Larson Educational Services is the premier education provider in SW Florida. We are a Real Estate, CAM and Mortgage Loan Originator School. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples and Online.
This time we're moving to the solar system's home star: the SUN!
Or, well...actually we already have classes in Florida, so I think we're good.
About Larson Educational Services:
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
And as a real estate professional, many of your clients and prospects may come to you through word-of-mouth referrals.
If you’re constantly prospecting like you should be, you’ll be interacting with strangers on a regular basis.
Although it’s unlikely that any of these stranger interactions will put you into danger, you still have to prepare yourself against the worst.
6. Have an escape route
You know how the flight attendants tell you before takeoff to look around for the nearest exit in case of an emergency (keeping in mind that it may be behind you)?
Practice the same procedure when doing a house showing--know beforehand what the exit and entry points of the property are, just in case you get uncomfortable with a particular client.
It's also a good practice to keep all of the doors unlocked during a showing.
7. Self defense
It's becoming more common for real estate agents to learn self defense as a best practice when preparing to show homes.
There is nothing to lose from taking a self-defense course--you'll feel safer not only at work as a real estate agent, but also in everyday life.
8. Make yourself identifiable
Wear your brokerage or Realtor ID badge and keep your car clearly marked with your company's name.
If you find yourself needing assistance, you will be best served by making yourself easy to identify--you can tell somebody that you have a large name tag and you are driving a car with your company name on it, both of which combined could describe only you.
9. Follow the leader
Have your prospect walk in front of you when you enter and tour the home. This way they have less of a physical advantage if they were to attempt to corner you in the home somehow.
You can gesture them in certain directions with simple points and verbal cues, such as, "the guest bedroom is on your right down this hall."
10. Trust your instincts
If a prospect is giving you a fishy vibe, there is nothing wrong with prematurely ending a showing.
You don't have to tell them explicitly that's what you're doing, as this could lead to defensive behavior from the prospect.
Simply say that that something urgent has come up at the office and you must get back immediately.
This not only allows you to step away from the interaction, but it also creates an excuse to be on your phone looking for police assistance (when you are ostensibly messaging the office about the fake urgent event that's pulling you away from the prospect).
Apologize as needed and tell them that someone else from the office will be in touch about rescheduling (which is not necessary to follow through on if the prospect crossed a social or professional boundary).
All in all, remember that it is your right and obligation to yourself to prioritize your safety. No potential sale is worth risking your well-being. If you feel uneasy with a client, step away as you feel appropriate.
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
To learn more about LarsonEd's Florida real estate and Florida insurance courses, visit LarsonEd.com or give us a call at 239-344-7510.
About Larson Educational Services:
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
We love to golf, but we're starting to realize that the danger isn't worth it.
Florida is basically the Australia of America.
About Larson Educational Services:
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
And as a real estate professional, many of your clients and prospects may come to you through word-of-mouth referrals.
If you’re constantly prospecting like you should be, you’ll be interacting with strangers on a regular basis.
Although it's unlikely that any of these stranger interactions will put you into danger, you still have to prepare yourself against the worst.
1.Protect your private information
Just because Facebook has an option of providing your address doesn’t mean you should give it. With the constant sharing inherent to social media, it’s easy to accidentally give away enough information to locate your home, your family, and when you go on vacation.
Best practice is to keep vacation photos off of social media until you return home and, in general, keep private identifying information off the internet.
Likewise, as a real estate professional, you may want to consider using a separate camera for business.
2. Use teamwork
Ask a fellow agent from your brokerage to join you on private showings.
If a certain prospect or client is considering doing something that might put your safety at risk, you'll be more likely to deter their behavior with both you and your colleague rather than going by yourself.
3. Announce your showing schedule
Sometimes it's not feasible to bring a colleague along for a showing, but at least let a coworker know your scheduled location. No, you don’t have to sing your schedule from the rooftops (you’d look a little goofy hollering out “I HAVE A SHOWWINNGGG!” in your brokerage office like Marlon Brando yelling "STELLAAA!" at the end of A Streetcar Named Desire), but at least let someone know your anticipated return time from a showing.
4. Verify customer info
If you’re hosting an open house, make sure you get a signature and phone number (or e-mail) from every attendee who stops by.
This not only protects you by deterring some unsavory person from getting too close for comfort in a somewhat confined space, but it also protects your client’s property from being stolen. (Who wants to steal from someone who knows their face, name, and contact information?)
And if you’re doing an individual showing, make sure to obtain some form of ID and an address from the potential client.
This system provides you with a nice ready-made contact list as well.
