Updated March 3, 2024

You have obtained your license, and you are ready to make it to the top of your market. You have already found the perfect real estate office and have been discussing with a few new clients. Developing your skills as a real estate agent can be difficult and intimidating, though. There are a multitude of tasks involved when entering the real estate business. Not only do you need to familiarize yourself with market prices, mortgages, and purchase offers, but there is also a human element of working with buyers and sellers to find or sell a home.

There is no simple, one-size-fits-all trick to ensure a successful career as a real estate agent, but with a little consideration, some networking, and the right brokerage, you can build your career and tick all the boxes on how to become a successful real estate agent. Here are some real estate agent tips for beginners.

1. Expand your network

Most careers thrive on working with others, and real estate professionals are no exception. Broadening your network is essential to finding a prospective client, but try to think beyond just leads. Paid leads are incredibly common and, with time and the right skills, you can easily convert any lead into a commission.

The more fulfilling option of networking is building personal relationships with the people you meet inside and out of the real estate field. This can contribute to the success of your business as a whole while helping you develop as a person and in your real estate career. 

This can come with its own difficulties, but start with what and who you know, including:

• Family members
• Close friends
• Classmates
• Business associates
• Even your dentist or hairstylist

From there, you can build your sphere of influence and gradually expand your network.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties offers an expansive, global network of agents to help you learn more about the industry and develop new connections within your local communities or abroad. Our mentorship and coaching programs also provide opportunities to expand your professional networks and learn something new along the way.

Most importantly, avoid thinking of your clients as just clients or a means of making a commission. Treat every client or potential client as their own person, taking note of their personal interests and concerns beyond just finding or selling property. Developing these deeper relationships with your clients is what can make them more than just one-time deals or listings. With the right attention and service, you can build long-term relationships with people who will come to you with their future real estate needs and refer you to others who are looking to buy in your local market.

Furthermore, building these relationships also gives you practice with your own interpersonal skills. A large part of being a good real estate agent is knowing how to talk to people on their own terms to solve problems and provide assistance, which often means being comfortable outside of your comfort zone. Building interpersonal skills can quickly transfer to things like negotiating offers and working with difficult sellers.

2. Get serious about marketing

A big piece of advice for new real estate agents is to develop a solid marketing strategy. Marketing is one of the big keys to creating a successful business in any sector, and it works to proactively answer a very common question of potential clients: Why hire a real estate agent? Good branding goes a long way to building your clientele, spreading the word, and getting out your messaging. Granted, building a successful brand is easier said than done and can require a heavy investment, but putting money into marketing your services can make a world of difference. Luckily, here at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices we offer a full suite of marketing tools, plus in-office concierge-level staff to help you navigate the tools.

Start by carving out a niche within your local community. While it would be great to master every and all aspects of real estate, in reality, you should specialize in one thing. Gaining expertise in one specific real estate niche can help you sharpen your skills and deliver more focused service to your clients. Our brokerage offers several niche divisions, plus agents who offer mentorship and their own personal expertise.

One of the most inexpensive things you can do to improve your marketing is developing a social media presence. These days, just about everyone is on social media. It is an extension of how people socialize and navigate the world, and even the real estate market. Social media comes with its own ins and outs, and it can be difficult to master if you are not sure where to start. Regularly sharing listings, valuable content, and news about your business can significantly contribute to building your brand. We offer social media tutorials, resources, and even one-on-one training to get you started.

Email marketing is another easy, yet effective, marketing. Automated email campaigns are easy to set up, and adding clients and business associates to an email campaign can keep them in the know and maintain consistent communication with relatively little effort. With our professionally designed email templates and professional email platform, you’ll be sending beautiful email campaigns to your sphere in no time.

Find creative ways to build your brand. Remember that it’s often easier and less intimidating to focus on local marketing efforts over larger, statewide campaigns. With Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties, you benefit from a vast number of tools that will help you market your business. 

3. Maintain a good website

A website can be considered part of your marketing, but it is its own beast. Everything happens online these days. A potential client is more likely to find you via a Google search than by looking you up in the phone book. Some clients may not even trust real estate agents, especially a new agent, who don’t have some sort of website. As a new real estate agent, having a website helps you attract clients and business associates, build your brand, and expand your network, all while providing a landing page and a searchable web presence.

Setting up your own domain name and website can seem daunting, but these days, it is increasingly easy to set up your own website. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties agents can opt to create their own, or use one of our customizable agent websites. Where larger agencies and corporations will shell out thousands of dollars on web development and maintenance, you can do it for a few dollars per month. Furthermore, with the way that the modern web exists, most users look for clean websites that are easy to use and navigate. However, should you choose to create your own, you should still hire a developer to create a website that is accessible, looks professional, and functions as it should. Along with your basic contact info and general mission statement, your site should highlight your home listings, client testimonials, contact info, and social media links. You can even throw in there a statement on why you are the right real estate agent for them. 

