Customer Reviews

How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent in Your First Year: What Smart Agents Need to Know Explained Simply

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
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Considering the strong real estate market in the past several years, it should be no wonder that a lot of people have looked to that sector with the hopes of making it big. Unfortunately, in spite of many success stories, the promises of the market are often elusive to people who enter the world of real estate unprepared. In How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent In Your First Year, experienced real estate agent Susan Smith Alvis shatters some of the myths of real estate, but also lays out a strong, real-world guide to people who are seriously interested in entering the business as a real estate agent.

The first myth Alvis shatters is directly related to the title of the book: the idea that becoming a "million dollar real estate agent" will bring you wealth and prosperity. In fact, she points out, selling a million dollars worth of real estate might make you $42,000 per year. That simple fact might be enough to shake some people who thought the real estate market was going to be easy. Alvis further paints a picture of a competitive, cutthroat business that has potential to be lucrative, but only after a lot of careful planning and hard work.

After showing the cold, hard reality of the business, however, Alvis also delves into the positives, of which there are many, thus creating a balanced, realistic picture of what it takes to become a real estate agent. She also, thankfully, includes a chapter on ethics, in which she mentions the sometimes poor reputation of real estate agents from an ethical standpoint, and how one can be both successful and ethical in the business.

If you get past the first part and are still interested in real estate, Alvis does a great job with the main portion of the book, which is to actually walk the reader through becoming a real estate agent - from writing the business plan, to choosing an office, to sales techniques. She presents both broad advice, and specific, detailed anecdotes and tips, all of which could be applied in a real world scenario. As a guide to someone just entering the real estate business, How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent... is an excellent walkthrough.

That being said, at just 200 pages, the book contains an amazing amount of detail, but is still probably not sufficient by itself for someone looking to become a real estate agent. What it is, primarily, is a beginner's guide to becoming a real estate agent, and it works very well in that role. It provides enough detail and enough of an overview, to help someone decide whether becoming a real estate agent is a good career choice. It is a good informational springboard, and is well worth reading if you are considering moving into the real estate business, but don't know where to start.

5 stars

In her new book How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent, Susan Smith Alvis gets down to the nitty-gritty of being a realtor. As she explains, you are not only selling properties, you are constantly selling yourself to new clients and potential buyers. Ms. Alvis honestly outlines what to expect as average income, and what is necessary in order to raise that income level to million dollar status. She notes that growing a thick skin is essential in the cut-throat business of real estate, because folks will never cease to amaze you.

The book is well organized, including chapters that deal with everything from ethical practices to selecting the right real estate office. Ms. Alvis notes that the successful real estate agent cannot simply sit and wait for clients to come to him, but must go out and get them (she even includes marketing strategies).

How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent is not only a terrific book for new agents, but for current agents who wonder why they aren't selling as much property as they could. It can easily be referred to as the new sales bible for realtors.

As a newly minted real estate agent, I bought this book to start learning what I really need to know about real estate, other than what is required by law, and this book does a good job at hitting on important things that a real estate agent should know.

Two things that bothered me though, are first, the author (as I believe I understood it), only worked in real estate for four years and is now retired from real estate. If the advice she gives about how to be a successful real estate agent is so good, how come she no longer practices, after only doing it for 4 years?

Also, the product description on Amazon listed many topics that were the content of this book. Some of those topics were covered by 2 or 3 sentences which was not enough depth to do them justice. Also, where was the part about the vehicle and insurance...I must have missed that. I'll read the book again and see if it is there, but I don't believe it was.

On the positive side I appreciated what the author had to say about keeping a positive attitude and being an ethical real estate agent. I do recommend this book as a good starting point for a new agent as you will be able to create a list of things you need to further investigate for your new career in real estate.

