14 Things I've Learned in my 14 Years as a Real Estate Agent

This April I will celebrate 14 years and over 1800 closed transactions as a real estate agent and so I thought it would be fun to post a list of the 14 main things I have learned over the years!

1. Nobody cares what you know until they know that you care!

So simple yet something that often gets lost in the process as an agent is that above all else, your clients just want to know that you genuinely care about them.

2. There's 2 ways to build the tallest building in town; You can tear down every other building til you are the tallest, or you can just build the tallest building.

That is what I have decided to do and because of that I don't look at other realtors as my competitors but I consider them my associates and friends. I love looking across a contract and seeing a well respected friendly name representing the other side of a contract.

3. It really is a numbers game.

When I started out I was able to get an appointment one out of every 75 calls I made. As i improved my skills those numbers fell to their current rate of about 1 in 12.

4. People are looking for 2 things in a realtor... 1. Someone they trust- They believe you won't try and screw them 2. Someone they trust knows what they are doing- Someone they consider an expert in the field.

If you lose their trust in either of these places you are going to have a hard time growing your business.

5. Timing is everything!

I learned this the hard way as I had just bought my 13th investment property in November 2006 when my mentor told me to hurry and sell everything. Timing truly is the most important factor for buying and selling.

6. In order to be a great investment you have to assume it won't go up even $1 in the next 8-10 years and still want to buy it!

It is all about the cash flow.. If the property is a fun one to hold even in a recession, that is when you are on to something.

7, It's a lot easier to keep a current client then to go find new ones!

My first 6 years in the industry I used to cold call every single day for 3-4 hours. In 2010 I really made it a focus to just take better care of the clients I already have, it made all the difference as now 90% of my leads come from my own sphere of influence.

8. You are only as good as the team around you!

The reason my team has a reputation for results and exceptional service is because of the people I have around me. My team manager Chris has been with me for 11 years now, my buyers agent Dale for 12 years, and my other 2 agents between them have helped close over 500 transactions over the past 10 years. They are all rock stars!

9. People just want to be communicated with

Good news, bad news, or no news people just want to know what is going on. If you want to be a great real estate agent you must learn to make those tough phone calls and stay in touch even when it is uncomfortable.

10. Tell the Truth always!

The public has hired us as agents to do a job for them. Throughout the process there are a lot of questions and decisions that come up. Our number one job is to tell them the truth so that they can make the best decision for themselves, even if it isn't what they want to hear

11. Keep Learning

In this industry there is a very low expectation of what you need to learn and study in order to be an agent. If you truly want to be an expert tho you need to keep learning always. In 2012 most thought I was at the top of my game as an agent, I knew that I had a long ways to go so I packed up and went to Arizona State for 9 months to get my Masters Degree in Real Estate Development. I can't tell you how many times that knowledge has helped me and my clients.

12. It's all about networking

If you want to be around "Those people" you need to become the type of person that "Those people" want to be around! I teach this all the time. In networking you need to forget your own ego and figure out ways to server others.

13. You are a doctor, find out where the pain is and fix it

I like to think of myself as a doctor for my clients, every person I meet has a pain and that is what is driving their move. The only way to do this is to ask a lot of questions and listen for the answers

14. Have Fun!

Nothing has brought me more clients and more business than just having fun in my life and creating memories for friends and clients. I do a client appreciation party every month now and most of my clients tell me they plan around those events knowing they will be some of the funnest days of the year!