Once your website is set up, make sure you update and maintain it as necessary. On top of making sure all of the backend tech is always up-to-date and working, create informative content that helps your SEO while providing valuable information to potential clientele. That includes blogs, infographics, emails, podcasts, and videos. The more diverse your content, the better your marketing and lead generation will be.

4. Stay on top of market trends

The real estate market is in constant flux. Even the smallest variation in percentages could mean big changes for buyers or sellers. Staying on top of market trends can be difficult when most of your job is focused on current clients and client lead generation. However, understanding your local market and any changes to it inherently make you a more valuable tool for your clients.

If you are networking, you already have a fairly good source for market information. Networking and learning events are fairly common and allow you to stay on top of market trends and learn new things about real estate as a business as well. Try to talk to other real estate agents to learn about where the market could be headed.

Market research is significantly more tedious than attending networking events, but it’s crucial to get a handle on market trends in order to become a more successful real estate agent. Take some time every day to look up comps and demographics in your area. Remember that the market can be different even between neighboring communities, so focus on the markets that pertain to your specific area or “farm.” National trends can be useful in their own way, but those broader statistics are rarely practical in your day-to-day.

You generally have a wide range of trusted sources to check for market research, including:

• County records
• Your broker
• The Multiple Listing Service (MLS)
• Your local real estate board

Our six-week bootcamp can also help you to better learn and understand market trends, on top of other practical skills. That includes farming, writing contracts, using company resources, and much more.

Make use of what you have, and make a habit of checking market trends often. As a Southern California Realtor, this can be constantly changing and it’s your job to stay in the know. Especially if you are a new real estate agent, staying up to date on your greater and local markets are a crucial component of the job. 

5. Relocate if you have to

While you can practice as a real estate agent just about anywhere in the country, some cities are naturally more lucrative than others. It can be difficult to maintain a successful real estate business in certain cities or neighborhoods That does not mean that you cannot be successful where you live, but it often comes down to commissions and the number of transactions you close in a year. That number is relatively fixed wherever you live, which means your commission will naturally be higher from selling a $1 million home, compared to selling a $500,000 home.

If you are having trouble, especially as an agent just getting your start, you might consider moving to a city or community with more opportunities. The one drawback to this, aside from higher operation costs, is that you will likely experience a lot more competition from other agents, but the overall payoff may be worth it for your real estate career.

6. Develop a professional image

Maintaining a professional image can be reassuring to prospective clients while also giving you more confidence in your own business. There are varying aspects to maintaining a professional image, including:

• Your physical appearance (clothes, hair, makeup)
• Your interactions during meetings (body language, eye contact)
• Phone calls (speaking clearly, being courteous and engaging)
• Written communication (texts, emails, and other written materials that are easy to read and understand while free of spelling errors and grammatical mistakes)

A good web presence also plays into that. It’s important to be timely and sincere while engaging with pertinent issues affecting your immediate community. Posts on the internet tend to last longer than you think, so be smart about what you post.

7. Track your personal and business expenses

In the fast-paced and competitive landscape of real estate, understanding your financial health is paramount. Your journey to becoming a successful real estate professional involves strategic decision-making, and a clear understanding of your expenses empowers you in this regard. By tracking every penny spent, you not only gain insights into your financial patterns but also pave the way for informed choices, an essential aspect of real estate agent tips for beginners.

Consider your expense tracking system as a compass navigating you through the dynamic challenges of the real estate market. It enables you to allocate resources wisely, identify areas for optimization, and ultimately strengthen your financial stability. Whether it’s marketing initiatives, professional development, or day-to-day expenditures, a comprehensive grasp of your financial landscape positions you for success in the competitive real estate arena.

8. Get a mentor

Embarking on a career in real estate as a new agent is a thrilling journey, and one of the most valuable tips for new real estate agents is to seek the guidance of an experienced mentor. A mentor, an experienced real estate professional, offers insights, strategies, and practical wisdom that goes beyond what you might learn in real estate school. Your mentor becomes your compass in the real estate industry, helping you navigate challenges, refine negotiation skills, and gain a deeper understanding of client relations. Understanding market nuances is crucial, and a mentor becomes an invaluable source of knowledge, providing tips on a successful real estate transaction, a solid marketing strategy, and building strong relationships.

As a new agent at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, you can leverage our expert training programs and mentorship opportunities. From creating a business plan to utilizing marketing materials effectively, the valuable focuses of our programs help support new agents in their pursuit of long term success in the real estate industry. 

 Knowing how to be successful in real estate sales can be difficult for any agent, but with some time and experience, you can learn new ways of adjusting. Do your best to listen in every interaction, whether it’s with potential clients or other agents, and always learn as much as you can. If you are looking for mentorship or coaching, consider looking into our real estate jobs in California at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties.