How I Doubled My Business

Re-upping this quick video to share how I doubled my business.

If you have any questions or comments—maybe you’ve also set ambitious goals for yourself and want to share how you achieved them—please post them in the Comments section below. I’d also love to know what other topics you’d like me to write or create a video about, so feel free to share those here as well. I’ll check in here again soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Are You a Single Mom? Do You Know One? Read This...

Are you a single mom?

I've been there.

I will never forget the day I had to go look at apartments alone. I had been living in a huge, beautiful house as a family. But now it was time for me to face the reality of renting a small place for just me and the kids.

Divorce sucks. Until you're a single parent, you can't understand the stress and pressure that goes along with it. I know I didn’t until I experienced it myself.

But I refused to believe that I couldn’t have a successful, joyful and financially secure life.

It was hard. I'm not gonna lie. But I found other single moms to inspire and encourage me. I refused to believe the lie that everything would be a struggle because I was on my own.

If you are where I was, I want to help.  I have learned to, not only survive, but THRIVE on my own. Fast forward a few years and I even found a way to buy a place of my own. I built a great business and I truly believe that you can do the same.

Watch this video and then send me a message at rebeccad@kw.com. I can't wait to hear from you!

The Thing We're Not Supposed to Talk About...

There's a list of things that we're not supposed to talk about in polite conversation, right? And money is one of them. But sometimes things need to be said and we have to get real and get honest because when we do we can help other people save money or make more of it.

The former is the reason for this post.

When I meet with aspiring agents, or with people who are starting to consider real estate as a career, I share the information that I think is critical for them to know. And some of that is about the costs associated with studying for a license. (There are others associated with actually being an agent, but I'll address those in another post.)

The online course I recommend, and the course we follow in our office when we teach the live version of the class, is Rockwell. It's not cheap. As of this writing, it runs approx. $489 plus tax.

Yeah.

That face you're probably making now is the same expression I see on the faces of many of the people I meet with during career orientations.

And some of them look at other education providers, many of which are less expensive than Rockwell.

So why do I recommend such a relatively expensive study program?

It's really, honestly because I think Rockwell is the best. That's all. The curriculum is comprehensive and strong; you get access to online courses AND textbooks with quizzes and final exams; and their test prep (the CRAM section and 12 sample exams) set you up for success on the real thing like no other system I've reviewed.

I have had students who chose one of the less expensive options succeed on the exam. But more often than not, I'll get an email or call from them because they're frustrated by the material or because they took the licensing exam and failed after weeks or months of studying. They then usually end up paying for the Rockwell courses, so when it's all said and done they've paid the $489 plus another $200-$300 for the other course and a failed licensing exam.

Not a huge savings after all.

Success rate-wise, Rockwell boasts an 86% and 87% first try pass rate on the National and State exams, respectively, in Washington. The average for the others is 58% and 63%, National and State. So, if you're a person who prefers statistics to anecdotal data from an agent and blog writer, that's for you :-)

(By way of a disclaimer, I'm not on Rockwell's payroll, they don't send me free stuff and they have no idea I'm writing this post.)

As always, feel free to leave your comments and questions below or watch my 1+1=4 Math Video here. Thanks and I'll check back in here again soon!

5 Misconceptions About Careers in Real Estate

There are a few misconceptions about real estate careers that I'd like to address today. These are by no means the only ones (sadly), but there the one's that come up most often when I talk to people about this career. Okay, here we go...

Misconception #1: It's an easy job.

It's not.

It is a very rewarding career. It's a career that's challenging in some wonderful ways. It's a career in which you have the potential to define and achieve your own success. But it isn't easy. We work hard to earn a license and to stay current on the laws that regulate our industry. We spend time building our reputations and relationships, so that we can have long-lasting careers. I tell the aspiring agents I work with that I use the word "career" and don't use the word "job" deliberately. At my brokerage, agents are essentially building businesses within the company. We set our own goals and make plans for reaching them. As our business grows we can hire our own support staff, transaction coordinators, and listing agents. So, it's definitely not a 9-5 job. But I think that's a good thing!