As housing profits get slimmer and slimmer in the Real Estate agency, and claims of the real estate market bubble bursting, this book is a good instrument to rally the troops. The author is clear (using more simple terms), up to date (utilizing modern web marketing techniques) and concise (not so long and boring). Very often real estate books that I read keep rehashing the same approaches as have been used before... and they really don't work. This book can give the upstart real estate agent a boost, as well as a brush up for the seasoned agent on new techniques in the field. Too many real estate agents, especially those veterans that have been in the business for awhile, dismiss the opportunities that web based marketing really has to offer. Here the author pools techniques and comes up with a fresh perspective. As you may have already guessed, I was really impressed with the way Susan integrated everything from the very definition of a real estate agent to the latest technology changes, especially the Internet. I really believe that if I stick with the principles this author outlines that I will be a millionaire in no time, even with a tight housing market and limited profits. I wish that a book like this one were available when I first started and I learned some new things to boot. Talk about teaching the old dog new tricks. I really appreciate a good read, and I think anyone out there trying to get a better footing in the day to day trappings of real estate trading will find this book helpful. Thank you for building my confidence. This book is a bargain for this first timer!

Don't expect to learn any secrets of the real estate market that you might never have thought of otherwise. This book provides fairly standard "tried and true" advice on real estate. Here's a succinct synopsis: "Work really, really, really hard. Not just hard, but really, really, really hard. Probably 80 hours a week or more, and you'll do great!". I read "Duct Tape Marketing" and thought it was much better from a creative standpoint.

This guide for how to make money during your first year as a real estate agent is amazing! Even though it is aimed at newbies, any experienced real estate agent could also benefit from it. Alvis has sprinkled the book with memorable tips to get and keep clients; she even has a to-do list so that if you ever find yourself saying "I'm not sure what to do next", all you have to do is open this book again. The language is so straight-forward and the examples and case studies are very useful. One word of warning though: this book will only make you a success if you are willing to put in the work and effort to make yourself a success; this is not a "get rich quick" type of book. Also, make sure to read the section on balancing family and career and the tips about how to do this (including teaming up with another agent to help cover while you take time off). I recommend this book whole-heartedly!

Real estate agents who are newly licensed can't afford to miss this guide, which surveys the successful strategies of top seller and creates a business plan from these strategies. Any who want to learn how to begin a real estate business will find plenty of material from agents' personal experiences, paired with lessons from the author's own viewpoint. From handling competition and gaining referrals to setting up Internet marketing and keeping clients close by mailing out reminder cards, any business library catering to real estate agent clientele needs this.

How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent in Your First Year, written by Susan Smith Alvis, is the perfect book for anyone who is undertaking or considering a career as a real estate agent. Written in a conversational tone that makes for a quick read, this book gives the reader step-by-step instructions for everything from how to set up his business, how to find clients, how to deal with other realtors, and how to, ultimately, close a deal with clients.

As an added benefit, How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent in Your First Year is also filled with great tools for the beginner real estate agent. The glossary of terms is a comprehensive listing of real estate terms and their meanings. The included telephone scripts and canvassing letter formats will prove to be solid starting points as the reader begins to develop and increase his own client base. The section of the book titled "A Day in the Life of a Real Estate Agent" also provides valuable descriptions of the types of things a successful real estate agent does and even how often he does them. What more instruction could you ask for?

How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent in Your First Year is one book that should become a part of any new real estate agent's reference library. Its no-nonsense advice and well-developed reference section will make the reader glad to have it on his bookshelf.

Susan introduces you into the world of real estate in a very friendly and easy to understand manner. She takes all the finer points and the unsaid rules of being a real estate agent and lays them out for anyone to see. What really interested me was that she covered everything, from making the decision to go into real estate and how to choose a brokerage office all the way through setting up your business, marketing and advertising, networking with other agents and contractors to being the top agent in your area and real estate over the net. This book isn't so much about making the actual sale and all the paperwork and lingo associated with it, but how to make yourself successful. She tells about how to find the right plan and tools to be successful and how to use them to the best of your advantage. I would definitely suggest this book to the newly certified real estate agents and those who know they want to make lots of money and have the drive to do it, but maybe don't have the organization or a plan on how to get there yet.

Susan Smith Alvis writes an extremely informative and practical guide on becoming a million dollar real estate agent. Everything an up-and-coming real estate agent needs to know to be a top performer--finding listings and clients, self-marketing, budgeting, and planning for success--is in this book. But what makes this book special is her take on running your business. She stresses the importance of work-life balance to maintain one's sanity and that ethical business practices will take you further than shady ones. And as a seasoned professional, she has much sage advice about how to avoid the shady practices of others. Great advice for not getting taken by the brokerage house and for paying yourself is also included. This book has it all!
It is clear Susan Smith Alvis knows her stuff. Her energy and expertise come through on every page.