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What are the attributes
of an agent?
Be sure you have what it takes
A real estate license opens up a whole world of career
possibilities that offers independence, a flexible work
schedule, and unlimited earning potential. But a successful
real estate career requires preparation, commitment, and
hard work. The decision to undertake a career in real
estate should not be made lightly.
Here are some of the qualities you should have:
You must truly like people. Residential
real estate is a people-oriented profession. If you draw
your energy from working and helping others, you'll probably
enjoy this vocation.
You must enjoy networking. The most successful
agents, the top 20%, get 80% of their business by referral.
The number one source of business in the industry is from
sphere of influence clients – family, friends, colleagues
and past clients – and referrals from them.
You must have empathy. Moving is a multi-faceted
endeavor that creates physical and emotional challenges.
You need to understand your customers' needs and desires
without becoming overly involved with their personal problems.
You must have a healthy ego. Self-confidence
and pride will help you succeed in this field. You must
be able to take rejection and keep going to stay with
this business.
You must be a self-starter. Working hard
and doing the right things can yield tremendous financial
rewards. There is no compensation for just "showing
up" everyday. You must be able to establish your
own goals, organize your priorities, and stay focused.
You must have patience. Real estate has
a lot of "hurry up and wait" aspects. This is
a people business, and you will occasionally be required
to deal with people who try your patience. You will have
to keep your composure in spite of what others around
you are doing.
Flexibility. Real estate agents need
to be available to their clients when it's convenient
for the clients, so agents work many evenings and weekends.
In return, you have a fair amount of flexibility: you
can set your own hours within certain limits and you may
even be able to work part-time. However, keep in mind
that because you'll be working on a commission basis,
your income will depend on how much effort you put into
the work.
You must have a thirst for knowledge.
Our business is constantly changing, and you will need
to learn and grow continuously in order to provide the
best possible service.
Financial Commitment. A number of start-up
costs are associated with entering the real estate field:
tuition for the required real estate prelicensing course,
the exam fee, and the license fee. At a minimum, you should
have your own vehicle and a cell phone. Other expenses
may depend on what broker you go to work for; for example,
you may need to have your own computer with Internet access,
or there may be one available at your broker's office.
Other items to include in your budget are insurance, automobile
expenses, and marketing costs.
It’s important to note that a new agent’s
income is usually erratic. It's likely to be at least
a month or two before you close your first sale, so many
brokers recommend that you have savings or an alternative
income source to rely on for the first six months of your
real estate career.
If you answered YES to most of these statements, you should
take the Next
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