Parting Words of Wisdom

Every successful real estate career, Blass stresses, begins in the most modest of circumstances, and that is always her defining word of advice for new agents.

“If you can get one listing – however you can get it – you can do so much marketing and effectively start your career with that one listing,” she says. “You can do your ‘just-listed’ cards. You can do an open house and invite neighbors to come over. You can do a caravan. If you can get just one listing, I can show you what to do with it.”

And to get those listings, Polazzo echoes one of Knapp’s earlier points: aspiring agents must step away from the computer and into the sunshine, and communicate with other people. Only then will they truly learn the nuances of the trade.

“You are your own best teacher. There’s nobody out there who is going to teach you that. You have to get out there and do the work,” he says. “Get out and show properties. If you don’t have clients, go and do caravans; make phone calls; talk to people; ask them what they’re looking for, and why they want to be in this area. It’s all about engaging with people and getting information from other people – everybody is a potential teacher.

“If you sit in the office and look at a computer, that’s great; you need to be able to do that. But you also need to be able to connect with the people who are ultimately going to be paying you to do a job.”