills will enable you to earn more. Wouldn’t you love that?
MORE ARSENALS IN YOUR ARMOURY
Now, ask yourself: just supposing I had a few more tools to help me sharpen my edge? To do my work more efficiently? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
What if you found a partner who offers you a customer relationship management (CRM) platform?
The software will enable you to do many things. You can upload properties for easy viewing any time you want. You can store potential clients’ data. You can organise your calendar and schedule meetings and get reminders. You can also do referrals, edit your personal data and generate reports on your work.
Wouldn’t that be a fantastic arsenal to have?
And, what if your partner assures you that you will be linked to a virtual university where you will find thousands of Training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) materials? Furthermore, you can undertake various short online courses and get internationally accredited certification. Isn’t that music to your ears?
Your partner also tells you, you can access a Design Centre? At this facility you get ready-made and customisable templates for all sorts of promotional materials including flyers, posters, e-newsletters, newsletters, brochures and holiday cards, among others to help market your real estate products.
Aren’t you now ready to hit the road running?
Do you need to learn more?
Contact RE/MAX Kenya, the leading global Real Estate brand with over 45 years of experience in the industry.
(1107)