5. Scope out the location before-hand
A big part of staying safe (in any situation) is having situational awareness.
This is true whether you’re hiking or showing a new home for the first time.
Get a feeling for your surroundings by taking the time to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood.
(Heck, while you’re at it you might stumble upon some hidden gems in the neighborhood that you didn't know about before. Win-win!)
Check back next time for part 2.
About Larson Educational Services:
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
Do you look at the spotless floors of a supermarket and think, "Wow, the cleaning crew here is amazing"?
Not likely.
Odds are, you notice when a place is dirty and pay no mind when it's clean.
Same goes for mailmen: we don't thank the mailman for giving us all of our mail on time, we only curse him when he fails to do so.
These are often thankless jobs that are being accomplished to their utmost potential when the people carrying them out are unnoticed.
Is it possible that real estate agents are in this category?
About Larson Educational Services:
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
To learn more about LarsonEd's Florida real estate and Florida insurance courses, visit LarsonEd.com or give us a call at 239-344-7510.
About Larson Educational Services:
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
Slowly but surely, certain sectors of the economy are moving their business onto the internet. Likewise, education is making the transition online.
That means we're entering a time when we have the potential to live out our 12-year-old self’s greatest dream:
we can stay in our pajamas and go to school in bed.
This freedom can be especially useful for adults looking to enter an industry like real estate and can’t make it to live classes.
However, before you jump right into online education assuming it’s right for you, you may want to familiarize yourself with how it works and how it’s different from live education.
1. Convenience
Online
There’s no doubt that the convenience of online education is one of its most alluring qualities; it’s difficult to incorporate school of any kind into your already jam-packed schedule.
Online classes can allow you to more easily shoehorn an education into your life.
Or maybe you simply don’t want to spend gas money and travel time commuting to a classroom.
If that’s the case, then online education might be right for you.
Consider this: although online classes seem like a time-saver in the short term, theycan be more expensive in the long run if you're unable to pass the state exam due to the less interactive nature of online education.
Live
If you live close to a real estate education provider, then time and gas money spent traveling might be a non-factor for you.
Perhaps your schedule is more flexible, allowing you to enjoy live education without feeling overwhelmed, in which case it might be better to go to live classes.
2. Individual Attention
Online
Although some online classes at a university, for example, will allow video interaction between students and instructors, most real estate schools will not offer such comprehensive online education packages.
Online courses generally consist of videos, images, texts, and quizzes.
Live
Live classes, on the other hand, allow you to interact face-to-face with an instructor and fellow students.
Not only is this a more conducive environment for learning, but it also provides an excellent opportunity to network in your new industry.
3. Comfort
Online
If you want to, you can take online classes out by the pool.
Please don't leave your computer this close to the pool...
That freedom is a great benefit, for sure. Just keep in mind that without the social pressure of fellow classmates, you may be inclined to succumb to distraction.
Live
Depending on how extraverted you are, being surrounded by people may be more comfortable for you.
As a real estate agent, you’ll need to thrive on social interactions, as you’ll be meeting and connecting with people all the time.
Meeting people at class is as good a time to start as any.
If you’re considering taking online real estate courses because you prefer not to be in a classroom full of people, then perhaps the social nature of real estate doesn’t jibe with your personality.
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
Have you ever purchased something cheap to save money only to replace it after just a few uses?
You probably bought the cheap item because you didn’t want to (or couldn't) spend more money on its more expensive counterpart. You find yourself buying the $20 cotton jeans that wear out after a year rather than the $45 denim jeans that would last you 5 years.
Why do we do it? Sometimes it's because we don’t have the money to buy more high quality items.
Other times, though, we’re looking for the quick solution—the shortcut.
It’s a breakdown of which colors in which rooms raise your home value and by how much. (Periwinkle blue adds $5,440 to home value? Who knew?!)
So what are you meant to do with this information about paint colors? I agree, it's tempting to share this as viable information—a simple change in paint color seems like an easy shortcut to more money—but there are so many X factors we don't know.
Most importantly, do these more profitable color schemes translate to Southwest Florida, where earth tones dominate?
If you followed this one-size-fits-all shortcut for paint colors, you might spend more time and money in the long run than if you put in the real work.
The same way that buying cheaply made clothes isn’t an efficient way to spend money, trying to improve your sales with a panacea is usually less efficient than putting in the work.
Holding your business together with a series of short cuts is as sustainable as buying cheaply made clothes—you’ll wake up one day and the soles of your shoes will be flopping off like the lapping tongue of a dog and your pants will bust at the seams like a plumber.
Take the long road—it’s the only sustainable route you have.
About Larson Educational Services:
Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.
