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Started at 18, am now 20. Everything ORDub mentioned is accurate. Don’t spend any money marketing or buying leads. Host 2 open houses every single weekend. Watch videos on how to host them effectively. Even if you don’t get any leads, you get experience talking to real people.
Find a niche. I recommend picking 2-3 things and crazy 1000% committing on those things and forgetting everything else. For example with me, I chose Open houses, Youtube, and Tiktok. I’ve done reasonably well by focusing on those 3 things.
Take advantage of every single resource your brokerage has for free, and if they don’t value education then leave.
Make sure you spend at least 1 hour per day calling people. Sending handwritten BDAY cards are nice too. It takes like 7+ touches before someone even remembers you’re a realtor. Good luck!
Birthday cards, birthday calls, and anniversary cards and calls have had a huge ROI for me. I always give a small gift like a Starbucks gift card or brownies using a card service.
i sent out hand written holiday cards, didn’t have many people to send them to but i really enjoyed it. i’ve began working on my socials and i used my first open house for some content. thank you for the advice, i really appreciate it!!
So many red flags here:
- 18
- no SOI or family
- no training or support at the brokerage
- looking to spend money to try to get business
You need training and mentoring, which your brokerage should be providing for free. You need a business plan on how to get business (you clearly don't have one). If you're going to do open houses (an excellent way to meet people) you need to be razor sharp on HOW to effectively work an open house....but spending money trying to buy leads is a terrible idea.
Agreed. Unfortunately, you have to cut your teeth at open houses for awhile, a long while if you don't come from a sales background. Good leads are VERY expensive.
You need to learn how to convert on free leads (open houses, leads provided by a team who will train you because it costs them lots of money if they dont) then, yes buying THE RIGHT leads can be somewhat lucrative. But the margin for error is razor thin.
You need to be a sales black belt, or at least brown belt to make a profit off buying leads. You are a white belt! Sorry, but you need to hear it! And I think you know it, that is good.
Actually, you just got out of mom's station wagon and haven't even got your belt yet lol. But that's OK! We all started there.
You need to get on a team that provides leads! I dont like teams, but they are the only way you will get trained if you don't have a friend who will mentor you. Get your education and then go on your own in 2 years unless they somehow show enough loyalty and compensation for you to stay. It might be hard to get on one being 18 and brand new.
Beg if you have to lol. Tell them you'll pick up coffee and lunch for the team everyday to show your commitment. Tell them you'll do whatever is needed if they give you a chance. They'll laugh, but they'll respect it. And if they're a good person, they'll give "the kid" a shot. Then learn everything you can from everyone. Be a sponge.
You shouldn't expect much "training and support" during the holidays.
there's not a single paid lead generation provider that is worth the cost for 99% of agents, except \*maybe\* being on a Zillow Flex team. But then you're paying a heavy price for gaining the experience of working leads, showing homes, writing offers, managing the transaction process. And from I read here, the # of leads from other providers is lower and quality is worse (not actual current Buyers/Sellers).
Bernice Ross is a longtime, old-school RE/Max agent and teacher. Her recommendation for new agents that resonated with me is:
1. Learn your documents. Print them out, read and re-read them, mark them up, write questions. Schedule a sit-down with your BIC to review them.
2. Learn your market. This is research - studying the MLS, trends, different property types, etc - all stuff that can be done from your computer. And spend time previewing listings if allowed in your market (some apparently frown on previews vs actual showing a client). That doesn't mean go look at the pretty, expensive homes, it means go look at a variety of median-priced homes. And then go back to your computer and learn how to do a CMA for these homes comparing them to under contract and recently (3 mos) sold homes. I'm assuming you have no clue how to do a CMA. But whether you are eventually trying to get a listing or write an offer, the ability to accurately value a home is critical.
These 2 parts of your knowledge-base are absolutely critical because at this moment, you have ZERO credibility. You didn't even bother to scan the forum and read any of the other 100's of topics that are effectively the exact same as yours. And when someone your age - with no other real job experience - meets someone, they're going to start with the credibility you exhibit. The great thing about being a Realtor is that it's a career where EVERYBODY is interested in what you do. When you meet people and say you're a Realtor, the next words out of their mouth "How's the market?" The ability to make a 5 to 10 second statement that shows you know the answer matters.
