Congratulations!! You have completed real estate school, passed your test, paid all your dues and joined a brokerage. This New Agent Checklist may seem obvious but you don’t know what you don’t know.
You are so excited to begin your real estate journey and determined to succeed. Here are 10 tasks I wish I had started the day I received my license.
Professional Headshot
This is a very important first step. Find a photographer and have several professional shots taken for your new marketing materials.
Make it a realistic photo. I’m not saying don’t enhance it some, but I have seen agents that take glamour shots and I literally don’t recognize them with the pictures they have uploaded.
It is much easier to have this in place when you begin rather than going back later and changing each and every picture you have uploaded to different places.
Dig Into your Brokerage Tools
Unless you have joined a team, your chances of a hot lead and working with a client your very first day is probably not on your agenda.
You will need to spend some time learning all the technology and lead generation strategies your brokerage has in place.
Start with the main HUB of your brokerage, login, set up your profile with a professional headshot and fill out as much information as possible. Several brokerages send leads based on information and location you enter on their site.
Get Started Immediately with Your Website
Hopefully your brokerage provides you with a website. If not, check with your MLS or explore different website options that provide an IDX feed. You need a destination where you can direct traffic and capture leads.
Become Familiar with your MLS
The MLS is a tool you will use one a daily basis. Learn how to search for properties that you will email to clients. Most MLS systems have an automatic subscription for clients that will send new listings as soon as they hit the market. Discover how to set that up.
Update Your Social Media
Get busy with social media! This is the quickest way to alert your SOI (sphere of influence).
Create a Facebook business page and invite everyone to like it.
Create a Real Estate Email
You will need a dedicated email for real estate.
Big brokerages will supply one such as yourname@thebigbrokerage.com.
Create a Gmail and forward your company email to it.
Use your Gmail for all your marketing. If you leave the brokerage at a later date, your past clients will still be able to contact you.
Email Signature
Once you have your email, go in and create an email signature with all your contact info.
This signature will send with all emails.
This is a time saver!
Practice writing a contract
Ask your broker for all forms that are needed for a buyer transaction. Familiarize yourself with all the forms and write a fake contract. You will be more confident on your first transaction if you already know most of the verbiage and terms of making an offer.
Real Estate Swag
If it is in your budget, buy shirts or hats that advertise you are in real estate.
One of my favorite sites is here!
Get up, Get Dressed and Get at It
You are a business owner and some days you will probably want to stay in your pajamas most of the morning.
Set a morning routine and stick with it Monday – Friday.
By applying these tips, you can navigate the complexities of the real estate industry more effectively and set yourself up for long-term success in your career.