TEAM Hughes Real Estate School Blog

There are two schools of thought. One says we need to work smart; the other says hard work pays off. In a real estate career, I think we have to work both smart and we have to work hard.

Paradigm shifts abound in this industry! We start out as novices, confused, not knowing the lingo, not understanding legalities, and relying 100% on those who have been there ahead of us. In the early days of our careers, we have to apply ourselves to everything. Training is paramount. We try and learn as much as we can in a short time, and we still try to get our real estate business started.

How can one juggle training and working in tandem? Students complain continually about a lack of training, but when pressed on the matter, they end up admitting they don’t have time to go to the offered training. A new licensee has one thought in mind, i.e., the need to make enough money to at least pay back the expenses of starting a business. 

This blog is for all you newbies. The first year of real estate is crucial to your success. I realize you must recapture your initial investment as soon as possible, but the need to learn as much as possible as soon as possible is huge! Some brokers will insist you get into the “field” quickly and start looking for listings. Others will have you work your sphere of influence, hoping someone you know knows someone with a real estate need. The rarest of brokers still exist, and they are ones who want you to acquire a multitude of training at the beginning of your career. As for me, I’m a mixture of all of them. I’m a huge advocate of using mentors who are well seasoned and who have a desire to help. Too many experienced agents are too busy, however, to want to train. Some offices rely totally on agents to do the training, and even that type of training comes up short. 

Work smart or work hard? To me, it would be prudent to find a seasoned agent, be willing to split your listings and sales in the beginning, and shadow your agent as much as possible. One-on-one training is the best there is! Sitting in a classroom listening to other agents tell their stories is okay, but it’s not training. Find the best of both worlds. If you find yourself in an office environment that doesn’t want to help, where agents are too busy or too protective of their business, then maybe you should rethink where you are. You cannot become successful without being around success. If you want some more ideas, let us know. We want to help.

Submitted and written by Carrie Hughes, Co-Founder, TEAM Hughes Real Estate School