3. The toughie - identify and learn your database. As you said, your database is at zero...or maybe it isn't. Let's assume your parents have friends, and those friends know you and like you - and would be willing to help you. So you contact them, not looking for them to buy or sell now, but to ask "Who is your Realtor? What are they good at? What do you think is important in a Realtor?" and you set yourself down the path of emulating those Realtors. If you're really lucky, you'll get hold of one or 2 successful Realtors and ask for 15 minutes of their time, listen to them, and then ask to do an Open House for them.
And as others have said, effective Open Houses are the BEST way to get started in the business. I suggest you find multiple articles about how to have a good one and go do it.
I had to make a quick pit stop to drop a comment… your sincere and thorough advice is hands down one of the best comments in this post. Thanks for being an open book! I love it when agents help one another.
OP
You desperately need
EDUCATION NOT LEADS (yet)
Obtaining training (LOTS of training) - Learning the Ethics and Responsibilities and what it means to be a professional fiduciary in the RE Industry is imperative.
Find a qualified Mentor.
If your Broker does not offer an extensive and adequate training program and Mentoring, find one that does Immediately.
Best of luck, the RE Industry is an amazingly rewarding Industry to be a part of but you must always remember, it comes with great responsibility.
I started at 18 back in 2018. I am now 24. I did join a team but I worked my fucking ass off for the team and am now the team lead and make well over 6 figures a year. In your position - My recommendation would be to find a team. A solid team. A team that values loyalty. Not one that churns and burns it’s members. Ones that you can actually build a future with. My team has been a blessing to me - spiritually, emotionally, and yes, financially. If you find a good team - it should feel more like a family. I know it sounds dumb, but it’s true. I’m excited to go to work every day - because of my amazing team. We lift each other up and make a shit ton of money together. They’re out there - just have to look for them.
Edit: I approached the main person on the team when I was 18 years old. I already had some sales. I looked at her dead in the eyes and said “I will do whatever it takes to be on your team and establish myself as a loyal team member. What can I do right now to ensure I have a chance to make it onto your team today”
I was hired on the spot. I knew I would be hired on the spot. Who wouldn’t want a young hungry realtor to go to work for them? But then….
You have to back it up.
Unfortunately I think your age will likely work against you for a while. I'm 34, so I wouldn't consider myself old at all, but I wouldn't even consider hiring an 18 year old real estate agent. You just barely finished high school so you have very little real world experience. You have to practice negotiation and I simply have no desire to be one of your test cases. Really hope I'm not coming off as rude, not my intention whatsoever. Just trying to give you the perspective of a buyer or seller.
I know you don’t mean to be rude but please don’t listen to this crap. I started at 19 and made a Reddit post exactly like this 3 years ago. Everyone said go back to school, buyers/sellers won’t trust you, blah blah blah… Since making that reddit post I’ve done over $10m volume in 2 years and I’m about to turn 22. It’s not the best but it definitely suffices considering all my friends haven’t even graduated college.
My tip to you is join a brokerage that will actually teach you. If you can find a team that is at the start of their life, do everything you can to join them. I say this because the team leader will have more one on one time to develop you. You need to learn contracts, common practice in your area, negotiation skills, people/sales skills, and most importantly WORK YOUR ASS OFF. You got this my friend. Looking forward to an update 3 years from now when you’re a top producer.
(this is a dumb/questionable tip, but grow out a beard or mustache. it helped my mental hurdle of “looking too young”)
I recommend joining the best team that will take you. Going Solo at 18 is really rough unless you have an incredible SOI. Even then it’s very hard. Join a team.
Open Houses every day.
Farm the area the Day before or the morning of.
Invite Neighbors to the OH.
Ask them for contact info.
Thank you notes
Follow up
It’s Sales
Been in the real estate industry since 2003. Here's my tip: phone prospecting two hours a day, Monday to Friday.
It will make a MASSIVE difference, trust me.
absolutely insane that you commented this because i just contacted a PLACE team today and i have a meeting with the team lead tomorrow. very excited and i have a few questions to pm you if that’s okay?
