What are the first things I should be doing as a new agent?

[Hari Mann]

Hi everyone! I have just become a real estate agent in the Northern Virginia area and I was hoping to get some advice on how to start making deals happen. I've told my family and friends about my new career and this has led to one listing in Fredericksburg so I will continue to market by word-of-mouth.

What other things can a new agent do to generate listings or leads?

[Brandon L.]

@Hari Mann  @Eddy Dumire   

I got licensed recently and I am taking some time to set a foundation for generating business, before I go out there and start flailing around like I see some new licensees doing.  There is so many approaches it can be overwhelming. This is what I have come up with for myself.

I am going to specialize in FSBO properties, buy and hold/flip investors, facebook ads, and FB group posts for buyer leads

I created a pretty lengthy "how to sell your home" guide for FSBO properties, I plan to stay in front of other agents by actually knocking on doors, and delivering the guide to them in person, and then using that to set up a follow up appointment when I can deliver a free CMA.

People do business with who they know, like, and trust, by approaching the FSBO in this way I will be ahead of all the other agents who just call and call waiting for the owners to list with them. I will be developing a relationship where I am providing tremendous value to the owner, and if they do sell the house thats great too because it will generate referral business.

I have already set up the MLS to send me updates that are possible candidates for flips, because I am personally looking to flip my first property. Being up to date on everything coming on the market that is an investment candidate puts me in a great position to get deals that meet my criteria, as well as keep an eye out for properties that may meet other investors buying criteria.

I have created squeeze pages that will be coupled with free buyer guides I get from a service that I subscribe to. With facebook I can specifically target the ideal buyer I want to work with all the way down to income level, and zip code. I will drive this traffic to the squeeze pages, capture the lead info and follow up to set appointments and get the contracts signed. 

In addition to all this, networking online and offline is a top priority. The more people I meet, and can add to my personal fb page the better. Having them there allows them to see the type of person I am, which all goes back to people knowing, liking, and trusting me. 

I am looking to start a group with newer agents in the area so we can pool our knowledge and shorten the learning curve so we all can close a lot of sales so we do not become statistics haha, hit me up privately if you are interested in networking and learning together.