If you’ve been thinking about getting in on the action of the hot real estate market, you might be wondering how you can begin your own career as a real estate agent. However, being a real estate agent takes more than just knowing when a home goes on the market or finding someone a new home when they’re in need.
To help you in figuring out if this is a good career move for you and how to get started if it is, here are three tips for starting a career as a real estate agent.
Get Licensed
Once you’ve decided that you want to be a real estate agent, the very first thing you’ll need to do is get licensed.
To do this, James Kimmons, a contributor to The Balance, shares that you’ll need to take some real estate classes and pass some exams before you can get your license. Depending on where you live and the agency that you’re wanting to work for, you may also need to take care of some other requirements, like passing a criminal background check. But once you have these things in place, you’ll be able to work as a real estate agent as soon as someone hires you.
Begin Building A Good Image
To increase the chances of someone wanting to hire you once you’re a licensed real estate agent, Allan Smith, a contributor to The Huffington Post, advises that you start now to begin building a good image and positive reputation in your area.
Ideally, this idea of having a good image should permeate throughout all aspects of your life. You should seek to have a strong online presence while also creating quality marketing collateral like postcards, business cards, mailers, and the like. Along with this, you should also know that you’re always on the job when you’re out and about in your community. This being said, you should seek to always look professional so that you can act in a professional capacity wherever you may be and not miss out on a potential opportunity.
Start Networking
Good real estate agents rely very heavily on word-of-mouth to help them get new clients. To maximize on this, you’ve got to start networking in a professional manner.
Jean Folger, a contributor to Investopedia.com, shares that once you start your career as a real estate agent, you should view every person you know and meet as a client. This means that you should always treat people, including friends, family members, and new acquaintances, as though they’re looking for a real estate agent and would love to hire you. Because for all you know, they could be.
If you’re considering starting a career as a real estate agent, use the tips mentioned above to help you get off on the right foot.
