Becoming A Realtor
Some Realtors demonstrate a lifestyle that implies success and a significant income. This may look attractive and intriguing to you, leading you to think that you may want to pursue a career in Real Estate.
Or, you may simply just love the idea of seeing all kinds of houses, thinking that you could really help people find their dream home.
Maybe there is another reason that fuels your desire to be a Realtor…
While I can attest to the fact that this is the most satisfying career I’ve ever had (personally fulfilling and financially lucrative), I can also say that it is my most most challenging career, making use of every skill I’ve cultivated along the way.
● Communication skills - knowing the right “language” to use at the right time (i.e. soft-sell, hard-sell, empathic messaging, etc.) and the right form to use (phone calls, emails, texts, FB messaging)
● People skills - being able to communicate with all kinds of people (Gen X, Y, Z, Baby-boomers, Traditionalists), meeting them right where they are in their personal situations
● Language and grammar skills - no better way to be understood than as someone who can spell and construct thoughts in good sentence form
● Math skills - from percentages to balance sheets to budgeting, a Realtor does a lot of math every day - our clients depend on us knowing how to get to a precise amount
● Organizational skills - we need to know how to structure a day around showings, meetings, working on our business, and still having time for a balanced family and social life
● Always willing to learn - more of a character trait than a skill, this serves well in any career - but especially in the ever-changing real estate industry
● Negotiation skills - of course these skills develop out of that willingness to always be learning, and in turn applying the knowledge to inform and persuade your counterpart
● Creative & Flexible - knowing how to make it a productive day even after long-awaited appointments cancel, or when your schedule is booked solid when the perfect house becomes available and your clients need to see it immediately before it goes into a multiples!
Many years ago I noticed something very significant about my career as a Realtor. While there is so much flexibility in my day, I am at the helm of how my daily course is charted. I refer to this as being the CEO, the CFO, and the COO of my own company. I am the one responsible for making all the decisions about my income, expenses and activities. Aside from the on-going routines of regularly checking voice messages and emails, my days are variable. Everything I do can be done from anywhere. I don’t report to a boss, I don’t clock in, I don’t need an office. My daily schedule will involve a combination of phone calls (follow-up as well as prospecting), meetings (with agents, clients, vendors), trainings (those that I attend as well as those that I teach), mentoring/coaching (always helping others on my team or even the co-broke in a transaction), sales presentations (listing appointments as well as selling to my buyers), designing (making recommendations for staging homes for sale, or meeting with my new construction homebuyers to select finishes), and of course driving - always driving somewhere in Northeast Ohio! There are other tasks in a Realtor’s day, but the main take-away here is that no 2 days are ever the same.
Do you have what it takes to become a Realtor? Let’s talk about it, I’d love to help you!
