15 Ways to Make Your First Year as a Rookie Realtor a Big Success

Fast forward to a year from now. Where do you hope your real estate career will be?

If you’re a new agent or Rookie Realtor, you probably have goals around the number of deals closed, income earned, momentum gained in your business, and more.

In other words, as a new real estate agent, you want to cross that first-year finish line a winner!

With that in mind, here are 25 proven tips for doing just that.

1. Lean in In your first year as a new real estate agent, you need to work hard and be determined to succeed. That’s going to take some hard work, but to build a real estate career of your dreams, it’s worth it.
2. Make it an adventure A mindset that will make your first year as a Rookie Realtor more fulfilling is to think if it as an exciting journey or adventure. That will help you ride the ups and downs that are inevitable in your first year.
3. Take care of yourself While working hard is important, so is rest and rejuvenation. So, don’t forget to factor that into your schedule. According to a INC Magazine article by Rhett Power, “You’ll focus better at work if you take your weekly rejuvenation time.”
4. Build your network One of the most important things you need to do in your first year as a Rookie Realtor is to establish relationships with professionals in your local “home” industry: contractors, mortgage advisors, etc., as well as prospects and clients. Be sure you get the best real estate CRM for that.
5. Connect with one new referral source a week To get the ball rolling on building your network, get in the habit of connecting with one new business-to-business referral source each week. Invite that person to lunch, a coffee, or a ZOOM call. Do that and it’s almost impossible not to have made several solid connections within a year.
6. Get a great website Ideally, your lead-generating Realtor website should position you as the go-to agent for the kind of clients you’re seeking. It should also be well-written and communicate your brand, services, and biography with impact and persuasion.
7. Add a lead capture form Ideally, your agent website should also include a form where you can capture the names and emails of prospects who visit your site. According to many studies, upwards of 85% of prospects will check out your website but not contact you. If you have a good lead-capture form, you’ll be able to follow-up with many of those real estate leads that would otherwise be lost.
8. Focus on marketing systems, not marketing activities The worst mistake you can make in your first year as a Rookie Realtor is to run in all directions with your real estate marketing tools. That will just exhaust and frustrate you. Instead, focus on real estate marketing systems. The better the systems you have, the more real estate leads and referrals you’ll generate.
9. Start a real estate geographic farm During your first year as a new real estate agent, you may not have many contacts. So, this is the ideal period to select and work a geographic farm. By targeting a specific area, you’ll become known to those residents sooner and start generating real estate leads this year — and an increasing number of leads in future years. A good geographic marketing system is the easiest and surest way to accomplish this.
10. Be referral-worthy Give every client you work with the VIP treatment. Do a great job for them. Make sure they have a positive experience with your services. It’s more important than you may think. A happy client will not only be more likely to use your services again foron their next move, they’ll also be more apt to recommend you to friends and neighbors. According to research by NAR, the average homeowner is in a position to recommend an agent to someone two to three times a year. That’s a lot of potential real estate referrals!
11. Stay in touch with clients While doing a wonderful job for your clients is important, you won’t get many referrals until you stay in touch with them. That’s why a good client referrals system is so important. It makes it easy to touch base with past clients once a month. That keeps you top-of-mind so when that client gets asked, “Do you know a good real estate agent?” you’ll get the referral.
12. Leverage the power of real estate direct mail Real estate direct mail, and particularly real estate newsletters, work extremely well in generating real estate leads and client referrals. Direct mail is so much more than just a real estate marketing tool; it’s physical, interactive and, when done correctly, makes a big impact! Make sure direct mail is part of any real estate marketing system you use.
13. Follow-up with clients after the sale The easiest sin you can commit as a Rookie Realtor is to close the transaction and then move on. That sends the message to your client that you’re just in it for the money. You should follow-up after the sale several times — by phone, email and at least one personal visit — during the 90 days after the transaction. That will help you solidify your reputation with the client even further, leading to more real estate referrals down the road.
14. Write down your goals You’ve probably heard that those who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. That isn’t just a platitude, it’s the truth. In fact, according to an article in Huffington Post, studies show that you’re 42% more likely to achieve a written goal than a goal that only lives in your head.
15. Work with companies who care When it comes to real estate marketing systems and other products, services and apps, the kind of company you’re dealing with is just as important as what they offer. You want to work with a company that cares about their clients, has proven solutions, and has decades of experience. In other words, a company with a stellar reputation.

To go back to tip number two, you’re on an amazing adventure. This first year as a new real estate agent will define much of the rest of your career. So, follow these tips and work with the right partners.

You’ve got this!