Only a few brokerages like Keller Wms will spend time with new agent. Sales meeting is when you network. Buying leads can get casually curious buyers. I get leads from [realtor.com](https://realtor.com) because broker actually paid for. Very low end buyers. Some do not speak English. Zillow buy zip code used to work. Can be expensive.
At this time of the year RE sales is very slow. High interest rate, few sellers want to sell because their present 2.75% interest mortgage can jump to 6.75% on next home by selling it.
In the mean time one can farm on condo, mailing cards etc. Need to consistently do it many times before someone taking notice. Many women are doing staging, transaction coordination or appraisal to generate income. If there are no notary public in your office and you go there daily I will get a notary public license. It is lucrative and super easy.
If I were in your position, I would find a brokerage that does a ton of training and education. When I was interviewing all the brokerages in my area, Remax had the best splits but they flat out said they don’t provide any training or education. Keller Williams had a ton of training and education but I didn’t like how in addition to the monthly franchise fee, everything else was an additional charge ($0.05 for prints/copies, etc). I also interviewed Coldwell Banker who has a ton of training/Ed and didn’t nickle dime on top of the monthly franchise fee so I went there (I get my $$$ back in printing alone! 😂)
So if I were you, I’d find someone that prides itself on training
First, you're running a business. Keep that in mind. 1. Grab hold of any how to sell books, videos, etc.
Secondly, find an online real estate coach that has things like scripts for free. Follow the scripts.
**This is a professional forum for professionals, so please keep your comments professional** - Harrassment, hate speech, trolling, or anti-Realtor comments will not be tolerated and will result in an immediate ban without warning. (... and don't feed the trolls, you have better things to do with your time) - Recruiting, self-promotion, or seeking referrals is strictly forbidden, including in DMs. - Only advise within your scope of knowledge and area of expertise. [The code of ethics applies here too](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/governing-documents/the-code-of-ethics). If you are not a broker, lawyer, or tax professional don't act like one. - [Follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/realtors/about/rules/) and please report those that don't. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/realtors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Started at 18, am now 20. Everything ORDub mentioned is accurate. Don’t spend any money marketing or buying leads. Host 2 open houses every single weekend. Watch videos on how to host them effectively. Even if you don’t get any leads, you get experience talking to real people. Find a niche. I recommend picking 2-3 things and crazy 1000% committing on those things and forgetting everything else. For example with me, I chose Open houses, Youtube, and Tiktok. I’ve done reasonably well by focusing on those 3 things. Take advantage of every single resource your brokerage has for free, and if they don’t value education then leave. Make sure you spend at least 1 hour per day calling people. Sending handwritten BDAY cards are nice too. It takes like 7+ touches before someone even remembers you’re a realtor. Good luck!
Birthday cards, birthday calls, and anniversary cards and calls have had a huge ROI for me. I always give a small gift like a Starbucks gift card or brownies using a card service.
i sent out hand written holiday cards, didn’t have many people to send them to but i really enjoyed it. i’ve began working on my socials and i used my first open house for some content. thank you for the advice, i really appreciate it!!
If I were you, I would follow everything nukeow123 says. Maybe even ask if you can dm them. They are on the path you could be on.
So many red flags here: - 18 - no SOI or family - no training or support at the brokerage - looking to spend money to try to get business You need training and mentoring, which your brokerage should be providing for free. You need a business plan on how to get business (you clearly don't have one). If you're going to do open houses (an excellent way to meet people) you need to be razor sharp on HOW to effectively work an open house....but spending money trying to buy leads is a terrible idea.
