All Forum Posts by: Jose L Torres

@Dorian Redden I would join a brokerage and go for it.  I advise you to interview brokerages again. Things change quite a bit in a year and a half.  Gaining knowledge, access to systems, and processes is key to be successful in the connected economy.  Find someone that is willing to invest in your education and provides the coaching and mentoring we all need when we first start.

I passed my exam last week and interviewed about 8 different brokerages. I ended up joining Keller Williams. I am on day 3 of training and I could not be happier with my choice.  I am learning a lot about the business, systems and processes that I know will make me successful. That said I what works for me may not work for you, so you have to do your due diligence and find a team that will be a good match for how you learn and work.  You  are looking for compatibility first, then everything else I mentioned above.

Also, be mindful that different offices have different brokers, so if you find a team you like, interview another office of the same company, so you can compare.

Good luck on your journey!

Jose

Hi!  

I wanted to provide an update.  After about 8 interviews and a lot of evaluation, I decided to join Keller Williams On The Water in Bradenton, FL.  Started there yesterday!

It was a difficult decision, every team I met had some unique things I liked.  I even interview two different KW offices.  In the end the decision came selecting a partner I felt aligned closely with my vision and could help me achieve my goals.

I am very excited to start on this new journey!

@David Telp - Hi David!  

Here is an update, after going through about 8 different Interviews, I ended up joining KellerWilliams On The Water. Started there yesterday. 

I actually interviewed two different KellerWilliams offices in the area, each run by a different CEO.  I ended up choosing the one above because I felt it aligned better with my long term goals.

Best of luck on your ongoing journey!

I just got my license and I am also going to be investing.  I am also a Yacht Broker. 

In my process of interviewing RE. Rockets to work with I was very open about what I was doing and my goals.  That way there are no misunderstandings.

Like everything in life, in every Real Estate office there are those who work full time, those that work part-time, and those that work some times. They already have a mix bag of people.

Think of it as this being your business (which it is!), you are not looking for a place to work as much as you are looking for a company to partner with in your journey to success.  Who is going to coach you and mentor you, who provides the most advanced tools for customer interaction and lead generation, who will be invested in your success. Also do you like the people you are meeting in the office is very important.

One of the companies I interviewed even told me that as long as I did a company sale first, I could do two sales for my personal investing without any commission requirements. Not a bad deal!

Hope this helps you in your journey. If you would like to discuss more you can PM me.

Best of luck and success!

I just passed my FL State License exam today.  My advise, do the classroom training. The instructor gives you more information as you go through than doing it online. Do it all in one shot. That way you can keep the content all organized in your head. Take the exam as soon as possible after completing the class. The more time you let pass the more you forget the details. 

if you have a span of time (2 weeks +) between your class ending and taking the exam, suggest you either do a online review or a test course prep.  This helps keep your knowledge fresh.  I did online and would do two test simulations every day.  

Best of luck !

Dual Agency is illegal in Florida.  You can have a Single Agency relationship in which they represent you exclusively. If they already have a seller, they would need to talk to you and have you agree to a change from Single Agency to a Transaction Agency where this person can them work with both parties to complete the transaction.

My advise is that you talk to your agent/broker and ask for what you want.  If you want a single Agency agreement That is what you should ask for.

Good luck! 

Hi Chris,  

I am taking my Florida Real Estate License Exam on Aug 1.  Definitely a problem solver.  Please send me a PM if you need help in Florida.

Jose

Hi Wade!

Congrats on joining a brokerage.  I am undergoing that process myself.

Since this is a relationship business the two questions I always asked are:

1. Who are people I should get to know in my local area? By this I mean business leader, politicians, contractors, other Realtors, Investors etc.  As these are the folks you will likely interact with in order to be successful.

2. If you were me, what would you be doing in the first 30/90/180 days doing this?  Is good to know what work or didn’t work from folks who already have gone through the start-up process. This hopefully will save you some of the growing pains. 

Hope this helps you!

Jose

Well...  First Phase Completed!  Took my week-long Real Estate Licensing Course, passed the test and now I have my certificate to take the State Test.  Waiting for the state to approve my application so I can schedule the test. Something that came out during the course that I had not thought about and that I could use the advice of some of the experts out there.....

As a Real Estate Sales Associate in Florida, you can register with the DBPR as either an LLC, a Professional Association (PA) or a Professional LLC (PLLC) using your name. Meaning you have to use your real name in my case it would be something like "Jose L Torres, LLC".

What has the folks out there who are licensed have done with this?  Is there a Tax advantage of doing one vs the other?  

Any advise on this topic will be greatly appreciated!

Jose

It all depends on how you learn best. If you get easily distracted you may be better off attending class. If you have a lot of self-control and focus, an online class may be the best.

I am currently doing mine via classroom, primarily because I wanted to get it all done quickly, so I am doing a 7 day 8:15 - 5:30 pm class. I also wanted to do it this way because it allowed me to start networking with people that are going to be working in the area and it gives you a group of people to stay in touch with and share information.

The course I'm taking is $295 for the 7 day class. 

Good luck!