11 Things Every New Real Estate Agent Needs to Know After Getting Licensed

Getting your real estate license is exciting, but it is not the finish line. It is the starting line, and honestly, this is where a lot of new agents get punched in the face by reality.

In this video, I’m sharing 11 things you need to know when you first get your real estate license, especially if you want to build a real business instead of just hoping your phone magically rings.

We’ll talk about what really matters in the beginning, including choosing the right brokerage, learning the contracts, understanding buyers and sellers, building confidence, creating visibility, avoiding shiny-object distractions, and why your first year needs structure, not fairy dust.

A real estate license gives you permission to work in real estate. It does not give you clients, confidence, systems, or a paycheck. That part is built on purpose.

If you are a new agent, thinking about becoming a REALTOR®, or starting over in real estate as your next chapter, this video will help you avoid some expensive mistakes and focus on what actually moves your business forward.

Thanks for watching. Be sure to catch the video version on my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@StopChasingStartAttracting

Transcript

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All right, let's talk about what happens when you actually get your real estate license because you've passed the exam, you join your brokerage of choice, and someone hands you a stack of business cards and tells you to go after it. And you think, all right, I'm ready. You know, I studied, I know how to calculate acreage, I know how to find a house, I've showed up and I am ready. And then reality kind of sets in. And it's not gentle because a licensing exam teaches you nothing about running a real estate business. Because remember, this is a business. It teaches you legal definitions and legal concepts and the things that you know you're going to need to reference maybe once or twice. It's actually what I found is in Florida, the next course, it was after the exam, there was a 48-hour class that we had to take. That's where it really taught me the things about writing about contracts and that type of thing that you use every day. But it doesn't teach you the little things that you need to know. Those are the things you learn after you get your license and you join a brokerage. But today I'm going to give you some insight. So, what we're going to cover is by the time the episode is over, you're going to know the 11 things I wish I knew before I started. That would have made life a whole lot easier. You're going to not have to worry about little things because I'm going to cover over what you should know so you can get on the right path to becoming a real estate mogul. The welcome to stop chasing and start attracting. My name is Robin Cavallero. I am an active realtor in the villages, Florida. I teach you how to build your brand, become an authority, and reinvent your life like I did in real estate. I'm giving you my playbook. Well, actually, I'm giving you sheets to put into your new playbook based on mine. So you're here to discover and learn and how to become a successful realtor. And I appreciate you being here. And before you get started, if you wouldn't mind if you're watching this on YouTube, if you would get it a like and a subscribe, it helps the algorithm. You know, I know you hear that about every video. And also, if you're listening to this as a podcast, if you wouldn't mind writing a review, because this episode is also available on Spotify, iHeartRadio, and on Apple. So thank you for joining. All right, so let's get into the 11 things I wish I knew. With number one, I'm going to tell you learn the process before you start passing things off. I see this so many times where new realtors get their first deal and they pass it off to a transaction coordinator. And I mean, that's great, but you need to know the process. What happens from the time you get that contract and the time you go to close? You need to know everything because what'll happen is you pass that off to a transaction coordinator, customer is going to call you and ask a question, and you're not going to have an idea. You'll have no clue and you will look bad. Understand the process before you pass it off to anyone. Now, if you're not confident enough and you need to give it to the transaction coordinator, understood. You need to do whatever it is you feel comfortable to have a successful closing, but follow along every step of the way and understand when he or she sends back, all right, um, you're doing a deal that has a lender. Has the application been applied for yet? Um, when are they ordering the appraisal and the inspection and the survey? You need to follow along. You need to understand every single process as it goes along so you can become that expert. And at the end, also make sure you understand what that settlement sheet is. I know when I first got my first settlement sheet, I looked like it was Chinese. I had no idea what was going on. So I called and asked, and every transaction, I asked, what does this mean? What does that mean? Because, so for example, on our settlement statement, some districts here charge to change over the mailbox and some don't. You need to know these things because if they're unclear, 99.9% of your buyers are going to call you or and sellers, you, their realtor, and ask, what does that mean? And you need to know. So understand. And if you're not sure, say, hey, that's a great question. I'm not really sure about that. Let me double check because I want to make sure I give you all the right information. And please don't just put that into Chat GBT because sometimes it's not correct. Go to the source, go to your title company, go to your broker, and ask the questions so you know exactly how to answer it. I bet it was three years before I had a transaction coordinator. I