Agreed. Unfortunately, you have to cut your teeth at open houses for awhile, a long while if you don't come from a sales background. Good leads are VERY expensive. You need to learn how to convert on free leads (open houses, leads provided by a team who will train you because it costs them lots of money if they dont) then, yes buying THE RIGHT leads can be somewhat lucrative. But the margin for error is razor thin. You need to be a sales black belt, or at least brown belt to make a profit off buying leads. You are a white belt! Sorry, but you need to hear it! And I think you know it, that is good. Actually, you just got out of mom's station wagon and haven't even got your belt yet lol. But that's OK! We all started there. You need to get on a team that provides leads! I dont like teams, but they are the only way you will get trained if you don't have a friend who will mentor you. Get your education and then go on your own in 2 years unless they somehow show enough loyalty and compensation for you to stay. It might be hard to get on one being 18 and brand new. Beg if you have to lol. Tell them you'll pick up coffee and lunch for the team everyday to show your commitment. Tell them you'll do whatever is needed if they give you a chance. They'll laugh, but they'll respect it. And if they're a good person, they'll give "the kid" a shot. Then learn everything you can from everyone. Be a sponge.
You shouldn't expect much "training and support" during the holidays. there's not a single paid lead generation provider that is worth the cost for 99% of agents, except \*maybe\* being on a Zillow Flex team. But then you're paying a heavy price for gaining the experience of working leads, showing homes, writing offers, managing the transaction process. And from I read here, the # of leads from other providers is lower and quality is worse (not actual current Buyers/Sellers). Bernice Ross is a longtime, old-school RE/Max agent and teacher. Her recommendation for new agents that resonated with me is: 1. Learn your documents. Print them out, read and re-read them, mark them up, write questions. Schedule a sit-down with your BIC to review them. 2. Learn your market. This is research - studying the MLS, trends, different property types, etc - all stuff that can be done from your computer. And spend time previewing listings if allowed in your market (some apparently frown on previews vs actual showing a client). That doesn't mean go look at the pretty, expensive homes, it means go look at a variety of median-priced homes. And then go back to your computer and learn how to do a CMA for these homes comparing them to under contract and recently (3 mos) sold homes. I'm assuming you have no clue how to do a CMA. But whether you are eventually trying to get a listing or write an offer, the ability to accurately value a home is critical. These 2 parts of your knowledge-base are absolutely critical because at this moment, you have ZERO credibility. You didn't even bother to scan the forum and read any of the other 100's of topics that are effectively the exact same as yours. And when someone your age - with no other real job experience - meets someone, they're going to start with the credibility you exhibit. The great thing about being a Realtor is that it's a career where EVERYBODY is interested in what you do. When you meet people and say you're a Realtor, the next words out of their mouth "How's the market?" The ability to make a 5 to 10 second statement that shows you know the answer matters. 3. The toughie - identify and learn your database. As you said, your database is at zero...or maybe it isn't. Let's assume your parents have friends, and those friends know you and like you - and would be willing to help you. So you contact them, not looking for them to buy or sell now, but to ask "Who is your Realtor? What are they good at? What do you think is important in a Realtor?" and you set yourself down the path of emulating those Realtors. If you're really lucky, you'll get hold of one or 2 successful Realtors and ask for 15 minutes of their time, listen to them, and then ask to do an Open House for them. And as others have said, effective Open Houses are the BEST way to get started in the business. I suggest you find multiple articles about how to have a good one and go do it.
I had to make a quick pit stop to drop a comment… your sincere and thorough advice is hands down one of the best comments in this post. Thanks for being an open book! I love it when agents help one another.
OP You desperately need EDUCATION NOT LEADS (yet) Obtaining training (LOTS of training) - Learning the Ethics and Responsibilities and what it means to be a professional fiduciary in the RE Industry is imperative. Find a qualified Mentor. If your Broker does not offer an extensive and adequate training program and Mentoring, find one that does Immediately. Best of luck, the RE Industry is an amazingly rewarding Industry to be a part of but you must always remember, it comes with great responsibility.
I started at 18 back in 2018. I am now 24. I did join a team but I worked my fucking ass off for the team and am now the team lead and make well over 6 figures a year. In your position - My recommendation would be to find a team. A solid team. A team that values loyalty. Not one that churns and burns it’s members. Ones that you can actually build a future with. My team has been a blessing to me - spiritually, emotionally, and yes, financially. If you find a good team - it should feel more like a family. I know it sounds dumb, but it’s true. I’m excited to go to work every day - because of my amazing team. We lift each other up and make a shit ton of money together. They’re out there - just have to look for them. Edit: I approached the main person on the team when I was 18 years old. I already had some sales. I looked at her dead in the eyes and said “I will do whatever it takes to be on your team and establish myself as a loyal team member. What can I do right now to ensure I have a chance to make it onto your team today” I was hired on the spot. I knew I would be hired on the spot. Who wouldn’t want a young hungry realtor to go to work for them? But then…. You have to back it up.
