I’ve had the designation of real estate agent for about two months now, so to say I’m a ‘newbie’ is an understatement.
Being a business owner is not a new experience for me. I’ve shared ownership in residential building companies, a log home company, and currently own an interior decorating business. So I am accustomed to self direction, motivation and organization. Got that part down - check.
Holding my freshly printed license in my hand, I began to talk with various real estate companies in the greater Fort Myers area. I received numerous solicitations and selected a couple of those companies to speak with. There are several other companies that I selected from referrals and research, and then determined that I wanted to talk with one company located on Fort Myers Beach.
You can learn quite a bit about a broker and their business during this process. There was one broker in particular who sent me a series of very nice letters telling me why I would want to join their team. I decided to accept her invitation to meet because I was impressed with the communication. She never responded to my inquiry. I scratched that broker and her company off of my list.
I quickly learned that every real estate broker and company are set up and run differently, and I would need to select the company where I felt most comfortable from both a business perspective and a ‘human’ perspective. Even though my office is at home, it is essential that I am proud to represent my broker and their firm in my business transactions.
Ultimately I determined that a long standing brokerage firm on Fort Myers Beach was going to be my real estate home. Century 21 Tripower Realty, Inc. has an excellent reputation, an established presence on Estero Island, a knowledgeable broker, and also the benefit of a visible location in the town of Ft Myers Beach. Got that decision made - check.
Now the real work begins.
I know that I will have a real estate website that will be actively marketed because I am an advocate of online marketing, and have been developing a home decorating website for over a year to complement my interior design interests. Which company will I select to host my Fort Myers Beach real estate site?
How about practical, hands-on training? You know, the real world of real estate. There is much available to me, from my sales manager at Century 21, to online seminars offered by the parent company, to resources such as ActiveRain Boot Camp in Orlando...the list goes on. I wish I didn’t need to sleep - I could spend more time learning and absorbing!
Who are my current prospects? Develop the list, create a marketing piece, send it out. How about contact management? Which system will work the most effectively for me?
Then there is my listing presentation. It has to be professional, polished and user-friendly. It is a reflection of me and how I conduct my business, so I won’t just slap something together and be satisfied.
How about my knowledge of Fort Myers Beach and Estero Island? I need to understand this market, and it is unique for sure. Study, preview, drive, study some more. Create my reference materials.
Floor time, sales meetings, prospect communication, farm area selection, website development, SEO, ActiveRain blogs...I need a really, really effective organization plan!
This new real estate agent’s diary could be a writing in process for a long time! But, I am excited, motivated and believe that it will ultimately be a success story. That’s all for now. I have to get back to work.
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