Text of the book “Your own realtor. Solving your housing problem"

How to become a realtor: where to start?

Before choosing any direction of work, you need to clearly understand where the profession will lead you, what it represents, what pros and cons it promises. So, you are a real estate agent. Where to start your work?

First of all, let’s define what such a vacancy is and what manipulations you will have to do. In general terms, an agent can be called an intermediary who facilitates transactions for the sale, exchange, or rental of apartments, dachas, warehouses (that is, real estate). He selects suitable options, brings people together, prepares legal documents, provides advice, and checks the compliance of transactions with the law.

What does a realtor do?

Essentially, a realtor is an intermediary between the two parties to a transaction (although in the real estate industry there are also multilateral agreements). But the work of a realtor is not limited to mediation alone. The agent temporarily becomes an adviser, a personal consultant for the client. He selects suitable real estate properties, warns the customer about possible risks and accompanies the transaction at all stages, from searching for options to concluding an agreement and obtaining an extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate.

The main responsibilities of a realtor include:

• Consulting. As a rule, agent consultations are free for the client: payment is made upon conclusion of the transaction. The best impression on people is made by realtors who are self-confident, polite and friendly in communication, and know the law well.
• Search for clients (through friends, through advertisements).
• Selection and analysis of real estate, database maintenance.
• Inspection of premises together with the client.
• Collection and verification of documents necessary to conclude a transaction.
• Negotiating price and other terms of the agreement.

The final stage is the conclusion of an agreement, which is signed in the presence of a realtor. In addition, the agent helps to obtain new documents on property rights, document the transfer of an advance or deposit, and resolve the issue of paying utility debts. Realtors also often provide premises for transferring money or offer alternative payment methods (safe deposit box, letter of credit, notary deposit).

A realtor can work either independently or in an agency. The last option is preferable for a beginner: there will be colleagues nearby who will provide support and teach the basics of the profession. In addition, starting your own business requires investment. But it’s worth considering that agents are rarely paid a salary (even the minimum). In most cases, you can only count on a commission from a successful transaction

Professional education

Where can you get specialized knowledge about what being a realtor entails? Where to start education in this field? It should be noted that there are no higher educational institutions that train such personnel. In its pure form, this profession is not represented in our country in any institute or university. At the same time, of course, a higher education is something that any real realtor should have. Where to begin? There are several options:

• Property management. This area is more technical and relates to renting or buying and selling very indirectly.
• Law faculties. Deep knowledge in the field of civil law will help a real estate agent carry out any, even the most controversial and complex transaction within the framework of the law.

Galina Parusova “Secrets of real estate skills”

Contributes to the development of a real estate agent as a professional. Attention is focused on the psychological aspects of work. The author explains what skills and techniques a practicing realtor should focus on developing. A lot of space is devoted to describing the types of clients and how to find an approach to each of them. The process of selling real estate and after-sales customer service are described in detail. There are also important reminders regarding the execution of the transaction, making payments, privatization of housing, etc. This work will also benefit those readers who want to sell or buy real estate on their own, without turning to professionals for help.

Agent portrait: personal qualities

What should a beginning realtor look like? Where to start working on yourself to master such a profession? It should be noted that real estate professionals are people of a special kind; it is almost impossible to artificially cultivate the necessary personal qualities in oneself. So, a realtor must have:

• Love of life and cheerfulness. Remember, you will have to work a lot, travel often, and irregular working hours may become routine.
• Physical strength and good health. Numerous shows and travel are impossible due to frequent illnesses.
• Resistant to stress. By the way, any work with people implies the need to have this quality.
• Sociability. If you don't like and don't know how to communicate with people, this kind of work is definitely not for you.

Pros and cons of working as a realtor: everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask

Where to go to work? Such thoughts occur to perhaps 70 percent of the working population at one time or another in life. The reason is simple - someone is looking for their first job, someone wants to change their field of activity. The need to make changes in life is identified and... There are always two options. You can, of course, sit and wait for the employer to call based on the resume posted on the website. Or you can start your active search.

