I have had my RE license for a year now and still have not had any sales. So what do I do? Quit my job to do RE full time. Am I crazy? Probably, but I had read many opinions saying that you can't do RE part-time. For me, that ended up being true, I have two kids (three if you count the husband), a stationery business, and Real Estate. Unfortinately, Real Estate (what I really want to do) always ended up being put last. How is anyone going to get business if they have no time to work their business?

So, much to my husbands dismay, I quit my job. I have now been a full-time agent for two weeks. You know what happened...I started to work my business and after a year I have prospects. Promising prospects! No deals yet but I'm working on it.

Now, my question is...how do I get my prospects to committ?

I have two pre-approved. One with a house to sell and one first time home buyer. I can't get either of them to committ, one is deciding on house or condo. The other can't find the time to get their house in order to list it. Not having many other clients right now I am happy to be working with two clients even if they are taking up time that I know one day (hopefully sooner than later) will be really precious. So for future refernce when clients are knocking my doors down and my time is even more precious...how do you get clients to committ?

if you dont ask you wont get a commitment!

no problem on the client not wanting to get the house in order to list it. reduce the price to make it look more appealing. if they want to get more money they will have to have it in the best shape possible.

set up the appointment for your seller. sit down, go over thier goals, show them how you market and get em to sign

Either sell off the stationary business and use those funds to grow your re business or crossmarket your stationary business to agents and brokers while selling real estate.

One word you need to eat,breath,and sleep with in this business is MOTIVATION!

You will find as the leads pile up to sift the tire kickers and non-motivated listers from the serious people that will end up with a closing.

They want you to be serious dealing with them so make them serious and respectful of your time as well when dealing with them or refer them off and collect a refferal fee whenever they close.

The first person listing doesn't sound very motivated to me.If they were they would find time to get there home ready to list period-obviously it's not that pressing to them.

So determine if they are TRULY MOTIVATED and OVERCOME any objections to bring them closer to a buyer buying or a seller listing.

You also have to have a UNIQUE reason for you to be there agent otherwise you look the same to them among all the other agents.

Ask yourself what do I bring to the table that seperates me from everyone else. If you can't answer this question keep thinking as if you don't know yourself you certainly can't convey it to potential buyers or sellers.

To do listings is very difficult, it needs time. Competition is huge. Super Realtor is right, you have to show that you are different, sellers think that we are all one and the same. In the beginning a taught that I am like everybody and I was blaming my accent and not good English, while I understood that I have to offer something different to attract them. Sometimes thing don’t depend on you . You prospecting the, trying to set and appointment and the figure out that they are already with somebody else. With buyers is easier.

I think you are focusing too hard!

study study study study and when you are done study some more! do that to become competent, so that when on a listing presentation you have the professionalism to know how to sell the seller on using your service over the other agents taht they can pick from.

pick a niche and work it hard.

This is the best advice i can give to you,.

"have faith in yourself"

or buy the book or DVD "The Secret"

keep remind yourself that "it'll come"

You'll be too busy to post any comments here in the future.

Get GRI,SRES,CRS if you're in residential sales.

Exactly - you need to show that you are different from all the rest. funny thing - I got a new listing in a community virtually owned by another agent - and he was the agent that talked to the seller after me. she chose me.

then yesterday a man called the office telling the secretary he wanted me to list his house. I do not know him, do not know anyone in his community - but I'm sending him the contracts later today!

Take this time to preview, learn about different neighborhoods, different price points in your target areas so that when consumers call, you can speak intelligently and know you are talking about.

Take time to build a Buyer's packet and a Seller's packet. They will come in handy to show your preparedness to serve them.

Build a solid, information packed website. When people google, they dont search for "you" as the realtor. They google for information and once your website is heavily focused on the areas you want to work or your specialties, you will see them calling.

I remain successful in my business because I know had invested the initial efforts for a time such as this. I had started part-time too. I used that "no sales" times to learn, educate myself on how to serve my clients and their needs. It took me 4 years before I felt comfortable. Could I have done it sooner? Absolutely. It might take me 6-12 months had I started full time. But I wouldnt have a clue to know what to focus on.

I also had saved up enough money to fund my business on a cash basis. It took a while to get here but I have no pressure on paying my bills because I only spend money on things I can pay for. If I had to use my credit card, I cant afford it. I continue to build my cash reserves until I become absolutely comfortable. I do not share my business profits with the family budget. My husband takes care of the house and my income is to pay off our mortgage early - very early!