did everything myself. First off, I was too cheap. I didn't want to spend the money on one. But second, I didn't have enough deals that I could not manage it myself. So I did it myself. But then at one point, again, I think this was like three years ago, that I had seven deals at one point in time. And I'm like, hello, now is the time that I need some assistance because I was still working with a lot of buyers and I did not want anything to fall through the cracks. The worst thing that can happen is you miss something and it cost your buyer or your seller time or money, or the deal can fall apart. So now I feel comfortable. Right now I have 15 going on and I cannot keep them straight. I have to uh have a transaction coordinator help me. So, number two on the list, I'm gonna say stop chasing shiny objects because the real estate industry is completely overrun with coaches, tools, uh CRMs, social media strategies, uh, people calling you wanting to be a virtual assistant. They want to do your social media for you. You know, all these different programs that can be time consuming trying to learn them and not cost effective and cost you a lot of money. So start out with what you know, stay small, and don't chase. I want this big thing and I want that that big thing. Again, starting with social media. Learn how to post on one platform first, then learn how to post on another platform. Now I've already done a video, a couple of them on where to find the content. And I do tell you, start with one platform first so you're not overwhelmed, but understand each platform. And as you become more fluid and understand how, when, and where, then you can advance into the next platform. I actually now am to the point where I have a program. It's called Buffer, and I do have a link in the description box below. I can load up all of my text and image posts and it'll automatically send them out. I set up the times when I want them to go out according to the platform, and it will post it. All I have to do is upload everything into there and it automatically posts that. It'll do video as well, but I use Opus clips for my video content and that will post bulk as well. I have a link to those in the description box. They are affiliate links, but I will also do a training on how to use those. When you first start out, don't start out paying for a lot of things because you don't have a lot of money. Wait till you start to make money before you start investing in those types of services. So I'm doing this is my seventh year, and now I'm finally paying for a service to push the content out, not create it. I still create my own content. So make sure that you are diligent and you're picking the right things first for your needs. So number three is learn your scripts and how you're going to answer questions because you don't want to sound like an AI post or an AI script. You want to sound like your authentic self. So don't try to impress your buyers and sellers with big words and topics that you're not sure about. If you don't know the answer, ask a question of someone who can help you because you want to be confident, but you want to be correct. You don't want to give out bad information. And by knowing your topics and knowing how to respond, that's our gonna make your buyers and sellers trust you. Number four, I want you to go after buyers first because buyers pay for your bills quicker than listings will. Yes, I know. I did a whole video, you can check that out. It's called Your Brokers Lying to You. It's about how everyone tells you to chase listings, which is a new agent, my opinion, is a mistake. I built my career on looking for and going after, attracting buyers by becoming that expert. The buyers have the money, the buyers are ready. Listings will eventually come. Listings cost you time and money. And if the market is crazy and the home is overpriced, you're gonna spin your wheels with your seller and it's not going to give you any traction. Trust me when I tell you this. Start with your buyers. You have to have a balance. So don't misunderstand me. It truly is a balance between listing and buyers. But in my specific instance and why I teach this, is I built my career on buyers first. The leads followed, the excuse me, the listings followed. I probably have 20 listings since the beginning of January 2026. And I probably think I had like 20 all last year. So my listings have increased. That means my money will increase, my income will increase, but I still have double the amount of buyers. And the buyers will bring you the income quicker than the sellers were. So remember that. Buyers first, sellers second. Number five, I want you to know your market better than anyone else. You need to know prices, you need to know the neighborhoods, neighborhood descriptions. You need to be able to talk about the differences in the school districts and what they have to offer, potential insurance issues. Do you have a lot of inventory? Are prices coming down, going up? Do you see a lot of homes coming off the market? Do you see a lot of deals falling through? Is there one specific zip code that's doing better than others? You need to know that information. And you know that by studying your market every single day. This is a business. You must work hard at it every single day. It's not something you can set it, forget it. Now, again, I'm talking to new agents, new realtors. If you've been in the business 20 years, well, you might learn a thing or two. New people have to become the go-to person. You can't just rely on people coming to you and rely on referrals. All of those things will come because if you're generic, you're going to be forgettable. No one will know how to find you. You want to be that expert. Make sure you know your market inside and out so you can discuss it with anyone. All right, number six, answer your phone. Swear to God, answer the phone. It's this easy. Hello, this is Robin. How can I help you? It's easy. Know