Hello,
Im getting ready to jump into the real estate game, probably at the end of this summer. I was wondering where the market is doing its best at? I ask because I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I know this isnt the best place right now for the market. Im just curious to what is the best spots right now.

Also.. any advise to a newbie in the game anything I should read up on and pay close attention to? thanks in advance.

Learn your market (preview, preview, preview), learn your contracts, learn skills to gain clients and learn negotiation skills.

interview with as many office as you can. Pick the one that is great at training and support new agent. Not the one that just take any warm body with a license and that's yet. Be prepared for the first year " to learn and not to earn"

I am in the bay area as well.

Get your hands on every real estate learning book you can find. Check out the "My 1st Year in Real Estate" book! It is a great book. It will teach you a bit of everything. Go to the bookstore and start collecting now.

I just went to the bookstore today to kill some time, got my hands on a few, just read a few pages of Real Estate for dummies but yeah ill be pickin up a few this weekend. Anything else people?

As a fellow new agent - make sure you have enough money saved, not only for your education and joining NAR, MLS, yada yada, make sure you have enough to live on for at least 6 months....or you'll be living on PB&J like me

Zestways, a great book to look into is Jennifer Allan's 'Sell with Soul'. There is also a workbook to go along with it. Not only have I read them (and loved them) but I reference them often. I found it refreshing compared to some of the old school type books I have read. She has a website http://www.sellwithsoul.com where you can preview it.

Wishing you the best on you new venture!!

Is Jennifer's book availiable in bookstores or amazon.com?

You can get it on her site, paying via PayPal. I bought mine on Amazon, as I had other books I wanted to buy at the same time -- free shipping over $25!

I'm similar in status to Zestways. I've just passed the licensing exams and I am currently interviewing Brokers, in the Washington DC area.

I find the Managing Brokers, I've spoken with, in the area all to be very competent. So, I am finding the decision of where to associate to be more difficult than I anticipated.

Like everyone else as a newbie I want the training. I'm less conerned with the initial splits and more concerned about training/mentoring. Please share your opinions on the merits of training/mentoring from Coldwell Banker, Weichert, and Long & Foster or other RE companies that excel in these areas.

I want to thank all the agents who are taking time to participate! I don't know about other new agents, but I find the process a little intimidating. Comments and suggestions from those who have already been through the process are invaluable.

I also find this all a bit intimidating -- but exciting!! My life is usually so predictable, been doing the same accounting/admin work for 20+ years. And this will be such a challenge, and I LOVE challenges!!

The company I'm 99% sure I'll be going with has an excellent training program, mentoring, shadowing, etc. The split isn't the greatest, but without training I figure I won't be making much $$ anyway. We can always hang our license elsewhere, once we're on our way!

But I'm glad you asked about Coldwell Banker, because I was going to ask also. I've put it in the "Search" box over to the right and read a lot of the posts. The main thing I'm getting from all of this is that each office, for each company can be totally different. I'm starting my classes the end of this month, and am itching to get going! For the first time in my LIFE I'm looking forward to the end of summer. And coming from a 'girl' from northern Ohio, that's saying a LOT!!

Maybe this will help you guys a little bit.

Every large company has their franchises that will be quite different from each other. Sometimes going with a large company you will get some sort of corporate training that all franchises will dip into a bit. But for the most part, each franchise has their own kind of training. I have noticed that the larger franchises usually have more and better training than the smaller companies. In order to see what kind of training each company/franchise does, you will have to interview with each one. For example, one Century 21 franchise might have different training than another Century 21 franchise. Check them out and see what they have to offer.

Just beware of the companies that may offer no monthly fees or 100% commission. Usually they are the companies that offer no training whatsoever. When you're new, join a company that offers the greatest training with maybe a smaller commission split. It will pay off down the road. I hope this helps.

Thanks Len! I was thinking the same thing...it just makes
sense.

Hey newinva...you mentioned Weichert...have seen signs for them here in Houston Texas...didnt realize they werent texas based....

