An agent types on a laptop working on a real estate business plan.

Create an Effective Real Estate Business Plan in Only 8 Simple Steps

Marci Sepulveda Leave a comment

All successful real estate professionals begin their career with a well thought-out and crafted business plan.

This beginning step is essential for agents looking to thrive in the profession, because it allows you to anticipate potential problems, estimate cost, determine best marketing practices and, in the end, make money.

Unfortunately, some agents jump in without first organizing their plan of action, which more often than not results in failure.

The Path to Success

As a real estate agent, you will have to juggle a variety of important tasks, like scheduling appointments, keeping track of calls, leads and customers, and building a database of clients.

Without a business plan, agents lack day-to-day organization and are more likely to become overwhelmed as important tasks fall through the cracks.

The real estate business plan is the backbone of your business. It’s imperative that you create and follow it. But it may surprise you that there are only eight basic steps to master to create a successful real estate business plan.

But Before You Start…

You won’t be able to even begin crafting your plan until you’ve done some careful research and analysis. You should familiarize yourself with your local market through industry reports and real estate news outlets. You should also look into your competition to identify ways to differentiate yourself and see what has and hasn’t worked for others in your market.

You can begin by finding the answers to some basic questions:

  • How many homes are being sold in your area?
  • How do home sales and prices fluctuate from month to month?
  • How many agents there are in your market?
  • What separates you from them?

The Biggest Mistake Agents Make

The biggest mistake you can make when devising a business plan is to set unrealistic expectations for yourself. This is why research is so important: it gives you perspective on the market and what kind of attainable short-term and long-term goals to set for yourself.

Remember, you can always adjust your business plan along the way, but creating a plan now sets you up to achieve your goals later.

Are you ready to learn the eight steps to creating a successful real estate business plan? Then check out AgentEDU’s course series called Creating a Business Plan, Parts 1 and 2—which along with our other 70 courses on our platform—is available to you for one low monthly price when you sign up for the program.

See also our free downloadable resource, the Real Estate Agent’s Business Plan Template for Top Producers, which you can use as a valuable boilerplate to get you started in the right direction with your business plan.

AgentEDU® is a platform where agents at every level can come to watch 10-minute video courses for the many situations that successful agents must master. From essential to advanced level and everything in between, AgentEDU® courses help agents become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth.

AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.

A real estate agent meets with prospective clients in a cafe

The 5 Steps of A Killer Listing Presentation

Marci Sepulveda Leave a comment

Real estate agents have a lot to prove. How do you show prospective clients you have what it takes to sell their home?

Your value to your clients (and potential clients) lies largely in your ability to handle the details of their home search, transaction and closing that they aren’t equipped to handle themselves. They need to believe in you.

If your listing presentations aren’t earning you business, to put it simply: you’re doing it wrong.

Learn How to Get it Right

Most agents will get their chance to prove their merit at the listing appointment.

And make no mistake, you will have a lot to prove: that you have the skills, market knowledge and marketing savvy to effectively market their home; that you can help them get the best price possible; and that no one else can do it better than you can.

If that seems overwhelming, know that there are actually only five basic steps you need to follow for a winning listing presentation.

But First…

Before you’re ready to set your meeting in motion and execute those five steps, there’s some groundwork to be done.

You can begin setting the tone by being the proactive party in setting up the appointment and securing important details, such as:

  • Making sure that you’re meeting with people who can actually make a buying decision
  • If you can’t meet at the client’s home, confirming that the location has everything you need to present (a table, adequate seating, privacy, a quiet atmosphere)
  • Checking in the day before you’re scheduled to meet

These items may seem like common sense, but chances are your clients are busy and distracted by work, kids, or the demands of transitioning into a new home, so they’ll appreciate an agent who can keep things on track and hit the right balance between taskmaster and adviser.

Don’t Sabotage The Process With A Bad First Impression

All this preparation feeds into the overall impression you’ll make on the client. Before they feel ready to commit to anything, they need to be certain about you.

So do your research, create an agenda for yourself and dress to impress.

In a listing presentation, your sellers are trying to get a feel for how you work and whether you’ll be the right person for the job. So you’ll need to do your homework and show that you’re invested in them as clients and understand their situation:

  • What do you know about their neighborhood?
  • What do you know about their property?
  • What are the sellers’ names, whose is on the title, and what is their financial situation?

The more information you have, the more prepared you’ll be to handle their individual needs.

Are you ready to learn the five steps of a killer listing presentation? Then check out AgentEDU’s course series called The 5 Steps of a Listing Presentation, Parts 1 and 2—which along with our other 70 courses on our platform—is available to you for one low monthly price when you sign up for the program.

AgentEDU® is a platform where agents at every level can come to watch 10-minute video courses for the many situations that successful agents must master. From essential to advanced level and everything in between, AgentEDU® courses help agents become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth.

AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.