what drives me crazy? When I see the notification, go on a text at night, you'll see they silence notifications. If you have active buyers and active sellers, do not turn that notification on unless you have someone else taking your calls. Because what I think of when I see that is A, I don't think you really want to sell that house because I can't get a hold of you. I have a buyer that has a question. I don't care if it's eight o'clock at night, or have someone else that's going to answer the phone for you because responsiveness builds trust faster than any marketing. I can't tell you how many times I'll have buyers or sellers call me on a Sunday. Well, I can't believe you answered the phone on a Sunday. Like, well, it's a Sunday. I treat every phone call as if it's $10,000. Even when I'm on the pickleball court, I will answer the phone. I have an adult headset, you also know it as hearing aids. Um, it's what happens when you're 62. We can't hear anymore. And I have bifocal contacts. I have no shame. But my phone rings in my headset. And if I'm playing pickleball, I can see on my watch who's calling me. And if I know it's someone that needs to get to me, I click it and I answer it and I tell my partners, ignore me. And they get annoyed. I'm like, too bad. Are you gonna give me $10,000? No. Okay, then I'm answering this phone. We're playing for fun. But you want to build that trust. You want them to know they can get a hold of you because you know, sometimes they'll wake up in the middle of the night freaked out. Now, if they're gonna call you at 2 a.m., I say don't answer the phone. But during the day, and it's easy to I have um automated text responses. So if someone calls me and I'm with clients, I will tell them, I'll just hit that button. Hey, I'm sorry, I'm with some clients right now, but if you leave and name a number, I'll get right back to you. That shows they know you've received their message. Or I'm on the other line, I will call you right back. Please be patient if I don't get back to you right away, but I will get back in touch with you. So it's professional, it's responsive, they know you care, and that's what's going to keep them coming back to you. So, number seven is you're gonna build trust before you ask for business. Build trust, teach, share useful information, market insights. We kind of already went over this, but I want to reiterate this. The person that gives first gets back first because buyers will look and say, Wow, you told me something important. I'm really happy that I learned that from you. I want to use you. Build trust first, then you will earn that phone call and you will earn that client and they will be loyal to you. Eight, don't fake success. Do not overinflate what you do and how you do it because some of these things are easily fact-checked. But if you do not know your material and you do not know your market, your buyers and sellers will see through that immediately. You can hear it in your voice. So you want to be real, be professional, be useful, but you don't have to announce you're new. All right, number 10, stay in touch with everyone. You have to follow up. Past clients, which I have to tell you, I'm very weak at staying in touch with my old clients. Um, I try to keep everybody in my email newsletter, but it's hard for me to take that bridge. But I do follow up if I'm sitting in open house with visitors to the open house. My CRM, I go through daily to see who's active. If they're look like they're ready to buy, I'll call them. If not, I'll shoot out emails. But just make sure that you have some type of follow-up system, especially if they call you or just message you out of the blue, because I get a lot of emails, a lot of text messages, and there are occasions where calls have fallen through the cracks. You know, I've heard I called you 24 hours ago and you didn't call me back. And I thought, crisis overted. Because if you're gonna get that uptight with me that I didn't call you back in 24 hours, you didn't, no idea where I was. I don't know, I could have been in the hospital for a universe start complaining. So try as best you can to follow up with everybody so you don't get that call that where they complain to you, you didn't get back to them in time because it does affect me. I usually on top of everything, there are occasions where, you know, it falls apart. And if it falls apart, it's a learning lesson. But just make sure that you have some type of system so you can follow up with your people. And last, number 11, protect your mindset like it's a business asset because it is. Real estate is absolutely mess in your head if you let it be. One week you feel completely unstoppable, and the next week it sounds feels like you're gonna go on welfare. If you lose a client, you're sitting in the car wondering if she's just sell candles or get into another business, you need to persevere. Agents who build lasting businesses are not the ones who never get knocked down. I get knocked down too, but they're the ones who recover quickly and move forward. Just, you know, hey, that didn't work. It bothers me, but keep moving on. You cannot let it weigh you down. If someone doesn't like how you dealt with something, use it as a learning example and move on. Don't let it wear you down. Don't let it be the verdict for your future because this business, you may deal with more failure than acceptance. But when you get accepted, it's sweet. So keep these 11 things in mind. None of them are really complicated, but they will require you to think. So go back through it, review the 11 steps that I talked about, the 11 topics that you should keep in mind as a new agent, and you will be successful. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Stop Chasing Start Attracting, a show where realtors come to build a brand, develop their authority, and become that force in real estate that attracts clients. Thank you very much again, and I will see you next time.