The 4 C's ~ The Very Best Advice I Can Give a Rookie in Real Estate

The 4 C's ~ The Very Best Advice I Can Give a Rookie in Real Estate 

This post is not about an “A-Ha” moment when some real estate sage gave me a piece of advice that became THE KEY to success in a real estate career.  NO, This post comes from being licensed and working as a real estate person for 15 years combined with people jobs before that, such as teaching, loan officer, child support caseworker for the DA, and my courses in Christian Counseling. 

The very best advice I can give a rookie, just starting out, is summed up in the four C’s. 

• The First C - Caution. Do everything with caution until you have things firmly under your feet.  That means, take your beginning class teachings seriously.  It’s not a matter of just learning the material long enough to pass the state test.  It’s a matter of knowing that material.  The information is in your materials because you’re going to need it.  If you don’t know something, go look it up, or ask your Broker for help.  Get it right when you deal with people.  If you get put on the spot about something and you don’t know the answer, tell them that you’ll get back to them… then go look it up.  Caution.  Getting things right. 

• The Second C - Communicate. Communicate with your clients about what’s going on with their transaction.. or if they are in the process of buying a home, what homes you’ve been previewing for them etc.,  a Seller, what have you done today to get their home sold… Communication. Staying in touch.

• The Third C - Close it.  Know where your transaction is, in the process to get to closing.  Don’t just blindly trust someone else to get it to closing. If you've got a closing co-ordinator, check in with them regularly about your file.. If you do not have a co-ordinator - Does the lender have everything they need from the Buyer?  Have the inspections been done? Is the file at the attorney’s? Does the Title Company or attorney have everything they need or is the file stuck somewhere waiting on something?  Know what’s going on with other third parties that involve getting your transaction to closing and then go back to the second C and communicate that to your clients so they are informed also.  After all, closing it gets you paid for all of that effort! 

• The Fourth C - Courses or Classes.. always learning.  Never stop learning about your career choice.  I always have something that I am studying.  I took the Oklahoma Home Inspectors Course. Not to get an inspector's license but because I wanted to be a better real estate agent.  I am now studying the Title Insurance Manual, along with reading "The Digital Paper Trail".  When I finish these two, I'll be looking for a course or class to take.

For me, there's never been an a-ha moment, a single piece of advice.  Real Estate Careers are journeys, just like life.  The canvas keeps changing because society and government keeps changing.  The things listed above will help you be the best agent you can be, but then you've got to promote yourself so the public will know that you're the best!  That speaks to social networking, blogging, websites, and the list goes on and on...

Then you wake up 15 years later and hopefully you're still doing those 4 C's and still promoting yourself and the whole process has snowballed until you are where you wanted to be!