Finding a real estate mentor and cultivating a successful relationship could help you out tremendously by enhancing your ability to launch a long, successful real estate career.
The first step to mentorship is probably the toughest. You may know plenty of admirable, successful real estate professionals who could be prospective mentors. But how do you find the right mentor for you? And further, how do you get that person to want to help you? Read on for tips on finding a real estate mentor and building a solid relationship that will help steer your career in the right direction.
How Real Estate Mentoring Works
Not everyone understands what mentoring is, or how to find a prospective real estate mentor and develop a relationship with that person. Here are some common myths about mentoring:
– Myth: The mentee needs to wait until he or she is found by a mentor.
– Myth: Mentoring is all about the mentee.
– Myth: The mentor relationship is a one-way association.
– Myth: The mentee needs to go right out and ask for a mentor.
– Myth: The mentor will teach the mentee directly.
A real estate mentor is an adviser. He or she offers advice and feedback when it is needed. This is not an apprenticeship wherein you will learn a trade. Don’t look for a mentor hoping they will teach you everything you need to know to be successful. Instead, it is important to look for someone with whom to create a long-term relationship. You can’t be mentored in a few weeks or months; it is a process—not an internship. And it has to develop naturally.
Finding a Real Estate Mentor
You don’t want to look for someone who simply has the job you want, or the success you would like to attain. Find someone with whom you share similarities, someone with the skills and strengths you would like to hone. Don’t be in a hurry; it may take some time to find the right person. You might consider more than one person before deciding on who you ultimately want to approach.
Let the relationship evolve naturally. Don’t force the mentoring relationship, but let it evolve. Keep your expectations in check. Like other relationships, it has to grow over time, based on mutual trust and respect. Forcing it risks ruining a potential mentoring relationship before it can become established. Take the time to nurture it.
Don’t go when the going gets tough. At some point, you are going to get some critical feedback from your real estate mentor. This is a good thing, because it means the relationship has become comfortable enough for him or her to call you out on something.
Commit to the mentor relationship. Mentoring takes real time and real work, so once you make the commitment, stick with it. You and your mentor should both be in it for the long haul. Finding a real estate mentor, cultivating a strong mentor relationship and adding it to your career strategy will help ensure that your real estate career is a success.
Real Estate Express is one of the nation’s premier online real estate schools, providing pre- and post-licensing courses, continuing education courses and professional development to hundreds of thousands of real estate agents across the country. Real Estate Express, along with its sister schools McKissock Learning, Superior School of Real Estate, Allied Schools, The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing and Hondros Education Group, helps real estate professionals achieve sustainable success throughout each stage of their real estate career. Learn more at RealEstateExpress.com.
