My New Years Resolution (which I'll be implementing in December) is to step up my cold-calling game. I don't have a ton of experience at it but I know I need to to it more. (I'm sure we all do.)

I'm a good conversationalist and come off as knowledgeable, so like everyone, I don't want scripts. But I know I need *something* like that, especially since my goal is to make a lot of "touches." I end up having good conversations more often than not when I reach out, but I find it very hard to get to the point organically.

Those of you who've had success: are there any good resources you can recommend to help hone my skills? Even books, podcasts, etc. about sales would be helpful, although I've found that sales tactics from books don't always translate to RE conversations one-to-one, so something RE-specific might be a better place to start.

Thank you!

When joining Keller Williams, how long is the contract if they pay for your real estate course?

The federal government recently updated the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, now covering homes priced up to $1M. This program allows eligible buyers to receive a shared equity loan (5-10% of the home's price) to help reduce their mortgage burden and monthly payments. The catch? The government shares in your home's future appreciation (or depreciation).

With housing prices soaring, this increase seems like a step to help buyers compete, but will it actually make a difference, or just drive prices higher?

Would love to stir up a discussion on how agents are planning to take advantage of the boost!
(US folks, would love to hear about programs you have in the states as well! )

Agents. What is the one thing you wish you had help with? -getting leads -content -follow ups

Hi everyone!

Newly licensed agent here!

I got an Op City referral the buyer says he is a cash buyer who likes the furniture so much that he suggested that he offer $400k over asking.

I want to show him the house, but want to ensure that he’s not lying and wasting my time for a free house tour. Can I ask for proof of funds before showing it? I’m in Pennsylvania. Thanks in advance!

Hello! I’m an aspiring real estate agent in the Dallas area here and I’m seeking a reality check or bit of encouragement. Preferably both! I’d love to get your take on the following…

Did you have a stable job before real estate? Was the leap into real estate worth it? What keeps you motivated to keep working in this field despite the potential instability?

I live in california , I would like to become a property manager not a full time realtor. In order to become a property manager , I am suppose to be a full time realtor for 2 years, also take 150 hours of classes and take the brokerage test. In order to take brokerage test I have to prove being a full time realtor, my question is if realtors work on commission how do you prove full time employment? Thanks, if any one has additional information on the pursuit of becoming a property manager, broker or what schools are california complient with new discrimation laws, would be much appreciated.

I'm looking to hire a real estate virtual assistant - what's your experience been like so far? Also where did you go to find your virtual assistant?

I'm looking for the virtual assistant who has strong english proficiency and can help run my back office by answering emails, communicating with realtors, managing real estate transactions, and other basic admin tasks. Where do I find a real estate virtual assistant who can help with these tasks?

I've been in RE for about 9 years now and I must admit, my follow up with open house leads is absolutely horrible. What systems do you have in place for open house leads or any leads outside of your SOI?

As a licensed GA realtor I am not able to see some listings in the Rossville/Cohutta/Fort Oglethorpe area. It seems to be some special area with it's own MLS since it is a major city on a border between 3 states. Can anyone help me figure out if I have access to these listings and if so, how to view them so I can show them. TIA!

I am a broker of a small team. Jan 1 we were a team of 10 including me. I am now down to 5 including me.

2 left to companies who promised them leads & 3 have just announced they’re leaving the industry due to increased association fees & the NAR settlement.

Is anyone else first hand seeing more agents leave their company due to association fees and NAR settlement?

Hi everyone,

To what extent the sun orientation of a small appartment that you are looking to buy as a real estate rental investment is important ?

I found a small appartment (42m2) in a city (Casablanca, Morocco) where there is sea that fits my criteria, the only downside is its sun orientation (north).

I am not sure if that a big issue or no. Any inputs would be greatly appreciated

Any California brokerages specially in Orange County or Irvine area looking for agents. I am a part time realtor and full student. I have been at my brokerage for about a year now and I am looking for a change.

Sorry for the long read. If you’re someone who’s overcome this then I’d like to hear your mindset shift or what you did on a tactical level to not be in this phase anymore.

