Advice for picking which brokerage to work with when getting my license

[Travis McNiel]

Hi! I live in central New York and am currently working on getting my real estate license. I need help in what to look for in choosing a broker. I currently work for a family owned construction company who owns several mixed use commercial/ residential buildings. I work as a property manager for them and manage all units, 95 in total. I am pursuing my license because I want increase my knowledge and ability for leasing their units and I want to be able to sell and lease units for others. I would also be looking for a brokerage that works well with someone who would be running their own property management company on top of it. That is the other reason I am pursuing my license. I am looking for any advice anyone has in choosing a broker or if anyone has an opinion on if I should just go and pursue getting my brokers license right after the salesperson license. I believe I have enough experience built up to bypass the 2 year working under a broker requirement in my state.

Thank you

[Hamp Lee III]

Welcome to BP!

I've been an agent for a few months. Outside of the training program my brokerage has, I've been sticking with a few of things.

1. Study, Study, Study. Train, Train, Train. You've probably discovered by now that the information you studied to pass your real estate exam doesn't even scratch the surface of all you need to learn to be a good real estate agent. So, I would recommend going through your brokerage training (if they have one), reading books, watching videos, and listening to podcasts. There are a couple of great books in the BP bookstore on being an agent.

2. Select a brokerage. I’m rather new, but my decision to choose a brokerage largely came from what I needed now.

I’m active duty Air Force and found that many brick and mortar brokerages wouldn’t work for me. I found a great cloud-based brokerage that will allow me to train without physically being in the office taking leave from my military position.

I think about finding a brokerage like going shoe shopping. What works for you today may not work tomorrow. Make the best decision for you today. If it doesn’t work, make the best decision that day. There are so many options otherwise that will keep your head spinning.

Lastly, remember that you are interviewing the brokerages not the other way around. Be yourself and go in with what you are looking for. I had three things, but they changed as I visited more brokerages and narrowed down what I wanted.

3. Select a niche. There's so much we can do as real estate agents. If you don't select a niche, you'll spin around in circles trying to do a little of everything and not mastering anything. I suggest starting with what you're already doing. I'm an active duty member who invests. I’m a third-generation real estate investor. I'm also a church pastor who wants to help people, so I'm mixing them to form my niche. I want to help families build their financial legacies through real estate.

4. Provide value to others. Posting on BP and sharing real estate information with your sphere of influence (and social media) is a great way to get started. It lets others know you're a real estate agent, and you know what you're talking about. It's a great way to build trust. Farming your local subdivision with monthly newsletters can also do this, depending on your niche. Believe me, people will reach out to you.

5. Identify the needs of your SOI. Your SOI may have specific needs. Many of the people in my SOI want to use their VA loan a second time or start investing. So, I'll adjust my messages to focus on those areas. Your SOI is unique, but when you provide value to them, you might see an even greater return.

I wish you all the best!