I havent gotten my license yet.....but In my case i am reading everything I can....I hope to shadow a veteran agent when I sign up with a broker.......from what I have been reading here and elsewhere.......as long as you know the contracts and your market...the rest is fairly simple it seems other than finding clients....I am a bit worried about closings mainly....and maybe listing presentations.......reading right now.."21 things I wish my broker would have told me..and "The Millionaire Real Estate Agent"

I'm almost finished with "The Millionaire...", and have also read Jennifer Allan's "Sell with Soul" and her companion book. I won't think of myself as a "salesperson"...more a facilitator. I told my 14-year old son, "I won't be selling houses -- I'll be selling myself." He said, "Mom, that sounds like a prostitute." Smart kid. I'll have to find a better way to phrase that!

Good luck, Tony!

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but why do people have problem with saying we are in sales. That is what we do...plain and simple. Color it how you wish, we are salespeople. Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

It's just how I feel -- I've never sold anything in my life, beyond having a lemonade stand as a kid. I never thought I'd ever be a salesperson. The cold-calling, etc. I used to work for some very aggressive stockbrokers, and I swore I wouldn't be a "salesman". They lost their humanity...and it was sad. That's probably why Jennifer's book really hit home for me.

So for ME, I like to think I'll be "helping" my clients, not trying to sell them something...beyond my services as a real estate professional. Just my personal take on it...my comfort level.

Does that mean you'll be getting licensed by the end of the summer, or are you already licensed?

Believe it or not, the real estate market isn't HORRIBLE - it's just not in a boom the way it was the past few years - which means you'll have to work hard at success!

If you're thinking of getting your license, then even before you start classes, you should be preparing for the career. Basically, before classes start and has you're taking them, you should already be building your pipeline of real estate leads. Meaning sit down, make a list of EVERYONE YOU KNOW BY FACE OR NAME (and I mean EVERYONE) and compile as much contact info on them as possible. Once that's done, congrats, b/c you've just started your pipeline. Think about creative ways to tell these people you'll be an agent soon - postcards, letters, emails, etc. Start getting your name out there.

Start thinking about marketing ideas (again, all this before you even GET your license, so you can get started RIGHT away as soon as you're licensed). Think about where you'll get a website from, think about whether you want to purchase real estate leads online to help grow your pipeline as well. You can start researching lead generation companies now. They all kind of work differently for different agents, so I wouldn't say there's one BEST lead gen company - depends on what you're looking for.


Couple of resource suggestions:
GetMyHomesValue.com has a corporate website that provides a lot of great resource and info for agents.

The owners also have their own blog at RorySteveandDave.com where they post tons of great advice - they even have a podcast that's EXTREMELY useful and entertaining.

Finally, they do sell real estate leads and other marketing solutions for agents at a fairly low price (plus if you sign up for lead gen, you get a free website at no additional cost from their partner site, RemarkableAgents.com

Alright, sorry, I know that reads like an ad, but my boss has tried quite a few different lead gen sites and so far he likes GetMyHomesValue, mostly because you don't have to do a long term commitment (subscriptions are on a month to month basis) and their customer service dept is pretty awesome. I've had to deal with them from time to time and they're always really friendly and helpful. Plus, if you are thinking of signing up and are talking to a sales person, you can usually negotiate some kind of pricing discount or special deal - they're willing to work with you.

I like paragaphs 1-4 directly above me...but I stop short of any leads program...do not EVER buy leads...period.
That is the biggest scam in the world and none of them are worth a damn. If you must buy leads, offer to pay a huge percentage for any that close and none for the others.

THANK YOU!

You're welcome!

Thanks Elecat, as far as being salespeople...we are....or will be when we are licensed.....but This gig is unlike any other sales position I know of...we are almost a matching service....working with sellers....finding a buyer who wants what you have to offer......or with buyers knowing exactly what they want and finding a match.....there is "sales" involved but not to the extent of say...a car salesman(I was one for ten days...hated it)...

As some smart folks here have said, this is about relationships......grow that SOI

Wow, Tony, I SWEAR I just said that the other day to my co-worker, that I'll be like a matchmaker! I like that, as I'm SUCH a romantic.

This future career of ours seems to have everything, every kind of job and skill all rolled up in one. I tend to get very bored when not challenged, and I don't think that'll EVER happen as a real estate "matchmaker".