New Real Estate Agent? Run Into The Rain

If you are a newer real estate agent the best advice I can give to you is to run out into the rain. ActiveRain, that is.

Besides being the single best learning tool (if you can use personal discernment) I have ever found it is also the best lead generation source I've come across. And, now this is very important to newer real estate agents, it's FREE!!!

To join, click here!

Want to be a real estate agent?

I stumbled across this post today. It's a must read for all prospective real estate agents.

How Flexible is Your Schedule?

If you are coming from the 9-5 world you may find real estate sales to be a shock to your system. Personally, I love the ever changing dynamics of this business. But the very things I do not mind drive many people away within the first couple of deals. Last night was a classic example.

The Setup: Kansas vs. Kansas State is a big deal here in the heartland when it comes to basketball. Tip off is at 8:00 pm and I'm set to meet a bunch of buddies on both sides of the issue up at Johnny's in Olathe. At 5:00 pm an offer comes in on one of my listings.

The Issue: Many agents I know are adamant about keeping certain business hours. They protect their family and recreational time fervently. And I too, set aside time that is not to be disturbed...like the birth of a child or Sunday morning services or that long awaited date with my bride. But in a soft seller's market I do not believe it is in the best interest of my client to be so rigid. So I put in a call to my client and we begin the process.

The Outcome: Throughout the KU v KSU game, while sitting in a noisy restaurant/bar with a bunch of friends I constantly had to keep sending text messages and answering phone calls as the night wore on with counter offer after counter offer. We finally wrapped it all up around 10:00 pm...just as the game was ending! So with one eye on the game, another on my buddies and a third eye on the deal we got it all put together.

Now I can hear it already! You were negotiating a deal in a bar? How could you do the best job for your clients? What if you forget something? Blah, blah, blah. Here's the deal. My clients know me. They read my blogs. We talk a lot. They know basketball and friends and family are important to me. They are just as likely to call me at lunch and hear me sitting with my 9 year old up at school as they are to catch me at the office. The beauty of being a real estate agent in the 21st century is the ability to be mobile. Mobile phones and laptops and PDAs make life and business easier to conduct.

But with all this mobility and communication comes the trade off. Real estate, for me, is usually conducted within the hours of 9-6. Actually, most deals are done within those time constraints. But flexibility is a must and if I occasionally have to be on the phones at 10:00 pm, so be it. For me, it beats knowing that I HAVE to be at the office at 8:30 am tomorrow morning. It beats the boss telling me I can be hungry at 12:00 but have to be back by 1:00. And that whether or not the work is finished earlier or later I can leave at 5:00. Sometimes I stay up late and work till 1:00 am on different real estate projects. Sometimes I don't make it to the office until 10:30 the next day.

I'm self-employed. I can do that. So long as I exceed the expectations of my clients and work hard enough to provide the lifestyle for my family that they deserve. There it is. The ying and yang of a REALTOR's business hours.

A Word from Keller Williams Realty Olathe Team Leader Rob Hill

In a moment here I will introduce you to my Team Leader. Keller Williams uses team leaders to organize and run the day to day affairs of the agents in the office. Of course, we also have a supervising broker. But the Team Leader is who most agents will interact with when setting goals, overcoming obstacles and answering questions regarding negotiations. So without further ado I give you Rob Hill.

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What a great day it is in real estate! Actually, that can be said of every single day since I took the huge step of faith in entering the real estate business many years ago. I couldn’t have made a better decision but it took some time before I realized my potential and began on my pathway to success.

It took a while for me to conclude that simply having my real estate license wasn’t going to automatically bring commission checks and happiness! I soon figured out that the more skilled I was at generating leads from within my sphere of influence the higher my sales volume became.

There are virtually hundreds of real estate agents that are clamoring for every listing and buyer in my market area and I needed to be confident that there is no agent more skilled and committed than I. The problem, however, is where do those skills come from that can give an agent the edge in a battle for a listing or buyer? I found that many have gone before me that have failed and also those that have succeeded in having the know-how and savvy to be a cut above the rest.

I am my own business manager and independent contractor. I am the only one who can make or break my business and having the finest tools of the trade at my disposal is critical. I floundered at a level far below my potential for many years before a colleague suggested I take some time and look closely at the advantages of a company that is at the forefront in training, on the cutting edge of the technology that is so important in our industry and our success and provides a company intent on seeing every associate not only succeed but win in their real estate business.

I could have placed my real estate license with any company in the entire Kansas City area and I searched and researched until I found the best place to help me succeed. That company, Keller Williams Realty, gives every associate the optimum opportunity to build and learn the skills necessary to compete and win.

My business is worth the best. Is yours?

Rob Hill
Team Leader
Keller Williams Realty
Diamond Partners, Inc. - Olathe