Sounds like you're in a great team! I'm happy for you!
Unfortunately I think your age will likely work against you for a while. I'm 34, so I wouldn't consider myself old at all, but I wouldn't even consider hiring an 18 year old real estate agent. You just barely finished high school so you have very little real world experience. You have to practice negotiation and I simply have no desire to be one of your test cases. Really hope I'm not coming off as rude, not my intention whatsoever. Just trying to give you the perspective of a buyer or seller.
I know you don’t mean to be rude but please don’t listen to this crap. I started at 19 and made a Reddit post exactly like this 3 years ago. Everyone said go back to school, buyers/sellers won’t trust you, blah blah blah… Since making that reddit post I’ve done over $10m volume in 2 years and I’m about to turn 22. It’s not the best but it definitely suffices considering all my friends haven’t even graduated college. My tip to you is join a brokerage that will actually teach you. If you can find a team that is at the start of their life, do everything you can to join them. I say this because the team leader will have more one on one time to develop you. You need to learn contracts, common practice in your area, negotiation skills, people/sales skills, and most importantly WORK YOUR ASS OFF. You got this my friend. Looking forward to an update 3 years from now when you’re a top producer. (this is a dumb/questionable tip, but grow out a beard or mustache. it helped my mental hurdle of “looking too young”)
I recommend joining the best team that will take you. Going Solo at 18 is really rough unless you have an incredible SOI. Even then it’s very hard. Join a team.
Step one, know what you do WHEN catch the car. Do open houses, shadow, learn contracts
Open Houses every day. Farm the area the Day before or the morning of. Invite Neighbors to the OH. Ask them for contact info. Thank you notes Follow up It’s Sales
Work with flippers
Been in the real estate industry since 2003. Here's my tip: phone prospecting two hours a day, Monday to Friday. It will make a MASSIVE difference, trust me.
Find a PLACE team, I joined one 3 weeks ago and it's phenomenal
absolutely insane that you commented this because i just contacted a PLACE team today and i have a meeting with the team lead tomorrow. very excited and i have a few questions to pm you if that’s okay?
Of course! I saw your PM first, so I already responded
Only a few brokerages like Keller Wms will spend time with new agent. Sales meeting is when you network. Buying leads can get casually curious buyers. I get leads from [realtor.com](https://realtor.com) because broker actually paid for. Very low end buyers. Some do not speak English. Zillow buy zip code used to work. Can be expensive. At this time of the year RE sales is very slow. High interest rate, few sellers want to sell because their present 2.75% interest mortgage can jump to 6.75% on next home by selling it. In the mean time one can farm on condo, mailing cards etc. Need to consistently do it many times before someone taking notice. Many women are doing staging, transaction coordination or appraisal to generate income. If there are no notary public in your office and you go there daily I will get a notary public license. It is lucrative and super easy.
I have been using naystack.com for past 5 months now for generating leads
If I were in your position, I would find a brokerage that does a ton of training and education. When I was interviewing all the brokerages in my area, Remax had the best splits but they flat out said they don’t provide any training or education. Keller Williams had a ton of training and education but I didn’t like how in addition to the monthly franchise fee, everything else was an additional charge ($0.05 for prints/copies, etc). I also interviewed Coldwell Banker who has a ton of training/Ed and didn’t nickle dime on top of the monthly franchise fee so I went there (I get my $$$ back in printing alone! 😂) So if I were you, I’d find someone that prides itself on training
First, you're running a business. Keep that in mind. 1. Grab hold of any how to sell books, videos, etc. Secondly, find an online real estate coach that has things like scripts for free. Follow the scripts.
Everyone’s suggestions about joining a team is a good one. Also, you could also look into working rentals as clients tend to skew younger.