I took the liberty of explaining myself more a little Blog About Rookie Agents .

Some very good advice here. This is one reason I love this forum (long term lurker, only recent poster).

Hang in there and it will happen. Make sure you are studying, studying, and doing some more studying.

One of the key skills is learning who not to work with. You would frequently be better working by prospecting expired listings, FSBOs or cold calling apartment complexes than running around with an unmotivated buyer. It's really not true that they are better than no buyers. You would be better off studying the solds in an area to learn the market value so you could talk intelligently to the sellers, rather than wasting the day showing property to someone who can't make a decision.

two prospects after ONE YEAR does not sound very promising. even if you get a sale out of these two prospects, can you survive, financially and psychologically, on two sales per year? I don't mean to be negative here, but there's a fine line between persistence and foolishness. now is a very bad time for new agents entering the market. typically, buyers want to work with experienced agents with good market knowledge and a track record. if you list a home, can you deliver what the seller expects? can you afford to advertise the home on a regular basis. does your broker's office have name recognition in the local market? If not, you have huge obstacles to making any money in this market.

Watching HGTV is not what it takes to make it as an agent.

I have been doing RE for two years w/several sales. I do it part time & know how hard it is on a part time basis. Sometimes I get off from my job at 7pm & have to rush to meet w/clients (which don't know I have another job). This past Saturday I met w/two, got home at midnight to wake up & be at my job @ 7am, but made it! If my husband would have a steady job that would cover our expenses I sure would give RE a try full time but until now I can't. I work for the police dept w/all the benefits & a great 401 can't leave until next year that I am able to take the full 401 but unless the money is coming in steady I will not be able to leave. I had been self employed for 10yrs & loved it! It's hard to take the leap.

Mike Ferry... look him up. Follow his system 100% and you will be on top. You have to be smart and hungry in this business. It took me 7 months to sell my first home, after that it became like a domino effect. It takes time, just stay focused, stay motivated, and be hungry. With those 3 things in mind, the sky is the limit in this business.

I admire your passion for this business. I can sense it in your email.

Believe in your self and remember you are starting up a business. Do you have a good business plan in plan? What type of marketing are you doing? I am a huge fan of all sorts of online marketing, both regular pay per click and organic search rankings.

Diversify your business: learn how to work with investors, regular owner occ sellers and buyers...find a mentor.

Don't give up. There is alot of business out there! Be patient and persistent, and work this business like a business!

Firstly well done on taking the step and going for it that takes guts!
Dont be afraid of your inexperience be honest and find an advantage that is unique to you (there is nothing worse then a sales person pretending they are more experienced then they are, but in saying that act like a professional who has just undertaken and exciting new venture).

Study your market and the sales process and do not try and wing it unless you are an excellent persuader. Get the knowledge you need to be able to confidently know what to say and how to say it to get the results you need. Then get active.

And the worst number in any business is 1 (1 lead) so hey you are on your way.

Rich

Very good responses from veteran members and new members alike. Be careful that you do not spend all your time with just these two prospects. Like some earlier responses indicated. Having the client commit or more on. If they are not ready to list their house then thank them and keep in touch with them a few months down the line. As far as the buyer or sellers motivation. Maybe you can tell them that now is a very good time to buy with so much more inventory on the market and sellers willing to give concessions to make the deal attractive. Also what are you doing to get to know your market? Are you driving you neighborhood, taking broker tours or visiting open houses? If you really want to do this you will find a way. Just be smart and determined about it. Also how much is your broker helping your in all this? I too started Real Estate part time. But, after over a 1 year with no sales and a potential one in the works. I quit my full time job and finally had a sale. Now I am trying to keep the ball rolling and have another sale in the works and 1 or 2 listings that might be headed my way. Is this where I would like to be? No, but it is sure exciting to finally see my plan unfolding. Keep up the good work and start concentrating on building your client data base. If you would like some ideas to supplement your income give me a PM and I would be more then happy to share with you.

I think you may consider working for a heavy hitter for awhile. Google "Your City Real Estate" and call the people who come up in the first twenty positions and see if they are hiring Buyer's agents. You might be able to get in a position where you will be handed viable leads and have some mentoring to help with the learning curve. 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing!

