One HUGE Mistake to Avoid When Getting Your Real Estate License

Most people looking for info on how to become a real estate agent are just wanting to learn how to get licensed and, ultimately, “hired” by a real estate company. They’re looking for:

How many hours of class they need
What real estate schools are in the area
What kind of test they have to pass
If the test is difficult or not
Tips on passing the real estate exam
How long it will take for a new agent to make money

All of those things are certainly important to find out if you want to become a real estate agent, but they won’t help you at all when it comes to succeeding as a real estate agent.

Getting your real estate license is the easy part! The dirty little industry secret is that it’s actually not that difficult to get your real estate license. That probably sounds like music to your ears now, but it won’t when you’re one of the way-too-many agents in the industry and wish it were harder for people to become an agent! There are so many licensed agents competing for limited amounts of business that it makes it tough for even the most seasoned agents to find clients.

Which is why the hard part is finding clients and selling some houses as quickly as possible once you have your license. You’ll probably hear tons of people say that it could take months before you make any money as an agent, and that you should have six months of savings to cover your living costs in the interim. This is sound advice.

But you can accelerate your success by avoiding one huge mistake which most people getting their real estate license make…

Start marketing yourself before you get your license (not after).

It takes most agents such a long time before they earn their first commission check because they don’t start developing their prospects and future clients until they get their license, rather than while they’re getting their license!

Most people focus on the process of getting their license, and wait to begin any marketing until they’re in the business. Heck, many people aren’t even aware that they’ll need to market themselves in order to find prospects and clients!

It isn’t as simple as getting your license and then anyone and everyone you know will reach out whenever they or someone they know wants to buy or sell a house. The people you know (AKA your “sphere of influence”) need to know you’re in the business, and be constantly reminded that you’re a real estate agent throughout your career for you to generate a steady stream of leads and sales.

But in the early stages of your career, it also helps for them to feel like you’ve been in the game a little while before some of them will even trust making their biggest purchase with you. So the earlier you start looking and sounding like you’re in the business, the quicker you can get over the initial hump.

There are lots of rules and regulations, so you can’t do full-blown marketing of your services and start working with clients until you’re licensed and in the business, but you can (and should) start showing people that you’re into real estate! People just need to see you have a passion for it, and that you’re focused on it, and it’ll start getting drilled into their heads that you’re a real estate agent, even before you are officially one.

This doesn’t mean you need to break the bank and spend tons of money on marketing. Years ago it would’ve been really hard for you to market yourself ahead of time in any way. But with social media, texting, and email, you can reach a lot of people with your pre-marketing for free or very little cost.

Let’s look at three ways you can look and sound like you’re a real estate agent before you even have your real estate license:

1) Share real estate memes

People totally judge what someone is all about by the memes they share on social media, so make sure to start sending the message that you’re into real estate.

For example, take this one that simply lets people know how much you love talking about real estate. It’s not saying you’re an agent (yet), it’s just letting them know it’s what you’re into.

Or like this tongue-in-cheek one that shows that you’re so pumped up about the business, it’s what gets you up in the morning…well, that and the need to pee! It’s equal parts funny, something people can relate to, and inspiring that you have something you’re passionate about.

Here’s a clever one that’ll give people a laugh while letting them know you’re in love with real estate. It’ll also prompt people to comment and engage with you. It’s a great way to open the conversation about the fact that you’re getting your real estate license!

You can find plenty of real estate memes to share for free on our Lighter Side of Real Estate Facebook page. But if you’d like more of a selection (and the ability to put your own name on them and really start branding yourself!), check out our Inner Circle membership! Make sure to use the discount code NEWAGENT for an even better deal!

2) Post articles about real estate

People may not read an entire article you post, but just seeing that you’re sharing real estate related ones will add to the message that you’re becoming a real estate agent until you are one. Of course, you can up the chances of them actually reading the article and engaging with you if you share funny, entertaining, or useful ones that are quick and easy to read! Like these for example:

This one pokes fun at how agents are depicted in stock photos and gives people outside the business some insight into what it’s really like to be an agent, and some things to joke about with you:

What It’s Like Being a Real Estate Agent (Judging by Stock Photos)

Here’s one that’s not only entertaining, but also a subtle way to encourage someone to buy a bigger place to live in the near future (once you have your license of course!):

6 Signs It’s Time to Upsize Your Home

And make sure to share articles that are useful as well, like this one that just begs to be clicked so they can find out if solar panels are a good selling point or not:

Will Solar Panels Help or Hurt the Sale of Your Home?

All of those articles (and over a thousand more) are posted on our Lighter Side of Real Estate website, and you can share them for free!

There are even more articles to choose from in our Inner Circle membership. You’ll get to have your name on them (Lighter Side branding will be removed), so when your friends and family read them, you’re building your credibility and authority as a real estate expert.

3) Ask questions / poll your audience

While it’s important to start planting the seeds that you’re becoming an agent, it’s also a good idea to start some conversations that might get you some potential clients lined up and ready to go once you do have your license. A good way to see if anyone’s thinking of buying or selling is to post a question or poll online, and see how people respond to it.

Asking a hypothetical question about where people would like to move could fetch some very real answers and start a conversation that turns into a lead.

Here’s a question to help you find out not only who likes fixer-uppers, but also who may be looking for a good deal if you come across one.

This one is bound to get people talking, and possibly begging you to find them a new home as far away from their old neighbors as possible as soon as you get your license!

The ones above are from our Inner Circle stash of engagement memes, but you can always just come up with a question or poll and post it without it being in meme form! We just find that the images help people notice them and respond to them better.

By just starting to share those three types of content on a regular basis, you’ll be looking and sounding like you’ve been in real estate for quite some time once you get your real estate license. Hopefully you’ll even have lined up a few clients to work with right out the gate!