Unfortunately, some real estate agents come and go. There are currently approximately 30,000 real estate agents in the greater Miami area, and plenty of newly graduating agents are flocking the multitude of large and small brokerages every month in their pursuit of the American Dream.
Many agents remain one or two-hit wonders, fading away or giving up altogether after realizing that being in business for yourself, being an entrepreneur with an entrepreneurial spirit and skills, is not something that can be taught in real estate school, but it is something you either have or you don’t.
Moving Beyond the Circle
Anyone licensed, for instance, can list “Uncle Johnny’s home” or “Aunty Martha’s condo” and make a sudden 3 percent on a transaction worth several hundred thousand dollars, or maybe even a million dollars – if the relatives are rich.
But, what to do with that big chunk of money? That’s where most agents are at a major loss and find very little support and guidance in most brokerage firms. How do you move from the immediate circle of family and friends and into the real marketplace, and present yourself as a true real estate professional to an international, ever changing clientele?
The Biggest Obstacles Facing Agents Today
What I find to be the biggest obstacles real estate agents are facing, and therefore failing at prospering in real estate, are proper time management, poor problem-solving skills, a negative attitude, meager work ethics, not being proactive, showing a lack of networking talent, weak creativity and constant procrastination.
I don’t want my agents to sit in the office, unless they are preparing themselves for showing properties or they are with clients writing a contract. All Brosda and Bentley agents learn that there is “me-time.” Me-time is very important and means you need a day or two off, especially since so many real estate agents work Saturdays and Sundays, when our prospects and clients have time to view properties or discuss our listings.
The Importance of “Me-Time”
Walk on the beach and enjoy the sun for a couple of hours; treat yourself to a massage or facial; take a Yoga class; make a day-trip to the Keys or spend all day with your spouse or the afternoon with your kids and help them with their homework. Most of my agents even go on weekly vacations, on a monthly basis, just to recharge their energy and demonstrate a higher professional acumen. You cannot be on top of your profession when you look and feel burned out.
Being in real estate marketing and sales is a fairly rough in the beginning, and certainly a highly demanding and complex business when it evolves. If aspiring and already successful agents alike don’t learn how to manage and retain the practice not to burn out, they will sooner than later be devastated by this industry, and instead of achieving and increasing that six-figure income, they will face shattered dreams.
The 10 Core Values for a Real Estate Professional
Real estate is a very serious business. We as brokers and agents are entrusted with assisting and guiding clients in what is, for most of them, the largest financial transaction of their lives.
This trust vested in us does not belong into the hands of armchair quarterbacks and amateurs. I expect the same professional standards from my agents what I expect daily from myself.
My 10 core values of how to ascertain and remain a top Miami real estate professional or a top professional in any business and industry for that matter include:
- Be extremely dependable
- Be highly organized and manage your and respect other people’s time
- Be a top marketer and top seller
- Be a decision maker
- Train yourself to excel when working under high pressure
- Demonstrate superior judgment skills
- Be self-confident
- Think critically
- Demonstrate excellent communication skills
- Be passionate about your profession
Richard Branson said: “There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions – in a way that serves the world and you.”
Be passionate about what you do and success will follow you.
Katerina Brosda is a top 0.5 percent sales producer and recipient of the Masters Diamond Award and the Double Centurion Platinum Producer Award, prior to founding Brosda and Bentley Realtors, LLC, a boutique luxury real estate sales and international marketing company in North Miami Beach.
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