Good luck! hang in there and don't listen to the nay sayers. They say Tom Cruise got turned down a bunch of times before he got his first part in a movie. Quitters never win and winners never quit! Corney but true.

A year without any sales. hmmm
That's gotta be tough.

tell us what you do to find buyers/sellers?

Be very, very careful about this. Too much "rah, rah" on this forum. Look at SALES. How many sales were there in your target market? Look at LISTINGS. How many listings in your target market? Check for sales during the same period of time last year. In my area the VOLUME is down 35%. Now look and see if the Realtor population has dropped. If it hasn't dropped and volume is way down. Don't quit your day job. In certain situations you can prospect until the cows come home. Won't matter if half can't get a loan and the other half won't budge. You might get a sale or two jawboning fence sitters, but I have to tell you that most Realtor's need to respect the force of sheer numbers far more than they do. Starting out full-time with major head winds is daunting and perhaps unwise. KNOW your market. KNOW the risks. KNOW THE NUMBERS and if it doesn't look good, make sure plan B is in place.

Good luck.

I agree with this 110%.

Sooner or later, you may have to cut your loses. It simply makes no sense to stay in a career or business where you are not making money. EVEN IF there is income coming from another job or from a spouse's income.

You say these are promising prospects, but won't commit. Then they are anything BUT promising.

In my own opinion, a promising prospect to me is...

1.) A Buyer who has submitted an offer. Even if it doesn't work out on a particular property, for the most part they are ready to make a move.

2.) A Seller who signed a Listing Contract. Not saying that the seller is completely committed to do what needs to be done to sell their home, but unless they are signing paperwork, they are not a promising prospect.

It is hard to do RE part-time, but not impossible.
I'm licensed since Jan. this year, I work a government full time job, manage a vineyard distance away and an investment business on the side, and I'm a single mother with one 12yo. So far I've closed one side, put one under contract, have a listing came in today, and done dozens of BPO's...all what I can say is that you've got to put 100% of yourself into the work - not 100% time, but consentrate all the energy, creativity, people skills...into the RE work when you're working it. My first client so far referred me to at least five other prospects. I guess she was impressed enought when working with me that she started to spread words out. My point is that don't hope for things to happen next, but work the fullest what you have and you'll get something.

Go get MOTIVATED people. It's easier than you think, when you think outside the box. It's a number game, so get a thousand of them and you'll get a couple of listing and sales. You need training and experience. You get that by knocking on doors and talk to people..Good luck...

I am an owner of a Coldwell Banker Franchise and I have one question for you; what has your broker done for you to help you grow? What training have you taken through Coldwell Banker University your local MLS. What RE related books have you read? I too started out part-time, worked phones after work "opportunity time"; when it was quiet I developed my marketing resume (book) telling who I was, intro to my family, etc... info about my real estate experience (in beginning) go off of your offices success - have no's so the prospect knows what a strong person you are in your knowledge but also take credit for what your company has accomplished. When you are a new agent you think you have to work with whom ever contacts you. Learn that you don't; time is money! And wasted time is a loss of money. You ARE not a tour guide and the real estate office is not a library. At 6 months in the business I was asked to speak at convention on a panel as a Buyer Agent Expert. I couldn't believe my broker wanted me to do this; but I was passionate about working with Buyers (15 yrs ago). I was told I knew just as much about BA as anyone of those seasoned agents on the panel. And you know what I did, my passion showed and afterward the person with the most individuals lined up to ask questions and to get a business card to keep in touch and get advise from was me. Find your niche, your passion. Set goals and don't get discouraged. It will come. If you work your plan and invest in yourself, it will come..... Funny never though I'd want to be a top Listing Agent, but I am and I don't work with Buyers anymore unless they are referred to me. I have agents working on my team who work w/my buyers off my listings. Partner up with an experienced top producing Listing agent and spread your wings. You'll learn a lot and more than likely become successful. Menotring is so important and the successful agents love to empower other agents if they are worth their salt.

"Mike Ferry... look him up."
+1

If you've been in the biz for a year and no sales there's only one reason: You are not working properly. This business is actually extremely easy... in theory. But do the following and you will be fine:

EITHER BE ON AN APPOINTMENT OR BE LOOKING FOR ONE.

But what about paying your bills?

Your husband must make a nice salary, since he's able to support the family.
Otherwise, I hope you have savings doesn't it take 30-45 days for a buyer to complete the underwriting and loan approval process.

Aren't you worried about the winter slow down?