‘What I wish I knew’: Top 10 tips for starting a real estate career

From feeling at ease with a team and the impatience of making deals to building trust and self-confidence, Gill said he had to learn the hard way, by making mistakes.

Here are the 10 things Gill wishes he had been aware of when starting his career:

1. Become part of a team

At the beginning of their real estate career, Gill said newcomers should observe and learn from more experienced agents and understand that they cannot do everything at once; they have to learn first.

“The best thing you can do is to be part of a team where you don’t have the pressure of needing to list, but can just be a cog in the machine.”

“As a real estate agent, you have to wear a whole lot of hats, so it’s important to just learn it step by step.”

2. Be patient and think long-term

Gill said that one thing he has seen over his two decades of experience has been agents wanting everything too fast, ending up burning themselves out of the industry.

“I think a lot of the current generation wants everything really quickly, but it is important to look at it as if it is going to be a 20-year career.”

He emphasised that if agents were more patient and gave themselves more time to find their feet, they could be more successful in the long run.

“I find the agents who rush it often just get really frustrated, and they burn out. They come in and out of the industry in 18 months because they feel like it didn’t work.”

“I know agents that could have been amazing, but they talked themselves out of it because they didn’t progress as fast as they thought they could.”

3. Don’t be too hard on yourself

According to Gill, new agents need to develop a thick skin when it comes to rejection and not take it personally.

“A lot of agents really beat themselves up because something didn’t go their way, and they really get quite affected by it.”

“But you really have to understand that you aren’t going to win everything, even the ones you really thought you were going to win, and move on.”

“Just because someone has done a better job and won the listing, it doesn’t mean you have done the wrong thing.”

4. Be confident in your right to be there

He said that agents needed to feel they had the right to be in the position they held and to convey that to clients.

“Ultimately, from 20 years ago to now, I’m not a different person. I have a few more skills, but it’s more about having the confidence that you are meant to be there and worthy of winning business.”

He added that once agents had become more confident in their abilities, sellers would begin to notice.

“Once you’ve got the confidence that you are actually the right agent for them, that’s when it begins to rub off on the property owner.”

“They want someone who has the confidence that they can do the job.”

5. Focus on building relationships

Gill said that new agents who were establishing themselves in their market should focus on cultivating strong relationships with fewer clients rather than spreading themselves too thin.

“You are better off building relationships with a smaller group of people, rather than being a scatter gun.”

He said that agents should prioritise meeting with buyers and building rapport so they are considered when the property eventually goes back to market.

“If you can build that relationship properly, it doesn’t matter if that buyer bought from another agent.”

“If you are the one they remember, they’ll come back to you when they come to sell.”

6. Appearance is irrelevant

Gill pointed out that many agents were too concerned about how they were perceived and should avoid trying to appear better than they actually are.

“People are too worried about the perception that other people have of them.”

“In the earlier stages of your career, you’re too preoccupied and worried about what people think of you and feeling like you have got to look successful.”

“In reality, it makes no difference to your real estate career.”

“If you come across as too green or if this is your first time doing this, it doesn’t inspire confidence for them to want to work with you.”

7. Use speed as a competitive advantage

Based on experience, Gill observed that new agents can win business or close a deal just by being the first to respond.

“People want things immediately these days, and if you take too long to respond to a buyer or a potential vendor, sometimes they will just go with the easiest option, which is often whoever responded first.”

“It makes clients feel like agents are on the ball.”

8. Show up authentically

According to Gill, while newcomers should look to learn from more experienced agents around them, it is important to let their own personality shine through.

“It’s a really easy trap when you are just starting out to look at a successful agent and think that you have to be like them.”

“You can pick up cues of what they do, but don’t try to be them.”

“You have to be yourself and make that the reason why someone wants to work with you.”

9. Give it everything you have

Gill reminded that, especially in the early days of a career, agents should understand that the job may require more than the standard office hours.

“If you come in to just give it a try, then rarely will it turn out to be the career for you.”

“You have to be all in on it, have a plan and work as hard as you need to.”

Gill advised that when building a career in real estate, agents shouldn’t let time be a limiting factor.

“I see too many that are preoccupied about a work-life balance and things like that.”

“I don’t think you should really be too worried about a work-life balance until you have got some market momentum.”

10. Remember your ethics

Gill said that agents shouldn’t be afraid to miss out on a deal because they told the truth, as vendors would remember it in the long run.

“It is really important that from day one you are honest.”

“You don’t just tell someone what they want to hear just to try and win some business.”

He said that agents often found they won business because vendors knew they could trust them.

“If you missed it the first time because you told the truth, they’ll know that by the time they try to sell the property.”

“Then they will come right back to you,” Gill concluded.