Misconception #2: It's a cutthroat business and agents will do anything for a sale.

Oh my goodness, does this one bother me! I feel like the agents I work with and have gotten to know over the years are some of the most supportive and encouraging people I've ever met AND incredibly generous with their time and knowledge. Keller Williams really fosters this culture with our new agent coaching program, but there are specific examples that spring to mind. I work with an agent who has the corner on a particularly large market here in the Northwest. When new agents come on staff, he'll let them work his (many) open houses, so that they have the chance to meet prospective clients and gain valuable face-to-face marketing experience.

Secondly, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has a code of ethics and standards of practice to which all of their members commit to honoring. If you'd like to check it out, click here. There are also laws that govern what Realtors can and cannot do and say. At Keller Williams we formalized our own belief system and gave it a name, WI4C2TS. It guides how we treat each other and our clients. It's on my homepage, but here it is again:

belief-system-poster

Are there unethical real estate agents? Sure. There are dishonest and unethical people in every profession. But the vast majority of us are honest and ethical and abide by a strict set of rules.

Misconception #3: It's expensive to get started.

It does cost some money for licensing, that's definitely true. But it's a far, far smaller financial investment than say, a 4-year college degree. The cost varies by state, so I can't give you a number that will be accurate. I guess my point would be, don't assume it's financially out of reach. You can easily research the costs in your area. If there's a brokerage you think you might want to work for once you're licensed, they can help you figure out what you need to budget for study materials, licensing exams and other fees.

Misconception #4: If I'm not a natural sales person, I won't be successful.

I would say that you have to be a good communicator and a good teacher, but not necessarily a "sales person," by the traditional definition.  You do need the ability to talk to people; to connect with them; to hear what their needs are and gauge whether your particular skills and expertise are a good fit for them. And then you need the ability to communicate who you are and what you offer in a genuine way. Lots of successful agents don't have a "sales" background. I think I may have said this before on the blog, but I find that teachers, baristas and bartenders are common backgrounds for real estate agents. It's something about the patience, communication skills, service mindset and attention to detail, that makes them successful. I think.

Misconception #5: Real estate careers are a good side gig/part-time job.

I've done a blog post dedicated to just this topic, but I'll give you the shortened version here and then you can go back and read that post by clicking this link.  I think it's impossible to stay up on all of the laws, regulations and details required to represent clients well if you aren't in it full-time. There are just too many moving pieces and the consequences of missing something are too grave to part-time this career. So if you find yourself in a position where you have to straddle the fence of 2 careers at 1 time, you would benefit from joining a team so that you can have the support you need to stay on it and your clients receive the best care possible. Or let's talk about referrals.... This is a great option for people who can't be 100% dedicated to the business. Ask me and we can go over the details together.

Thanks again for reading! Check out my Rebecca Math video here. I'll be back here with a new post again soon!

Single Mom?

I've been there. I will never forgot the day I had to go look at apartments alone. I had been living in a huge, big, beautiful house as a family and now it was time for me to face the reality of renting a small place for just me and the kids. Divorce sucks. I refused to believe that I was going to become a statistic. I chose LIFE instead of struggle. It was hard, I'm not gonna lie but I was determined to find other successful single moms to inspire me and I refused to believe the lie that everything would be a struggle. Until you're a single parent, you can't understand all that it involves. I want to help. 

I remember reading countless self help books and left feeling like I didn't have anyone I could confide in about finances or mindset struggles of a single mom. If that's you, I want to help.  I have learned to not only survive but THRIVE and fast forward a few years and I found a way to buy a place of my own, build a great business of my own and I want to help you do the same!  

Watch the video on the home page called "Rebecca Math" and then send me a message. I can't wait to hear from you.