The real estate business can make your dream of earning a decent living without answering to a boss a reality.
It's a business characterized by huge risk-taking, yet, promises a large return on investment if managed properly.
With the right skill and information about the business, you will become an expert in every aspect of the real estate business including buying, selling, and management of land and buildings.
The competition in the real estate business has become stiffer just as the demand for real estate services has been on the rise. It will take brilliant strategies for a new start-up to wade through the odds and keep its head high amongst its competitors.
These brilliant strategies may be what you desire for your new real estate business.
Below are some steps to follow if you wish to start and grow your business as quickly as possible.
How to Start a Real Estate Business from Scratch
1) Conduct an Underground Study
There must have been other real estate businesses operating in your city before you conceived the idea of starting yours.
Perhaps, you may have observed that the businesses in your city are earning much from residents buying properties before you decided to venture into the business. You can't, however, determine what operating such a business entails by mere observation.
Conduct an underground study by reaching out to people already in the business and inquiring about it.
Your research should cover how to get financing for the business, the process of obtaining a license from the government, associations to join, how to source for sellers and buyers, and the general lucrativeness of the business, especially in the place you wish to set it up.
If the businesses around you are unwilling to share information with you for fear of competition, search online forums or communities to help you with this information. You can also consult a real estate lawyer to provide legal advice about the business.
Only after proper research can you be able to spot factors that may hinder your business from growing fast.
2) Decide Your Niche
The real estate business is a broad business with many niches you can specialize in. As a starter, begin with a niche, after which you can include other niches as you get more resources.
You can choose your niche based on the property, end-user, or location.
The property niche includes dealing in properties like family houses, small apartments, large apartments, mobile homes, commercial buildings, and land.
End-user niche means targeting a particular kind of user. They include special-need people, students, long or short-term renters, or people going on vacation.
Also, you can choose your niche based on a particular location. After the underground study, you can then decide the location you will target to get most of your clients.
3) Have a Property Lawyer
The kind of business you're about to invest in involves signing many contracts and agreements. Therefore, you must ensure that a lawyer prepares your arrangements with clients when dealing with them. Your lawyer will also advise you on how to avoid getting into legal problems with your clients.
4) Estimate Your Start-Up Cost
Real estate businesses require capital just like any other business. You will have to rent or build a physical office, get an official website, design your brand logo, print business cards, obtain a license to operate, buy computers and equipment, pay utility bills, and advertise your business to experience rapid growth.
Getting an estimate of the cost of these will help you determine your financial capability to start up the business. You wouldn't want to start a business and quit halfway for lack of fund.
5) Determine Your Source of Financing
Following an estimate of the cost of starting up the new business, you may realize that the money at your disposal is insufficient.
You can keep your dream afloat by getting a loan from the bank. Ensure you spend the loan obtained on the necessary aspects of the business.
6) Obtain a License
Before you open for business, you have to obtain a real estate license to permit you to buy and sell houses, land, and properties.
Depending on the procedures in your locality, you may be required to undertake a pre-licensing course first. This course will teach you all you need to know about housing and real estate laws, property ownership, contracts, listing agreements, and the ethics of the business.
You’ll have to write a certification exam after undertaking the course, and cross the pass mark to get the certification. Then, you can submit your application to the relevant government agency in your state.
They will run a thorough background check on you to determine your criminal record before being licensed.
7) Insure Your Business
You must protect your business from losses due to theft or fire outbreak. Insuring your business will keep your mind at rest, knowing that your insurance company will compensate you if any accident occurs.
8) Build a Good Image
Packaging is often the difference amongst various businesses offering the same services.
With the kind of technological advancement the world is currently experiencing, there are many innovations to help boost your business image. Interestingly, these ideas aren't so expensive. You could implement them one after the other, just as your business grows and more resources become available to you.
You can begin with registering a name and logo for your business. Your business name and logo should be able to communicate the values your business stands for. They should be easy to read and recognize.
Make them unique in a way that if anyone comes across them, they will know it's your business and won't mistake them for your competitor's. Note that making a name and logo similar to your competitors is as good as intellectual property theft, and they can sue you.
Design a website for your business to further build a good image for it. Upload convincing information to prove to potential clients that your business is trustworthy with a website.
For example, you can upload pictures of properties you have for sale or lease. Also, upload photos of successful deals and achievements your business has won to convince potential customers of your trustworthiness. Remember not to exclude the contact information of your business.
You can also extend your image projection to social media. Open social media accounts, pages, and handles to showcase your business to the world easily.
9) Establish an Active Means of Communication
Every customer wishes to be treated with respect and importance. How long it takes to respond to your customer's requests will determine their willingness to patronize you in the future.
Slow and unsteady means of communication is bad for your business. Check the various means of communication available at your disposal and determine which you can easily employ in your business.
10) Advertise Strategically
Advertisement is key to the growth of any business. Create adverts strategically for your target audience. Local newspapers, magazines, radio, and television have proven to be effective in reaching out to potential customers.
You can also take advantage of the large audience social media and the internet offer. By placing your adverts on social media, you can control the kind of audience you’re targeting. Social media also allows you to give quick updates on the properties you’re advertising.
It is far cheaper and have the potential of growing your real estate business in a little space of time if used efficiently.
11) Network
As you begin operating your business, you must create a large network of people including customers and fellow real estate businesses.
You can achieve this by first having a good rapport with anyone that comes to patronize you. If your customers are happy with how you treated them, they are likely to refer their friends and loved ones to you. This will help to increase your customer base sooner than you expect
You can strengthen your relationship with other real estate businesses by attending meetings, conferences, and other gatherings related to your industry.
At such meetings, you get to meet other business owners with who you can exchange ideas and seek advice from on any challenge you're facing in your business.
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.