Turning the Corner

Texas REALTOR® magazine asked members who have been licensed less than five years what helped them find their footing in the real estate business.

Small Leads Led to Big Sales

Jackie Carlson started in real estate at a tough moment: March of 2020. With her broker’s physical office closed because of the pandemic, she spent those early days doing a lot of reading, listening to podcasts, and self-teaching, she says.

She also realized she was going to need help. “It was clear there was a need to invest in generated leads,” Carlson says. Her perspective, she says, is “all leads require all of me, and all leads matter.” Carlson took every lead she could get, no matter how low the price point.

That strategy paid off. “I found that small leads turn into big leads quickly, and big leads turn into big referrals,” she says. One closing on a $6,000 lot spun off a significant amount of new business. Within months, five members of the client’s family also became clients. Another time Carlson started with a lead on a $25K lot, “but after many showings the client decided to buy a $230K home,” she says. That was one of 45 transactions she closed in 2021, which won her a “hustle” award from her brokerage.

Carlson’s advice to new agents is to “hustle with all leads and referrals, most specifically the smaller transactions, because I can assure you in time they do turn into bigger closings.”

Joining the Right Team Brought Wins

“The number one step I took was joining a team—the right team for me,” says Miranda Michael. For her, the right team was a faith-based brokerage. “It’s a community where we lift each other up, support, and encourage one another,” she says. “They are inspiring and fill my cup every day!”

The team Michael joined also helped her find clients. “In these first 11 months, the leads I’ve received from my team have been the foundation of my real estate transactions,” she says. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to find a team that aligns with your values and supports your growth.”

Being part of the wider community has also helped Michael find her footing. She encourages other new agents to do the same. “Get comfortable with the uncomfortable—put yourself out there!” she says. “Join the local chamber, show up for events, and be present in your community. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.”

Michael has found success through showing up, even when that means bringing her two young sons with her. “Take the kids, the family, the dog—whatever you have to do to be present for your clients. They will appreciate the integrity, work ethic, and grit you bring to the table.”

Facebook Group Provided Base for Serving Servicemembers

For almost a year after Lynn Kirkman was licensed in 2020, nothing seemed to click. “I tried the leads that my broker provided. I tried buying leads,” she says, “but they just didn’t pan out.”

Kirkman’s breakthrough came when she started a Facebook group for military personnel moving to the San Antonio area “to help them find housing before they get here, so they can just move in and go straight to their house,” she says. “I’m basically their boots on the ground here.”

The group grew slowly, but once it had 500 members, the algorithm started putting it at the top of relevant searches. At that point, interest in it exploded, Kirkman says. “I consistently get two to three leads per month who either buy or rent.”

The group is a private one, so prospective members must answer a few questions and provide their emails before joining. “I vet them very, very strictly,” she says. “Nobody in the group is going to be spamming or anything like that.”

As a former military spouse, Kirkman finds it satisfying to help a group she cares about. “Military is always family,” she says. “Whether you’re retired or active duty, we’re still family.”

Open House Opened Opportunity

“After personally moving 12 times within 18 years, I have a unique perspective and understanding of relocations and the essential skills required to ensure a smooth move,” says Jennifer Foster, whose experience as a military spouse sparked her interest in real estate. She received her license in 2022.

There was a learning curve, though. Early on, if things did not go smoothly, she says, she took it personally. “After speaking with other agents, I realized that I cannot control everything or everyone, and things may not always work out like I plan or hope,” Foster says. “So I have learned to be a pessimist in private but an optimist in front of others.”

Foster found her first success through being open to possibilities. At an open house she hosted for another agent, she met a couple who wanted to see a different house in the neighborhood. “They were so happy that I was willing to stay and work with them, they agreed to meet me after. I pulled some additional homes that I thought they would like as well, and we ended up making an offer on one of the ones I chose for them!

“That first transaction was the turning point for me,” she says. “It gave me the confidence and experience to believe that this was a career I could succeed in.”

Time Blocks Removed Roadblocks

When Willow Farrar West got her license four years ago, she was only 19 years old. “I was terrified of coming off as naive or overly excited,” she says. But she quickly found mentors in the agents at a brokerage where she worked part-time doing social media and administrative work. “I kind of clung to them,” she says. “I asked them a billion-trillion questions, and they were so gracious.”

West started a rigorous routine: “I began time-blocking and requiring myself to follow up with leads, write expired letters, and cold call for four hours every day,” she says. “At first, it was miserable, but after a while you form a habit, and if I didn’t do that for one day, it felt like I was not working.”

Once she started getting steady sales, West devoted some of that time to social media. She focuses on short informational videos for first-time homebuyers. “I’ve had clients say I chose you because you made it sound attainable. And that’s my goal—to make it seem like it is not this scary, awful, painful process.”

West recommends that new agents devote themselves to learning from mentors and commit to time-blocking. “Give it your all for six months,” she says, “and I’m very confident that you’ll find success.”

Social Media Parties Gave Something to Celebrate

When instructors at her brokerage suggested trying social media, Brianda Mora took notes and took the advice to heart. It was slow at first, but “even if I uploaded something and it only had 10 likes, that was me being in front of 10 people,” she says. “I was consistent, and I would sit down and plan what my content was going to be for the week.”

In addition to sharing tips for new homebuyers, Mora celebrates her newly minted homeowners. She hosts ribbon-cutting ceremonies with confetti, champagne, and a red-carpet walk with balloons and presents for her clients. “You see the joy in their eyes,” she says.

Millions of others have now witnessed that joy. “After being consistent for a little bit over a year and a half, one of my videos went viral,” she says. Her Instagram page quickly went from having a couple thousand followers to tens of thousands.

Instagram is Mora’s primary source of leads, but her closing-day parties also yield good referrals. “I tell them, bring your family. We’re gonna celebrate,” she says. “And then so many times it has happened that a month later, I’m helping their family member search for a new home.”

The celebrations keep Mora energized, too. “Sometimes at night I won’t sleep because I’m like, What can I add? What would be fun?”

Supportive Broker Helped Leverage Experience

Jordan Burks had a window into the real estate world before getting her license. She worked at a title company for six years and was active in her local REALTOR® association. “But it’s not until you have that first tangible contract that you really can learn by doing.”

Burks is grateful to her broker, who helped her not to get overwhelmed when her existing contacts started her business off faster than she had expected. “It was 2021; everything was crazy,” she says. “Thank goodness for my amazing broker who was there with all of my calls and questions and shenanigans because I didn’t have my systems in place.”

Now that the market has slowed, Burks has time to focus on nurturing the relationships that bring her referrals. “With all of the changes that are happening right now, it can cause people to get into a tizzy,” she says, but she encourages her fellow agents to “give yourself grace and not to compare yourself to other agents.”

Burks plans to “control the controllables” and stay flexible. “I think that’s also what I love about real estate—it’s not stagnant. It’s ever changing. It keeps me on my toes.”