3 Things Everyone Should Be Told Before Getting Their Real Estate License

If you’re thinking of becoming an agent, read this article and consider yourself “told”. There’s probably a lot of experienced agents who’ll nod their heads in agreement as they read this, wishing they knew before they began. But at the same time, they got through it and you can too! Being aware and prepared for these things will only make it easier.

1. It’s going to hurt when someone doesn’t use you as an agent:

And boy does it hurt. It could be a close family member buying or selling a home, or the guy from your high school math class you never spoke to but are friends with on Facebook. Regardless of how close you are, there’s a feeling of “what didn’t I do” that sits in your gut when you hear they bought or sold a house with another agent. (And it lingers for a long time! Maybe even forever…)

2. You have to step out of (or dive deeper into) your comfort zone

Family and friends may be a good source of business (initially), but eventually you’ll need to branch out. This can play out in a variety of ways, but at the end of the day, the agent who knows and talks to the most people will reign supreme.

One much-touted approach is to join a new club or get a new hobby. Joining a club like Rotary, small-business associations, or community outreach groups can all lead to new avenues for business. These aren’t bad approaches, especially if you’re someone who enjoys networking, but if you’re not, joining and ingraining yourself into one of these groups can be daunting.

Which leads us to the other option: Dive deeper into your comfort zone. Maybe it’s a hobby you like, or something that gets you excited. Whatever “your thing” is, do something to gather other like-minded individuals in one place. Join or form your own association or club. This can be online or in person. Organize meetups or virtual events. Hang out and do what you love with other like-minded people. Real estate will come up naturally, and over time you’ll create a pipeline of business that will continue to grow.

RELATED: 6 Rarely Considered Things You Should Know Before Becoming A Real Estate Agent

3. You’ll never know everything there is to know about this business (and that’s okay)

You come out of licensing classes armed with all sorts of knowledge—knowledge you’ll never even use for the most part. Learning the stuff you truly need to know begins when you dive into the business, and it never really ends.

At first, you feel like you need to learn how to simply talk to clients, or show them a house. Then, as you start getting the hang of that, you start to wonder if you’ll ever figure out how to write up a contract when the time comes. And then you start worrying about how you’ll repeat it all again and again. How are you supposed to find more clients?! Which leads to learning many more things…

Eventually, you become comfortable with those basics (which don’t feel so “basic” at first), and you realize there’s even deeper dives to take, like into the art of negotiating or running a small business, for example. It never ends. And that’s okay.