All Forum Posts by: Austin Smith

Hello all!  I'm a local real estate advisor and I'm pretty sure I can be of service. Currently living right on Magnolia behind the path.

@Devan Mcclishgood insight. I thank you! 

@Stuart Birdsong @Russell Brazil I thank you for your input! Good information.

Brett Synicky thank you for your feedback! Question, with an incentive program like gift cards, how would you control costs with your gift card output? Do you find a correlation between the quality of leads based on the value of the gift card? For example, I would assume a $50 gift card to a restaurant or electronic store would be more appealing and provide a better referral than a $15-$25 gift card to the same restaurant. What's your experience?

Hello BP family! This question is for my fellow real estate agents out there. When first starting out in the business, obviously friends and family are an immediate outlet for referrals and leads. My question is, what sort of "incentives" can I offer in order for my friends and family to really push the word out that I am an agent and in business? I thank you in advance for your responses!

Thank you everyone definitely much appreciated.  WOW!  Bigger pockets really is a family. Quick responses with amazing insight.  Thank you again everyone. 

Good morning BP Family!!

Just wanted to quickly as for your thoughts and experiences prospecting as a part itme RE agent. 

I am going to go part time in order to build my base then go full time, however, I realize initial prospecting is the hardest thing to initiate when starting your business.

What are some key concepts to prospecting while only part time.  My nights and weekends are completely open.

Hello BP Family,

I am interested in starting a property management company. I live in NJ so I am aware that in order to legally "run" a property management company, you must have a broker's license which is obtainable but ONLY after you complete 3 years as a full time salesperson.

My question is, if I wanted to start a property management company as a real estate agent, can I have my broker "sponsor" me or allow me to run my business through the broker.

Any profit splits that would occur between me and the broker? Anyone have any advice?

@Jim Lally  Thank you for your feedback Jim.  Did you start off as a real estate agent or did you just jump right into the world of investing using your license as a helpful tool? 

I will most likely keep my full time job while I get my feet wet in the industry. Trying to decipher whether part time will be beneficial enough, or if I should focus on saving 6-8 months of expenses and diving head first into the agent field.  What's your take?

Originally posted by @Steve Vaughan:

I took the RE agency license classes. They mostly teach some laws to keep yourself out of trouble, the exact sqft of an acre and how to obtain listings. I would imagine the biggest advantage is access to the MLS. You can see listed property as soon as hits, find expired's and pull comps. With the license comes the requirement of full disclosure when dealing with sellers and costs to hang your license on someone's wall. More education though is never a bad thing!

Thank you for your input Steve. I see you're an investor. Did you start out as an agent or did you take the license course in order to gain access to the MLS. I figured while learning how to invest, why not take a career that will indulge you within that industry and give you the opportunity to make good money. Obviously nothing is easy and everything comes with experience.