Newbie

[Michael Orakpo]

Hello Guys,

I'm a newbie just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Michael Orakpo & I am a future real estate agent out of Houston, Texas. I love the Keller Williams model & they are my top 3 choices for brokerages. My main question with them would be, as a KW agent is it easy to find a mentor to latch on to ? Also, would it be more ideal to join a team or to find a top selling mentor in the office? Thanks guys will really appreciate the feedback.

[Donald Fetzer]

Michael

Welcome.  I am a Keller Williams realtor in San Antonio with a large office. Although we have a formal mentoring program here, wherein a mentor is assigned and you both agree to a service/compensation arrangement,  I never used it.  Instead I simply attended as many trainings and team meetings as possible and used the bull pen to work on my transactions and ask help from other agents.  In other words I stayed around the campfire absorbing as much as possible and met as many agents as possible.  In turn I have received help and assistance as needed.   We also have transaction coordinators we can employ to take care of all the paperwork.  I am currently in group coaching.  I don't know how big the office is that you are considering but KW has an awesome learning based program and is indeed a family.

Although the "how to's" can be overwhelming and complex, to make sure you have properly addressed all issues, the real challenge and the heart of the business is all about "lead generation".  If you work on a team, say as a buyers agent, in most cases you will be provided most leads, but your compensation will be less.  As an independent agent you will be responsible for finding and developing your own leads which will take time.  So it is important to understand your financial needs and timeline.

There is a high fallout rate for new agents.  Most underestimate how much work it is and are not used to owning and successfully operating their own business, which is what you have.   They have an employee mentality and used to steady income.   They also underestimate how long it will take to generate consistent income and how much it will cost to get their.   I hope this helps.

Donald Fetzer