I watched endless videos on how to cold call, the psychology of the scripts, where to buy data of homeowners like using redx or vulcan7 for example, etc

Id say im stuck in the new agent mode since I don’t know anything in regards to mortgages, title insurance, inspections. I haven’t spoken to any of those companies that have those services that are in collaboration with my brokerage. I wouldn’t be able to speak on anything with a stranger regarding those services. I definitely never had a signed contract with anyone.

My thing is the contracts. Yes I can watch the videos on how, when, and why to fill out the contracts whether it’s for representing a seller or a buyer in which the broker elaborates on each letter section of the contract or even on YouTube.

Since every situation that a seller or buyer has isn’t a one size fits all, I need to know how to actually maneuver through that challenge.

Keller Williams has an in house TC so I wouldn’t know how to bring it up with them.

(Just to mention, yes I have seen the listing consultation videos from Brandon Mulrenin on how to sell yourself so they hire you, I’ve seen a successful KW team in my area share their buyer consultation strategy)

I say this because I’m scared I’ll go on a consultation one day and they’ll give me details like dates, a certain clause whether it’s on that day or in the future or maybe something with the additional terms section and the verbiage will be off.

It’s like you don’t know what you don’t know. I fear the pre recorded contract material won’t cut it.

(these are just coming of my head so I haven’t actually experienced one)

I think the Mentors only help once you have a signed contract and a deal in the system (command for Keller Williams, skyslope for Exp) which is kind of pointless since they need to see I’m filling everything out correctly and they obviously wont be able to be in person with me as a solo agent

It’s a shame this tiny detail made me quit the industry and I’m in my early 20s with no experience in anything.

I’ve seen from the outside new agents crush it like it’s nothing and I’m hear stagnant. I don’t mean to come off as a d as well but some don’t even speak perfect English or aren’t mentally equipped with the right amount of chromosomes and they crush it as well.

Hi! First time doing a CMA. Im not super confident in my pricing. The criteria im entering is square feet, 20 percent up 20 percent down. Bed, bath. 6 months (but if there's not much criteria I'll go back a year or tweak squarefeet/bed bath etc) and do a 1 mile radius and try to stay in the same zipcofe as the home. The only thing is a lot of these homes aren't similar, im currently doing a CMA for an expired listing that was listed at 1.3, then was adjusted to 1.2 by the prior agent.

Everything in the area has sold between 1.3-900k. How am I supposed to gauge the pricing? A lot of these homes are similar in square feet and in bed bath. I will say some are more upgraded and others aren't as. I feel like im thinking too hard about this. How should look at this? Also, how do I add value or take away on upgrades/extra bedroom/bathroom. I'm in the California market btw. Anything would help, I really don't wanna mess up this cma.

Hello, I am currently a 21 year old licensed real estate agent and going to university for my finance degree. I was wondering if anyone knows any mentors or where to find mentors for real estate or finance. I am looking for some guidance in either of these fields. I am in the Irvine area and any advice would help. Also looking to switch brokerages since my current brokerage doesn't provide enough resources. If there are any brokerages in the OC area that any of you recommend it would be greatly appreciated.

I know we've all seen how crazy the market has gotten, but I wanted to add a datapoint to the discussion. A house listed two weeks ago triggered a bidding war, and it about to close at 200% over the listing price. All cash, of course---mortgage offers just aren't appealing in my metro, since they buyers are so well-qualified. We are in a red-hot remote spot for tech/AI workers with a highly-desirable downtown (greater Indianapolis).

I'm so happy for my future clients, this will help pull up comps and bring them generational wealth. And it's a great sign for our profession, as the stake of these negotiations get higher it becomes even more important to work with an experienced and highly-trained real estate professional like ourselves.

In your experience, do you tend to notice that VA appraisals come in lower than FHA? Is it because the VA has stricter standards for their MPRs?

Just curious what others have seen/experienced!

Thanks :)

I’m a newish agent and first time homeowner. I’m learning all about the wonderful world of property taxes!

I had an idea to do ‘tax season packets’ for some of my neighbors. It’s a brand new construction neighborhood with a lot of first time homebuyers, so I wanted to do some marketing in the form of helping my neighbors get set up for their property taxes. The packet in my head would include:

• A brief ‘what are property taxes’ sheet

• How To’s of filing for homestead exemption

• Types of exemptions that people may qualify for (for example, my husband qualifies for disabled veteran exemption, some neighbors qualify for senior citizen ones, etc.)

