We reached out to Chicago REALTORS®, all at different points in their career, to share the one piece of advice they have for others in the industry. Here’s what they had to say.
“Organize, organize, organize. I have a list of questions to ask for a listing appointment to make sure I’m super prepared and don’t need to call back in the future. Same thing for buyers.”
“I would say the most important lesson I’ve learned thus far is to never give up and be consistent. Real estate is competitive, and it can be discouraging when you’re not producing, but you don’t eat the fruit the day you plant the seed.”
“No one is more invested in your career and your production than you. It’s very important to know that every choice, every move you make, should consciously be one that moves you toward the direction of your goals and ultimate objective.”
“You should expand before you’re ready. Understanding where you’re going and how to expand to get there is the best way to be proactive. Whatever your goal is, it’s important to expand to have the right players in place.”
“I think a lot of people network blindly without a focus. You have to learn what is productive networking. It’s important to understand, ‘What are the connections I need to have?’ and, ‘What will be best for my clients?’”
“Success in the real estate profession is not how hard you work at your profession but how well you work – the word ‘well’ being defined as how professionally you conducted your actions, your complete knowledge of the tools of the trade, your knowledge of the product you are selling or leasing, your understanding of the customs and practices of the real estate business, and your knowledge of the real estate laws. All of this and your ability to communicate to your clients will determine how successful you will be in the real estate business.”
“I wish that I would’ve learned earlier the importance of following up! It’s one thing to meet someone, and it’s another to connect with them and build a long-standing relationship. People do business with people and brands that they know, like and trust, and without following up, it’s difficult to genuinely build and cultivate relationships.”
“Know what you know and know what you don’t know. When you know who you are, you can carve out a niche for yourself to focus on what you’re good at.”
“I wish I knew the importance of the REALTOR® community. Just recently, I’ve become more involved in my association. Volunteering and being a part of boards and committees has had a huge impact on me. Being a cheerleader and advocate has made this job so much more fun and enjoyable.”
“I wish I knew where to find new business. A majority of a broker’s day-to-day isn’t always showing and selling real estate; it’s also prospecting and marketing. Knowing where to find and grow new business opportunities is crucial for any new broker to learn at the start of their career.”
“I think, as REALTORS®, we start our careers with this mentality that we are in competition with other fellow REALTORS®. While our job does entail working on branding ourselves and continuously looking for more business, we have to remember that there is enough business to go around. REALTORS® are coworkers and we must learn to work together.”