From coveted upper-tier estates to thousands of beautiful residential neighborhoods, California is ripe with opportunities for those looking to earn their California real estate license.
But how do you know if you have the traits and temperament to enjoy a career as a California real estate agent?
Fortunately, most people who choose real estate as a career are happy they did.
A recent survey from Market Leader revealed more than 53% of real estate agents report they’re “very happy” with their lives, while 58% were “very happy” with their career. In context, a similar survey showed only 33% of Americans reported the same levels of happiness.
So, what makes a happy, successful California real estate agent?
Let’s find out.
You Like to Solve Problems
When the “big day” comes and you’re taking your California real estate license exam, you’ll notice plenty of questions on your exam are simply problem-solving questions.
For instance, you’ll see questions like what to do if a buyer’s earnest money check is returned for insufficient funds after being deposited into the broker’s trust account…
Or, if someone sells their primary residence for a certain amount, how much may they exclude on their income tax as a single individual?
The reason those types of questions appear on the California real estate license exam is because those scenarios happen on the job.
So do you love to solve problems and crunch numbers? And do you have a relentless ability to “make things work”? Then it’s likely you have the perfect temperament to be a California real estate agent.
Building and Nurturing Relationships Are Easy For You
A theme you won’t see a lot of on the California real estate license exam—but is crucial to your success as a California real estate agent—is relationship-building.
At its core, a career in California real estate is truly a career in relationships. It’s essential to love talking to, listening to, and serving people if you’re considering this career.
Of course, some relationship-building and relationship-nurturing skills can be learned, but you’ll certainly have an advantage if these come naturally to you.
These days, prospects have access to tons of information about their local real estate market and plenty of DIY guidance.
So when they choose a real estate agent, they’re looking for someone who makes them feel confident, and someone they don’t mind spending quite a bit of time with while they navigate their sale, purchase, or investment.
Plus, the better you are at making those important connections, the faster your business will grow.
A recent NAR survey found that 70% would be willing to refer their real estate agent … if they could remember their name!
That shows just how important it is to maintain your relationships in real estate, and just how easy it can be to gain momentum in this career if you’re willing to proactively build and nurture your network.
You Enjoy Learning New Things
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just prepare for your California real estate license exam and know everything you need to know about real estate?
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how much you enjoy learning new things), the real estate market moves fairly quickly and there’s always something to learn.
Not only do real estate agents need to stay informed on what’s happening in global and local markets, they also need to stay current on things like marketing and current events that affect their ideal clients.
In other words, successful California real estate agents know they need to prioritize learning as a daily, or at least weekly, practice.
In fact, successful California real estate agents regularly work costs like seminars, training, real estate-specific designations, books, and other learning resources into their business budget.
So you can imagine, if you already love to learn, this is an exciting part of the job.
Another reason continual learning is so important as a California real estate agent?
Competition.
In 2017, California was home to 194,572 licensed real estate agents, and the number has surely grown since then.
Staying on top of trends and data is a non-negotiable strategy for standing out in a sea of other real estate agents, which is much easier to do when you already enjoy immersing yourself in new information on a regular basis.
Fine-Tuning Your Skills and Temperament to Be a California Real Estate Agent
If you already have all these traits, then you’re way ahead of the curve.
But if you don’t have all three, don’t worry!
It’s common for real estate agents at all stages in their career to receive some sort of training, coaching, or mentorship to hone these traits and skills.
As long as you are able to learn some of these skills and cultivate some of these traits, you’ll likely set yourself up to become a great California real estate agent.
