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8 Tips on Becoming a Successful Real Estate Agent

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Becoming a Real Estate Agent|8 Tips on Becoming a Successful Real Estate AgentBecoming a real estate agent can sound very appealing when you think about the flexible hours, large commissions, and the satisfaction of helping people sell a house. But beyond the trappings, there is some serious work that goes on. Real estate professionals will tell you that every sale is the product of a lot of hard work and dedication.

Below we share a few tips for becoming a successful real estate agent:

1. Build a solid client base

It is important to have a dedicated client base that you can tap for leads and sales. A well-developed network is vital to your success as a real estate agent. Afterall, you need people interested in the services you have to offer. More than being vast, you also need to build strong connections. Start by tapping the network you already have through family, friends, past colleagues, school and alumni networks, or clubs and organizations you may be part of.
Once you have established your network, it is important to maintain the relationship with your clients. You do not need to be in touch constantly but be sure to check in from time to time. You want to be the top-of-mind person for your network when they think about real estate.

2. Know how to screen your inquiries

The most skilled real estate agents can quickly assess if the inquiring client is serious or just casually looking. You can find out a person’s level of interest by requesting feedback from them regarding the property and use their answers as a way to measure their engagement. Learn to develop this skill so you can prioritize leads with a higher chance of return. This will save you a lot of time and energy.

3. Project a professional image

It pays to be personable, professional and good at communicating with people. Focus on developing soft skills like empathy and being sensitive to the needs and motivations of different clients. With some clients, you may need to be chatty and bold while with others, you may need to sit down and listen to them to make a sale. After all, every client is different. The best sales agents and can pick up on the verbal and non-verbal cues of a client and adjust their sales pitch accordingly.

4. Develop a business plan and build your skill set

It is easy to get caught in nailing your first client or sale, but do not forget to look past the short-term rewards. Play the long game by building a solid business plan for your career. Take time to develop skills you lack. You can do this by studying and knowing your market and customers. There are real estate agents who work with buyers, and there are those who work with sellers. It is helpful if you build your skills and are able to do both. Invest in yourself and keep updated on the latest trends and changes in the market.

5. Create and stick to your budget

Whether you are just starting out or have many successful sales and a stack of commissions coming through to your bank account it is important to stick to a budget. Track all your expenses alongside your funds. Know how much you spend each month on necessities and discretionary expenses. Plan for a successful future by setting a monthly budget and sticking to it. Your income should be enough to cover your daily expenses and business costs by making allowances for any emergencies. You should also have funds set aside to enable plans for growth.

6. Build your branding online

You need to be where you clients are and where they are searching for properties. A good place to start is on the worldwide web. Thus, it is imperative that you have an online presence. Create an account on the preferred social media apps of your target market. Make sure to also be consistent in the communications you have across platforms. Next, update your profile consistently with your available listings and your predictions for the real estate market. Finally, create a content plan that will help you build credibility as an agent who knows what they are talking about.

7. Use Tools and Technology

Make use of commercial products built for real estate agents to keep yourself organized. Specialized software programs can help you generate leads by organizing and managing your client database. You can also use programs to schedule your showings and receive feedback or get leads sent straight to your phone from your sign riders. Check out websites like Pro Agent Solutions that can help you to get started with a variety of software and tools for real estate agents.

8. Know the law

To get your real estate license, you will have to log in some hours completing real estate courses and pass your state licensure exam. You also need to take refresher courses and continue your education to keep your license valid. Make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of local and national real estate legislature. You want to be a resource person your clients will go to for advice and consultation on matters concerning real estate in your area.

To recap, be prepared to work hard, develop strong relationships, know your market, build your skills, and make use of smart technology. By following these tips, you can set yourself on the path to success as a real estate agent.

What To Do When Unexpectedly Coming Into Money

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Coming into money|What To Do When Unexpectedly Coming Into MoneyA scenario many of us dream of, or try to form into reality, is that of receiving a large cash injection or coming across a major, unexpected payday. Of course, when this is truly unpredictable, it may knock us for six. The death of a loved one, for instance, may give us access to a large inheritance, but this is hardly something worth celebrating due to the emotional context of the whole affair. Not only that, but this money will have emotional weight added to its use.

This is just one example, but perhaps the most common one, and it’s also a scenario that emphasizes the need to use your money wisely, without frivolity, helping you build towards a better future. Coming into money of this sort, provided it is properly taxed and all above board, can also seem confusing. It can be hard to know what to do with such a boon even if you had prior plans, because the idea of spending money and actually spending it are two different experiences entirely.

As far as this is concerned, we believe that some of the following advice could help you to no end in this circumstance:

Consider Investments

Consider how you may invest this money for the long haul, or even how you may divide and then invest part of it to grow your potential savings. For some, this can mean taking the time to learn options trading through carefully curated platforms, yet for most it will mean figuring out which broker to choose to help you apply with confidence and manage your money in the most reliable sense. When you have a broker selected you can jump on well-researched opportunities and pay attention to market trends.

This will help you put your money in potentially lucrative fields, and provided you have divided enough to spare on these platforms, you can follow this up without the need to worry about managing risk or having an encyclopedic knowledge of said industry in the first place. Many find that responsible use of an even more responsible broker can grant them a solid return on their investment, and so this can’t be a bad idea when you finally have the money to play that game.

Sustainable Life Goals

In some cases the money may be given to you for a particular purpose, such as helping you get through college. However, in order to honor the memory of the person who may have given you money, or in order to celebrate the unlikely circumstances in which you came across it, applying yourself to sustainable life goals may be the worthwhile answer here.

For some, this may mean gaining extra qualifications to become more of a shu-in for a particular career path, acing the interview process. For others, it may contribute towards the physical costs of interviewing in the city, taking commutes, or even interviewing for positions abroad. Sustainable life goals are usually defined as investrments that will help you financially going forward, but that being said, experiences can also be tremendously valuable. For some, taking this money to experience the world and open your mind through travel can be a phenomenal target to reach.

Your Own Operation

It may be that you’ve had your own operation planned for some time, but you’ve never had the funding to get things starting. Opening an online store, a freelancing business, starting to equip yourself as a self-employed contractor, or even putting this nest egg towards opening your own business can all be reliable and quite worthwhile approaches for the self-starter to make. This extra money is now giving you the shot at running your own operation, and you may even take it as a sign that now is the best time to launch.

Provided you have all calculations carefully taken note of, and you’re aware of all the hidden costs of providing an entrepreneurial effort like this, the more you can move forward to the best and most promising result. Remember to use this money on sustainable factors that will structure the bounds of your operation, such as on branding you may not have otherwise been able to afford or to use the services of an expert accountant worth his or her weight in gold. To this end, you can be sure that the money was used wisely even if you struggle to launch as smoothly as you would have liked.

With this advice, we hope you can position yourself carefully when unexpectedly coming into money.