My Journey in Real Estate and What I've Learned

My journey
'When I started in real estate it was hard to know what to expect. When I walked into the office on day one, agents were buzzing all over, phones were ringing, faxes were coming in and of course houses were being sold. No phone calls were for Hudson Smith, no faxes had my name on them, and no houses that first day were sold by me.'

The real estate atmosphere can overwhelm agents very easily. It’s easy to feel like this business belongs to others and that it will be very hard to be a part of it.
Although there are no expectations for agents in the early stages, most agents start to feel like, “everyone already knows an agent”, “what was I thinking”, my “friends have already bought homes”, “my family isn’t moving”, Boy, the way our minds race when we are trying to get started! But what most agents don’t realize, or what gets lost when trying to step foot into this fast moving business is that it’s not a sprint, rather, it is a marathon.

What I've learned

You need a plan, and you need to know how you are going to stand out.

How do you become relevant in an industry that doesn’t know who you are?


You need to have a plan, but at the root of it, you need to break the job into simple tasks, and execute them better than anyone else. One foot in front of the other. If someone calls, call them back right away. Meeting someone? Make sure you are on time. Showing a house? Learn as much about the house and the neighbourhood sales as you can. Selling a house? Make sure the pictures are great, and the sign is up when you say it will be. Make sure feature sheets are there before the first showing, make sure……. hey, there’s a lot to do for this one, but that’s not my point. At the end of the day you need to add value, or why would you stand out? Why would clients come back?


I pride myself on always doing more.

I pride myself on knowing as much as I possibly can, and I pride myself on adding more than the client expects.


From the day the call comes in to years after the transaction is complete, I want my clients to know my commitment to their needs. Whether clients buy or sell, that’s not important to me. The relationship and trust between us is what I value most. I came into this business with a plan. I wanted people to know I was in real estate. I wanted people to know I was going to work hard for them. And I wanted them to know I would not let them down. Over the years I have added experience and a skill set that continues to help me help my clients more.


I continue to learn more and work hard so I can add the value I know they need, and what makes me relevant.

Technology has helped, but it’s also made it easy to get spread too thin. It’s made it easy to forget the small things. The things that will make you stand out the most. A handshake will be remembered more than a text anyway.


No, I didn’t sell a house my first day in the office.

I sold one my second day.


Hudson

hudson@hudsonsmith.ca

519-821-3600

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