How did you get started in real estate?

[Josh Nix]

I often get asked this question and I’d like to start off my answer by saying that my road to real estate isn’t easy to replicate. This is because each person has different resources and relationships that can help them along the way — whether it be more time or money to devote, a different market, or different relationships. Thankfully, there are many roads to a successful real estate career and mine is just one of them.

While the exact blueprint of how I ended up here may be different than your own will be, there are some key lessons from my journey that are transferable to anyone who wants to grow and progress — whether it be in real estate, business, or just life in general. I’d like to share one of them with you here.

Do what you say you’re going to do.

The magic of this principle isn’t actually the act of doing, it’s what the act of doing says about you and your character. When you practice this principle consistently, people recognize that you are someone of integrity and they trust your word. While my father began teaching me this principle when I was young, I first started to notice its payoffs and take his advice to heart after starting my handyman business in 2010.

The construction industry is notoriously known for no-shows, overcharges, and project extensions. By applying this principle to every interaction, I set myself apart. After a couple years, I had many loyal customers and endless amounts of work. I was even entrusted with clients’ garage codes and house keys because I had proven myself trustworthy over and over again.

To apply this to my real estate career, here’s a quick story about one breakthrough moment in time. I had built a good reputation for myself over the years. One day in 2014, I received a call out of the blue from an individual who wanted to get into flipping houses. He had heard about me from his co-workers who knew me and knew my character. While he had plenty of money to get started, he didn’t have the time to manage the project.

We completed and sold our first flip together at the end of 2015. This led to us partnering on a couple flips and was a major turning point in my career and my life. That one call opened up many new relationships and opportunities for me, but it didn’t happen overnight. I was intentional about my reputation and relationships and they paid off over the long run in a big way.

The short of it: Build your character by doing what you say you’re going to do. This integrity will strengthen your reputation and give you credibility, opening up new relationships that can help take you places you never thought possible in your career.