• Summary of the dispute process with a QR code to my website where I have a form for people who want me to help them dispute their property taxes (they’ll get a CMA and pointed in the direction of the dispute website)

To clarify, these packets are STRICTLY regarding local property taxes, nothing regarding any other form of taxes.

Last year I got to help another neighbor with this process and I was able to help get his value lowered by a whole bunch of money (I think it was like $50K) and he was so thrilled with the results he told a bunch of his friends about me and some have already contacted me about it for next year. I’d really like to help my other neighbors out as well, even if it’s just walking through the process. I’ve got property tax emails set up to come out in February (our deadline is April), but I feel like packets would give me a chance to actually go talk to people.

I’m thinking of just a handful of packets this year for neighbors I know personally and the people who have contacted me directly, maybe a dozen unless more people call me. If it pans out, maybe it’ll become a larger project that I can have printed every January and mail out?

Logistically, does this sound feasible to y’all or like it’ll be a waste of time? Is there anything y’all would suggest adding or that I’m missing?

Im thinking of hosting an open house for a Bar that’s been stuck on the market for some time. I’ve never done an open house before as where I’m from (Algarve, Portugal) they’re not too common. I can’t find much resource on hosting an open “bar”. This bar is open 6 days a week making me question if hosting an open bar would really be that effective as anyone can pop in from Monday to Friday if they wanted to. Anyone have any experience in doing so? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Has anyone used this before?

I read the court order. Over 400,000 people have made a claim to the lawsuit. I hope ya'll had a good holiday

I'd love to learn the art of negotiation. How did you learn? Do you recommend any books, specific podcast episodes and or YouTube videos?? Would love to hear your tips and how you got better at it! Thank yoU!

I am currently in school for real estate, and I got to the NAR code of ethics and all I heard was an australian person saying no, aka, "naurrrr" I really think this is so funny and I truly wish I could differentiate between the two but I absolutely always say nauuurrrrrrr when thinking of NAR lol

I am a realtor in the NC East Coast market. Home prices have increased significantly over the years, and are not projected to stop going up.

It is next to impossible to find a property that will cash flow positively within at least the first years,(short or long term rental) but the home is almost guaranteed to appreciate within this time. I have clients that want to purchase their FIRST STR. How do you explain to clients that their investment is going to be a long term game, not making money, or losing money in the first few years, but STILL a good purchase? Somebody else has to have first-hand experience with this....right?

I currently make $65K a year at my full-time job, and my employer is willing to let me hang my real estate license under their umbrella. They offer a 70/30 commission split with no brokerage fees, but they provide little to no support for lead generation. Since I need to perform well in my job to maintain my salary and standing, I won’t be able to dedicate too much time to sales.

My plan is to primarily target distressed properties and cold-call owners (I already have a small list of properties/areas). I’d like to focus on being a listing agent and generating my own leads.

My second option is to join one of the big, established brokerages. The downside here is that I’d lose my salary, which is a big concern for me. I might also end up with worse commission splits, but I’d likely get more support, resources, and potentially leads from the brokerage.

Given that I won’t be able to fully commit to real estate full-time, I’m weighing the pros and cons of maintaining my salary with the 70/30 split versus taking a leap into a new brokerage that might offer more resources but less financial security upfront.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you balance the need for a salary versus the potential of better resources or splits at a new brokerage? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, what do we think about my initial plan of working backwards. Finding the properties, and targeting the owners.

(In my EARLY 20s)

new agent here, licensed a few months, quit my job last month, hoping to commit full time to real estate, I hang out with a friend today and the whole conversation about careers and jobs came about and she mentioned she wanted to fix her credit with her husband before buying a home and she mentioned that since i’m in real estate i can give her some advice on that and my mind was blank. my confidence was so low but i did let her know my plans of committing and learning the industry full time. I just wish i felt more confident into talking about it to my SOI way more.

Hey everyone. I really have a hard with people actually showing for appointments. I’ll try to set them as soon as possible that works for both parties but 98% of the time they cancel. How do you guys manage to keep the potential client excited to meet up and discuss their goals with you?

Brand new agent here. Over a decade in restaurants, but I'm ready for something new.

Any advice is appreciated! I'm located in Florida, if it matters.