Comments on: 11 Things A New Agent Should Know (or Thanks For Stating The Obvious*)

By: Shannon Lefevre

Shannon Lefevre — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:50:52 +0000

I like the don’t be anyone but yourself part. Of course the rest of it is dead on accurate too but that part is super important because I think a common mistake agents make when attempting their climb to the top is they like to emulate more successful agents in their market and sometimes those agents aren’t necessarily successful for what they’re doing now…they’re just riding their own coat tails because they’ve already made a name for themselves. It’s ok to get ideas from more successful agents but make sure they fit within the scope of who you are and keep forward thinking in mind when implementing tricks of the trade.

By: Advising the Face of Real Estate Today | The You Factor

Advising the Face of Real Estate Today | The You Factor — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:41:50 +0000

[...] a post on Agent Genius the other day, a contributor wrote about the “11 Things A New Agent Should Know”. It wasn’t necessarily a bad post, or the first that struck me in such a way, but it was [...]

By: Matt Stigliano

Matt Stigliano — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:18:30 +0000

** Wow it took me a long time to get back here and answer. I apologize. **

Erion – Playing Sepultura on any occasion is not a bad thing. Time for rock memories… I played soccer with them (after Max left) at a festival. Igor invited us to go shopping at his clothes store while we were in Rio, unfortunately I got food poisoning. I’ve played with Max a few times and he’s the most down to earth music loving guy I’ve met. Memory over.

Michael – Benn, Lani, and Brad Nix deserves all the thanks for the “be yourself” one. They pounded it into my head and wouldn’t let me be anyone but. I knew it, but I think I feared the letting rock and roll and real estate cross paths.

Matt – Look at any of my comments on the topic of education and you’ll know I’m nodding my head in agreement right now. I do my best to learn as much as I can as often as I can. I shake my head in disbelief at some of the things I’ve heard agents say that I knew were wrong. I also shake my head is disbelief in the agents that don’t seem to care, they just want to collect their checks.

Bill – You’re one of the people I look up to. Your knowledgeable and yourself. When I first “met” you, I would have never guessed you had the sharp-witted tongue you do or could be so much fun. I learned a lot in my first perception of you based only off of posts – I thought you were too “Mr. Real Estate” to be as funny as you are. It may not sound like, but you surprised me (pleasantly) and that my friend, is a compliment.

Jeff – I think you know the sentiment is returned. I still fear you may fill my head with too much and it might just blow up, but I’ll take that chance.

By: Jeff Turner

Jeff Turner — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:20:21 +0000

Matt, I can’t wait to meet you.

By: Matt Dollinger

Matt Dollinger — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:21:24 +0000

RT @mattdollinger: Matt, @agentgenius - My comments on the "11 Things AGents Must Do" post from AGent Genius http://cli.gs/40SeQ

By: Matt Dollinger

Matt Dollinger — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:39:33 +0000

11 Things Real Estate Agents Should Know - http://bit.ly/7ZQn6 (decent list, but there's ALOT missing! MAJOR stuff like education, etc.)

By: Mike Bowler Sr

Mike Bowler Sr — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:30:06 +0000

RT @BHGRealEstate: BHGRE Agents: 11 Things Real Estate Agents Should Know - http://bit.ly/7ZQn6 (worth the read)

By: BHG Real Estate

BHG Real Estate — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:20:48 +0000

BHGRE Agents: 11 Things Real Estate Agents Should Know - http://bit.ly/7ZQn6

By: Bill Lublin

Bill Lublin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:34:52 +0000

Matt:
Great Post and from the perfect perspective- the honest one.
Simple thoughts and observations are more often profound than simple – like why do they call it common sense when its so rare?
All great journeys not only start with one step, but are completed one step at a time – through perseverance and observation so that you can make changes when you need to -

By: Matt Dollinger

Matt Dollinger — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:20:01 +0000

Matt,

Good post. I think that this is incredibly important to leverage the correct mindset for agents (both new and old) regardless of what office that they are in. I especially like your “Don’t be anyone but yourself” but along the lines of your Slayer analogy, think that too many agents don’t recognize what they are actually dealing with.

Too many in our industry think of people as “leads” or what I refer to as the “Paycheck Mentality”. And… in their defense, I can understand that being broke, hungry, or unable to pay the lease on the fancy BMW might influence my actions.

But… I also realize (and have seen firsthand in our Chicago Market) the perils associated with inexperienced, uneducated, or just plain greedy agents allowing clients to purchase homes that were either:

1. Out of their price range
2. Out of their price range with ridiculous financing
3. A unit that they would outgrow quickly
4. Overpay for a unit that they are now upside-down on

Which brings me one glaring element that I think you overlooked.

EDUCATION – EDUCATION – EDUCATION

As a coach for a company of almost 800 agents I preach this day in and day out to new and experienced agents alike. There is NO replacement for education and knowledge about your local market hands down. Too many agents think that their prowess online, or with handling leads is the foundation to a good and profitable real estate business. I disagree… knowing your market, latest financing options, how to deal with short sales/foreclosures, etc. will differentiate you from the pack.

This is even more important for new agents because they have little or no experience in the buildings or communities that they are servicing.

Want to set your self apart as a new agent? Be smarter than everyone else in your office and then you have a differentiator for your brand.

Matt Dollinger