When I got my real estate license back in 2007, not only was I entirely new to real estate, I was also new to the Nashville area. I had been interested in pursuing a real estate career for many years. If I'd gone into real estate back in Illinois, I would have had a large sphere. Tom had worked in municipal government for 31 years. He knew a lot of people and I would have been able to ride on his coat tail for a very long time. That's not what happened.
I struggled for a way to standout from the crowd. It seemed that every real estate agent was doing the same thing. How would I be able to garner the attention of buyers and sellers when I was so new to real estate and my area? That's when I was introduced to ActiveRain.
I wish I could say that I got the whole blogging thing right away but I didn't. I kind of muddled through for a couple of years. When I made a brokerage change in mid-2011, I knew I had to get serious about finding what truly set me apart from other agents in my area.
Our local MLS covers 50 counties and hundreds of square miles. I found that so many agents were trying to stretch themselves too thin by working a large geographic area. That's when I decided to hone in on Weltanschauung principle #2:
We believe that real estate professionals will thrive if they demonstrate their local market expertise. With ever greater access to listings, local knowledge is the key differentiator.
Thrive is exactly what I did. At a time when other real estate agents were leaving the business, I decided to focus on my local real estate market of Franklin TN. Even though, other agents were telling me I couldn't be successful doing so. I already knew Franklin so well. After all, I lived here, worshipped here, shopped here and dined here. It seemed like the logical thing to do.
That change made a huge difference in my business. I have steadily increased my sales each year. In a few weeks, we will be opening an independent brokerage dedicated to Franklin TN real estate. As a result of applying the above principle, 100% of my business has come from Franklin over the last two years.
By demonstrating local market expertise, I was not only able to survive real estate, but thrive in the process.
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