If you study the statistics on job search sites, you can easily notice that the largest number of vacancies is presented in the sales field, and real estate specialist is among the most in-demand professions. What is the reason? Let's look together at all the pros and cons of working in this profession.

PROS

+ Flexible work schedule. An experienced realtor does not need to be constantly in the office; he plans his own time. This is convenient if you have no problems with time management.

+ No special education required. Large agencies spend a lot of time on training and supervision. Experienced specialists and business trainers conduct lectures and practical classes, and a mentor accompanies a beginner at all stages of the transaction.

+ Opportunity to retrain from another profession.

+ High earnings. And it's not a joke. The financial result of your work is not limited and depends to the maximum on yourself, on your personal desires and capabilities. For an experienced expert, an income of 100 thousand rubles per month is not income. And a specialist whose earnings level is below 50 thousand is most likely just very lazy. Statistics show this.

+ Lack of routine. Each transaction and each client is unique and different from others.

+ Continuous professional and personal growth. The real estate market is dynamic and sometimes changeable, and in order to always be on trend, you need to keep learning.

+ Creative emotional work. A large number of new interesting and useful acquaintances.

+ Self-realization and moral satisfaction from work. By helping people solve housing issues, you will receive a lot of grateful feedback.

+ You can start a successful career at almost any age. The main thing is perseverance and the desire to learn.

+ You will gain professional knowledge in the real estate industry. The ability to understand what is happening in the real estate market provides not only good income, but also personal advantages. You will always know where and what is sold cheaper, what is more expensive, which objects are at risk, and which ones deserve attention.

MINUSES

— Impossibility of combining with other work. You will not be able to become a full-fledged specialist and expert if you try to “keep up with two birds with one stone.”

- Psychological stress. If communicating with people tires you, the profession of a realtor is definitely not suitable for you.

- Responsibility. When conducting and processing a transaction, mistakes are simply unacceptable.

— The work schedule may be irregular. Apartment showings can also take place in the evening, because you need to adapt to the client’s convenience.

— You need to look for clients; they don’t always come on their own, even to a large real estate agency. You shouldn't be intimidated by cold calling. But when you become a successful, experienced specialist, clients will come to you based on recommendations.

— The first transactions will not happen immediately. You will need to understand all the intricacies of the market, learn how to search for and attract clients. Your first income will come to you no earlier than in 1.5–2 months.

- “You can’t catch both fish and pond without labor.” Achieving great results in real estate requires persistence. The result will always depend only on you.

Be that as it may, the profession of a realtor opens up great opportunities for everyone. And only you can decide whether you want to connect your life with this profession.

Interested and want to know more? Leave your resume here or call (391) 290-23-14.

What should you learn?

However, personal qualities alone are not enough. In what directions should a realtor develop? Where to start your professional journey? The following tips will help you succeed:

• listen to the opinions of professionals, adopt their techniques;
• regularly study data from newspapers, magazines and books;
• Use your free time rationally, engage in self-education;
• be punctual and do not forget about your appointments;
• try to make as many useful contacts as possible; profitable connections will never be superfluous;
• take care of your reputation; no client or agent will work with realtors who cheat;
• show restraint, sometimes excessive haste can lead to serious mistakes and failure of the deal;
• tune in to the positive, it’s not for nothing that they say that thoughts can be material.

About other people's mistakes

Where to start for a new real estate agent? In addition to general recommendations on what you should know and do, you should also consider the most common mistakes. This information will help prevent them in the future.

