So you’re ready to go into the real estate business!

I don’t exactly envy you. I think back to before I started my own career and think about how naive I was. There were numerous hardships ahead. It’s tough, and there is a reason most don’t make it.

There were some very lean years before I finally managed to do 36 deals in my fourth year.

Don’t get distracted, and don’t let anything fall through the cracks.

I put together a checklist for new real estate agents with my recommendations on how to set yourself up to survive and thrive.

Download the Checklist

I created several versions of the new real estate agent checklist below if you would like to download either for free!

You can edit either and customize it to your business needs.

Or, if you are a sales manager or broker, this might be a good start for your real estate agent onboarding checklist to add to your onboarding process.

The checklist includes 2 tabs for the 2 categories: BEFORE LICENSING and FIRST 30 DAYS.

These are also in roughly the order I would recommend knocking things out.

For example, don’t choose a business name until you know what your mission is! And you won’t know what your mission is until you’ve thought about how you want to earn leads.

Before Getting Licensed

• Choose a broker. You want to do this early. Your broker should be an early mentor and guide that can help you make your subsequent decisions, like choosing a school, lead generation strategy, and crafting a business plan.
  • Interview broker
  • Interview current agents
  • Compare commission splits
• Begin your real estate school.
• Begin your informal education.
  • Read real estate industry publications.
  • Subscribe and start listening to real estate podcasts.
  • Subscribe and watch YouTube real estate training.
  • Read top real estate books.
  • Learn the local real estate market through blogs of other local agents, MLS data, and professional industry analysts like John Burns.
  • Read all of your State’s promulgated contracts.
• Select your4 Lead Generation strategy pillars.
  • Consider a niche if relevant.
  • Identify top producers in your niche/strategy and model after them. Connect with them as possible mentors if possible.
• Craft your mission statement.
• Build a business plan.
• Choose a business name.
  • Consider purchasing the domain if available.
• Get a headshot. Your first one doesn’t need to be a professional one if you have a flattering photo on hand. You can upgrade to a professional headshot later.
• Write a bio. You’ll want this handy for sharing in a variety of places eventually: your website, your broker’s website, your Zillow profile, etc. Under 250 words is ideal.
• Schedule the test.
• Get fingerprinted.
• Pass the test.
• Get sponsored with a broker and set your license to active.

First 30 Days

Congratulations! You’ve passed the test, gotten fingerprinted, and your broker has sponsored you! It’s time to start making things happen!

• Join Local MLS / Association.
• Attend MLS orientation.
• Download useful free real estate apps.
  • Download the MLS e-key app.
• Set up your email. Decide whether you are going to use your brokerage email or your own professional email. If the latter, redirect emails from your brokerage email to your new email.
  • Add email signature
• Office Admin. Knock these out quickly in a day, possibly as part of a technology orientation with your broker.
  • Add computer and phone to the office WiFi
  • Add computer to the brokerage printer.
  • Add profile and headshot to broker’s website.
  • Ensure office lead rotation is updated if relevant.
  • Join brokerage backend software for tracking deals.
  • Complete W-9 for your broker.
• Set up your cloud file storage.
• Set up an e-signature software.
• Set up an account with a forms library (e.g. ZipForms).
• Set goals. Break your annual goals from your business plan into monthly goals, then weekly goals, then daily goals.
• Set up Google My Business. You can also add your business to other local citations like Yelp, Whitepages, etc., though this should be a low priority.
• Get a CRM. Even if it is just Excel for the time being, figure out where you are going to track your potential clients and start building a system.
• Set up social media accounts.
  • Facebook Business Page
  • LinkedIn Profile
  • Instagram (Optional)
  • YouTube (Optional)
  • Pinterest (Optional)
• Set up real estate profiles. Even if you are not actively buying leads or using tools from these services, it is a good idea to get your profile set up as some of the top online destinations for home buyers and sellers.
  • Zillow
  • Realtor.com
• Get an accountant. Your taxes are going to get complicated quickly. Independent contractor status also has unique filing difficulties. This is an exception where the money is worth it and TurboTax isn’t going to cut it.
• Continue your formal education. Consider getting the GRI Designation early in your new real estate life. It is focused on highly actionable best practices and an understanding of the laws and ethics that will keep you from making the worst mistakes.
• Schedule to attend the convention. Most conventions are free for members, minus any hotel costs. These are affordable ways to get your CE (continuing education) knocked out, as well as network with agents and learn more about the industry. Consider other real estate conferences as well.

The “Don’t Do” List

While thinking about and researching this article, I ran into a lot of stuff online that I think is bad advice. Most of it had to do with spending money. So I wanted to create a quick don’t do checklist.

Remember, don’t spend money unless you absolutely must – licensing, MLS, your Supra key, etc.

The real money in real estate is made in the follow-up. Follow-up costs nothing. Get good at follow-up before you spend money.

• DON’T start a website. You don’t necessarily need a website yet. You don’t necessarily need one at all. You need to hit the ground running, and dinking around with a website will be a major distraction from your lead generation activities.
• DON’T spend money on Facebook. Facebook is a highly competitive marketplace for ads where your ROI could vanish if you don’t know what you are doing. It’s not great for organic reach either, so I don’t recommend focusing on it early versus other hustling lead gen activities.
• DON’T spend money on Google. Ditto for Google Ads spending.
• DON’T spend money on retargeting. Ditto for retargeting campaigns.
• DON’T get business cards. Your business card isn’t going to make the difference between making it and not. Maybe you get some for free from your broker. That is great. Otherwise, focus on your lead generation activities.

New real estate agents with new business cards but zero deals being smug like:

• DON’T buy listing or open house signs. You can borrow open house signs from other agents (or collaborate with them on open houses!), and you can probably borrow listing signs from your broker, too. Only buy these when you actually need them.
• DON’T buy lockboxes. Likewise, only get lockboxes when absolutely necessary. Even then, try to buy them or even borrow them from other agents, first.
• DON’T buy postcards or direct mail. This is one of the easiest places to sink money with no accountability. Don’t spend money on direct mail yet. You need to hustle and work on your follow-up, first.

Conclusion

Hopefully this real estate checklist will help you start your new career in real estate on the right foot.

Read more of my advice for newbie agents, including 10 tips for new agents I wish I had been told.

Updated April 18, 2023; Originally published September 2, 2020.