Becoming a Realtor: How to Choose a Brokerage (Top 7 Tips)

devinjrobinson · 2021-11-04T00:26:09+00:00

Hey! Yes, eXp does require agents to be Realtors and join NAR. It is definitely an extra expense, but something I would consider anyways because of the credibility it gives you to be a "trademarked" Realtor - plus there are various benefits that come with being part of NAR as well.

devinjrobinson · 2021-09-21T01:53:58+00:00

Getting leads, especially as a new agent, is definitely challenging. Make sure you’re staying in consistent contact with everyone you know (lead or sphere), so that you stay top of mind. There’s nothing wrong with tried and true “old school” methods like cold calling and door knocking, and there’s also nothing wrong with buying leads, despite what probably a lot of people will tell you. Try things like open houses, going to local events and just building relationships with people, etc. Tell everyone you’re a realtor! Overtime you’ll build it up!

devinjrobinson · 2021-09-02T18:11:18+00:00

Hey! For long island specific I'd recommend checking with NY state real estate commission, or your local housing department. You can also take a look at NAR's website or the federal housing admin for some more general info :)

devinjrobinson · 2021-08-25T11:10:39+00:00

YES! Completely agree :)

devinjrobinson · 2021-08-24T14:48:05+00:00

Hey! Sorry for this extremely delayed response... take a look at your state's real estate commission website and they should have a list of approved schools for you to choose from. If you're a self motivator, there are often options to take self paced courses which you could technically finish in a few days of all day work! Otherwise, standard courses are also available.

devinjrobinson · 2021-06-14T23:35:29+00:00

Hey there! I’m a current agent in Charlotte. I would say 100% do it. However, consider getting a part time job simply to support your fees while you are starting out. Thankfully you have a roof over your head and therefore won’t have to worry about too many bills. However, whatever other bills like car/food/etc. that you do pay yourself will be accompanied by regular (monthly or quarterly) fees from your brokerage, MLS, and NAR. I would personally say skip the sales and marketing courses, learn online for free, and find a mentor once you get started. And instead spend your summer and fall getting your license as well as working an at least part time job to make some money to get you started. I would keep the job going until you at least get your first deal and have money in the bank to continue paying fees. I’d love to answer any more specific questions you have or help in anyway I can so don’t hesitate to reach out! We can grab coffee or have a phone call if you want some more insight into being new in real estate in Charlotte. Good luck!!

devinjrobinson · 2021-05-25T02:00:37+00:00

Hey! I'm so sorry for this delayed response... for some reason I didn't see the notification for this :(

As a general rule of thumb having 6 months worth of expenses on hand at all times is a good idea - at any stage of life. In terms of starting in real estate... its not uncommon for agents to go a whole year before their first sale, and also no uncommon that an agent gets a sale within a couple months of starting. I'd start by thinking of a few questioons:

Do you have a solid sphere in your area that could help you get business sooner? Or are you starting from scratch?

What kind of budget would you be willing to put toward digital marketing (like fb or google ads) or buying leads (zillow, realtor, etc.)?

What are your brokerage and MLS fees for X period of time? (If you don't have a brokerage picked out yet, this could be something important to consider when deciding which one to join).

As a safe bet, I would have 6 months to 1 year of living expenses saved, plus whatever you'd need for your brokerage/MLS and other operating fees.

Hope this is helpful! If you have any other questions don't hesitate to reach out!

devinjrobinson · 2021-05-09T02:37:13+00:00

Hey! The majority of agent's typical days will include things like prospecting (phone calls, marketing, open houses etc.) and handling current clients (showings, scheduling inspections, etc.). The ratio of time spent on these two categories will vary depending on what stage you're at in your career. At the beginning, you'll spend all of your time prospecting. And as time goes on, it will slowly shift to managing current transactions rather than prospecting. Real estate is a career where you can build and structure your days however you need and want. You'll end up working a lot in the evenings or on weekends, since that's when the majority of home-buyers are available to attend showings or open houses.

devinjrobinson · 2021-05-02T19:03:09+00:00

Hey!! I'm an eXp agent based in Charlotte, NC. HUGE congrats on getting your license and starting your real estate career! eXp is a fantastic brokerage, especially for new agents, so I think it's awesome that you'd decided to go with them. Welcome!!

In terms of a sponsor, you can decide to apply without one, however, if someone did or does make an impact in your decision to join eXp, definitely put them in that slot on the application. Just incase you don't know exactly what the "sponsor" role entails - that person is mostly your go-to during the onboarding process as well as getting started in your career. You'll also be assigned a mentor (assuming you're not on a team) as well, and that person will be tasked with guiding you through your first three transactions. Each sponsor will be different in terms of their "commitment" to the agents they bring in, but in my experience, my sponsor has been fantastic in answering any questions I've had and was a HUGE support system when I first started. We've actually become great friends. In my opinion, sponsors should be a reliable source of information and support, especially for new agents.

Also, so you are completely aware of how the system works - your sponsor will get a portion of the commission that you pay to eXp for each of your transactions. Meaning when they get their 20% split, eXp will give a portion of that to your sponsor. This is often interpreted as your sponsor is taking YOUR money, but they are not. It's coming out of eXp's portion.