• Do not impose your services on everyone who wants to listen to you; it is likely that there is no need for them, and the person just wants to communicate; unnecessary conversations will only take up your working time.
• Don’t take failure too harshly; remember that refusal or failure of a deal happens quite often, and in most cases it is not the specialist’s fault. Take this as a valuable experience and don’t despair, the negative attitude may carry over to future meetings.
• Lack of sales skills and lack of understanding of the need for these skills. Professional courses or communication with experts in their field will help any beginner fill this gap.
• Lack of desire for development. Remember that to achieve high results, each person must develop and try to overcome his own ceiling, do not consider yourself smarter than everyone else.
• Obtaining exclusively theoretical knowledge. Please note that working in real estate involves, first of all, live communication with people, which is why to achieve what you want, it is not enough to have an extensive theoretical base. It is extremely important to be able to use existing knowledge in practice and adapt it to a specific situation.
• Lack of understanding of the importance of developments. A work-in-progress, or script, is an approximate script for conducting a conversation, roughly speaking, a template. Having thought through several standard templates, it will be easier for you to navigate, making only minor changes as you communicate with the client.

If you can anticipate all these mistakes, you will turn out to be an excellent specialist.

Realtor earnings

We talked about what it takes to become a realtor. How much can a realtor earn? One successful transaction can bring income of either fifty or one hundred and fifty thousand rubles . But a successful realtor conducts several transactions every month. Additional income can come from consulting clients and helping with paperwork.

Remember, clients prefer to do business with professionals. Become one by constantly improving your professional knowledge and gaining experience in communicating with people. And success will not keep you waiting.

About financial understanding

When answering the question of where to start for a novice realtor, it is necessary to note the fact that a large number of young people consider such a profession to be quite easy and bring in easy money. Please note that this is absolutely not true. Real estate mediation is hard and painstaking work, requiring endurance and complete dedication. Your earnings will be piecework, it will depend entirely on the deals concluded, that is, on the efforts you put in. If you are unable to work and lack knowledge, such work is the easiest path to bankruptcy.

First direction

Where to start for a new realtor? Probably even a non-specialist knows that there are two basic areas in real estate: buying and selling and renting. The last direction is simpler and easier to master. Having got a job on real estate transactions, beginners will be able to gain basic experience in a short time:

• A large number of transactions will allow you to communicate with different clients (practice communication over the phone and in person, studying typical situations, gaining communication skills).
• Basics of drafting legal documents and contracts (from the simplest to the more complex).
• An opportunity to learn the nuances and pitfalls of working in real estate.

How to become a realtor

If you decide to become a realtor, first of all decide whether you will work for an agency or do everything yourself. As practice shows, for a beginner it is better to choose an agency.

This way of earning money has a number of advantages:

• You will be taught how to work correctly.
• Working in a team is more interesting and easier.
• There will be an opportunity to consult with colleagues and get advice.
• Your work will be legal, and the client will always be able to come to the office.
• Clients rarely trust realtors who work for themselves.
• You will have a defined activity , and you will do one thing.

Advantages of working as a realtor for yourself:

• More income.
• Working without a boss.
• You can find people who will work for you and organize a business.

It is better to work through an agency than to work for yourself. This way you will have many clients. Of course, when you build your client base and gain experience, you will open your own agency.

Immediate start of activity

What does the direct work of a realtor look like? Where to start developing a base? There are many options for finding clients. In a large company, ready-made contacts are issued to an old-timer or a newcomer. But what about those who want to work only for themselves from the very beginning? If you don’t have professional connections, you can cold call purchasing databases or get information from advertisements on the Internet, newspapers, magazines, or even at bus stops.

In addition, it would be a good idea to prepare your own business cards with contact information and distribute them among your friends.

Now you know where to start as a new realtor, be confident and smart. Remember that to achieve the best results you need to combine theoretical knowledge with regular practice, be able to plan your time, see the end goal and not be discouraged in case of failure.

Mikhail Gorokhovsky “Our client is the seller of the apartment”

The book teaches how to properly build working relationships with homeowners. Attention is focused on the psychological aspects of communication, the author offers his own interesting developments and ideas. The work is a real storehouse of knowledge, a teaching aid that helps a beginner quickly get used to the profession. But even an experienced pro will probably find many points worthy of attention in this book.

In fact, there is a lot of good literature for a novice real estate agent. In this article we have collected only a short list of really important books for realtors that can be downloaded on the Internet. Study the material and become successful professionals now!