Best New Agent Advice

[Amanda Magwood]

What is the best advice you would give a new agent or someone thinking of starting out as an agent?

I am currently a military member and found out I will likely return to Hawaii this summer. Over the past year I sold off my three single family investment properties and began to shift my focus to small multi-family homes. Hawaii isn't a cheap market to jump into so I am thinking of shifting my focus to the real estate sales side for the 3-6 years I am in Hawaii and any money made to continue to invest in the Augusta, ga, Dallas TX and Tampa, Fl areas. 

From the time Hawaii was identified as a strong possibility I began market research ( I did live in Hawaii for four years prior so it is not a completely new area for me), educating myself on marketing, building a real estate business, generating leads, the top brokers and agents in the area, successful business models and was to track leads. I like to hit the ground running hard and fast but what do you wish you would have known before entering real estate?

[Nathan Gesner]

My #1 recommendation as a new agent: stay out of Hawaii. That place is a disaster waiting to happen and I think you're more likely to see people with money leaving than going in.

Second, you need at least six months of living income while you get started in the business. I would actually recommend a full year for Hawaii because it's so expensive and the market can be tough.

Third, hustle. It's a job. Those agents you see spending half their time at the gym, taking cruises, and going home early for a nap? Those are the ones that either hustled a long time ago and are enjoying the fruit of their labor or they're living off a pension, spouses income, no debt, and other advantages you haven't earned yet. Most agents take 2-3 years to really start earning a living. The only ones that are successful their first year are the ones that work long, hard hours pressing palms, kissing babies, driving all over God's green earth, answering phone calls at 11:30pm, writing emails at 4am, and generally working like their life depended on it.