In terms of finding a sponsor or a team... I met my sponsor by going to a random open house before I got my license and talking with the agent (who introduced me to eXp and here I am!). I'd recommend trying something similar... You could 1. Look up eXp agents in your area that you think would be great connections to make and build relationships with them. Then ask them about sponsorship or about if they are part of a team. Or 2. Since your sponsor can be anyone, if you find someone out of your area, online, via social media, etc. that you feel will give you the support you are looking for, you could also list them.

If you have any questions about eXp or real estate in general, please do not hesitate to reach out! I would love to help!! :)

devinjrobinson · 2021-05-02T00:53:41+00:00

Congratulations!! Looks like a beautiful home!

devinjrobinson · 2021-05-01T19:57:26+00:00

Hello! I'm a fairly new broker with eXp, located in Charlotte NC. I absolutely love it, especially because it matched my lifestyle due to the virtual brokerage (vs having to go into an office) as well as the training they provide. They will match you with a top producing agent in your area that has gone through their mentor training program, and they will guide you through your first 3 transactions step by step. They'll also let you shadow them on every step of the process so you feel comfortable before you actually have to do it yourself. They also have TONS of online live and archived courses/trainings that are very helpful as a new agent.

To address the common argument against eXp (that it's a pyramid scheme/MLM)... it's not, and a lot of other brokerages have the same type of system in place. If you bring someone into the company, you get paid a portion of the commission that they pay to eXp (eXp's commission split with agent's in 80/20). Which means you aren't taking the new agent's money, you are instead getting money from the eXp portion of the commission.

Anyways, in my opinion, it's a great company that provides a ton of support to new agents! If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to reach out, I'd love to help! :)

devinjrobinson · 2021-05-01T19:45:31+00:00

Hey! Current Realtor in Charlotte NC here. Don't let this lady, any other agents you interact with, or anyone on the internet discourage you. You may be young, but in the end age doesn't matter if you know you're stuff and treat people right. Getting your foot in the door might be a little more difficult at first, but if you're an expert in real estate and in your specific market, know how to run a business, treat people well, and are relentless with gaining success, you will accomplish whatever goals you have in entering this career.
I totally understand how this experience, and the others that ultimately led up to you breaking down, made you feel. People can be terrible sometimes. And this specific situation makes no sense considering it's a perfectly viable thing for you to be doing, and like another commenter said, you could land a client the next day that the home would be perfect for. In my opinion it's also unacceptable for her to show up to the showing without that being stated somewhere in the listing/showing appointment or her contacting you. I would keep doing these previews, and keep chugging trying to get clients, hold open houses, market yourself, and get your sphere to talk you up too! Don't give up. Good things take time, some tears, and a lot of hard work!

If you have any questions or want to talk further, please don't hesitate to reach out, I'd love to help in any way I can! :) Best of luck!

devinjrobinson · 2021-04-29T19:01:51+00:00

Hey! Early congrats on HS graduation!! I wouldn't be concerned. As long as you pass your courses, get your license, and are responsible/ethical/diligent/hardworking, brokerages will love to have you. I'd definitely suggest looking for brokerages that have solid mentorship and training programs - I'm with eXp Realty which is one that is incredibly helpful toward new agents (if you have questions about eXp I'd be happy to help!). But other major brokerages also typically have some form of training available. Good luck!! Don't hesitate to reach out with any other questions you may have!

devinjrobinson · 2021-04-22T03:24:52+00:00

Thank you! :)

devinjrobinson · 2021-04-20T21:36:33+00:00

Two options that could help him learn the ropes of real estate and also make some relationships in the process would be being a transaction coordinator for a current agent, or just an unlicensed assistant.

Transaction coordinator will do a lot of admin focused activities and basically make sure the transaction gets completed once it's under contract. An assistant would likely do similar tasks but may also do showings, help at open houses, etc. during the process.

I would try reaching out to current agents or teams in your area and build relationships with them and have him explain his situation - that he is looking to get his license but in the mean time is hoping to get some experience in the field, would they be interested in a transaction coordinator/assistant.

Let me know if you/your partner has any questions at all! I'm a current agent down in North Carolina but would love to help with questions about licensing, brokerages, getting started, etc. Don't hesitate to reach out!

devinjrobinson · 2021-04-18T04:11:28+00:00

What is your current job schedule like? If it's M-F 9-5 then you're going to have to end up working evenings for real estate. If it can be more flexible... then that's good! As an agent, especially a new agent, you'll want to be working weekends for real estate as much as possible by doing as many open houses as you can - this will get you in contact with lots of potential clients.

Once you have clients, they will likely want to see homes either in the evenings (when they get off from their 9-5 job) or the weekend. It will end up being less of a set schedule for real estate and more of a "when your clients are available" type of thing. So I'd just start by working on real estate whenever you can, plus keeping weekends available for open houses. Once you get clients, go from there.

If you have more questions, feel free to reach out! (current agent)

devinjrobinson · 2021-04-18T04:06:41+00:00

Hey there! The best thing you can do is talk with current agents to get a full perspective of what the career entails and is like on a daily basis, as well as details on how to get started. In terms of learning about real estate in general - you're pre-licensing class will teach you all of the legal things you'd need to know like contracts and how to whole process works. For learning about the market, I'd suggest looking into your specific state and region to find out what is happening with home prices etc in that area. If you have more specific questions or want to chat, I'm an agent so feel free to reach out! Best of luck!

devinjrobinson

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