As 20-somethings in the real estate business for less than a year, during a time when competition is skyrocketing, can be daunting. With broker support, a mentoring program and a collaborative, growth-focused culture at our company, we are confident of success today and into the future.
We find it vital to come into the office, talk to the other agents and the broker, and be a part of the story behind being a professional that’s involved in the single largest investment in a person’s life. Here are our thoughts on what can help young real estate professionals thrive.
Working with buyers and sellers
Crothers: My day-to-day is coming into the office, prospecting, and conducting research on my computer, as well as spreading the word to family and friends — and then to their family and friends. Currently, I am working with VA buyers who were introduced to me by my boyfriend. We put in our offer, it got accepted but the closing has been delayed.
Carreiro: Like many sellers in today’s market, my clients need to be under contract for their next home in California before we can close on this one. A typical part of today’s market that has delayed the process.
Jackson: Explaining the market to today’s buyers and convincing them that they need to put in an offer over asking price to get a home is tough and causes some frustration. Just recently, I was able to secure a couple listings from leads generated by OJO Labs. In one case, I have a buyer who also is a seller. He owns his home outright, so he was able to buy before he sells, which is a lot easier. Once he moves into the new home, we’re going to list his house.
Lessons learned from my broker
Carreiro: What we learned from Mike (C21 Signature broker Michael Russell) is to leverage open houses for leads, as well. At a recent open house, I connected with buyers who, I later learned, also had a home to sell. I went on a listing appointment. We clicked, and they signed a contract with me that night. Knowledge is power in this industry. Being with a brokerage and agents who care is the difference between immediate success and possible success.
Crothers: Mike is great. Even before my license, he gave me the time and attention that others would not. When I was starting out, I had an instructor who told me that without my license, brokers would not take me seriously. I’m so glad I didn’t take that instructor’s advice. Before even getting my license, I worked with my mentor at a few open houses, showings, and home inspections. I got my feet wet and jumped in after passing the Massachusetts real estate license exam.
I would suggest that anyone interested in this business as a career to find a company that has a mentorship program. In the end, you’re impacting someone’s life. I wouldn’t want to slow down the process or interrupt them in. When I have a question, no matter how foolish, I have a mentor to answer all my questions and guide me in the right direction.
Jackson: The mentorship is huge. I have a friend who’s moving to Florida, and he wants to sell real estate. I told him point blank to go with a brokerage that is going to have mentors. You can read any book you want, but until you’re filling out the contract, asking questions about addendums and contingencies, and working through these crazy bidding wars and list prices, you really don’t understand [the business].
Crothers: You must be willing to grind. There is a misconception that being a real estate agent is easy. It’s not. You must be prepared to start work with no income. Another misconception is that the profession offers complete flexibility. This is not completely true as there are a lot of things you need to invest time in to truly be there for your clients. There’s the inspection, the appraisal, the showings, the open houses and so much more that you must be there for. In the end, real estate is all about self-discipline.
Madison Crothers, Shaunna Carreiro and Garrett Jackson are with CENTURY 21 Signature Properties in Massachusetts.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of RealTrends’ editorial department and its owners.
To contact the author of this story:
Madison Crothers at Madisoncrothers98@yahoo.com
Garrett Jackson at garrettjacksonrealtor@gmail.com
Shaunna Carreiro at shaunnacarreiro@gmail.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Tracey Velt at tvelt@realtrends.com