Where REALTORS® Learn Their Trade

I must admit that most of my knowledge for the last five years has been derived from three mediums: Internet, Magazines and Television. By far, the most knowledge that I have gained has been by learning from peers online. Articles, forums, discussion groups, blogs and virtual networks have all proven to be exceptional resources to gain expertise in many aspects of the real estate industry. In addition, recent advancements in technology and online social networks have increased access and adoption of information.

I know you’re asking yourself why this is important, and the simple answer is that it reflects how all of us learn our trade and apply technology to our business. For REALTORS®, access to guidance and information is more abundant than ever before. In the past, when you became a real estate agent it meant aligning yourself with a broker and going out into the world, unarmed, to sell. Once in a while you would have access to a meeting of your peers at a local or national association meeting, but other than that you were left to your own devices to learn the secrets of success in this industry. With very little feedback or guidance, you were left in isolation to make a living.

Those days of relative isolation are now long gone thanks to the tools that are now available to every real estate agent. Online Professional Networks like ActiveRain.com provide agents with a tool to network and learn from their peers. In addition, specialized real estate forums provide REALTORS® with access to discussions that focus on their specific interests. Forum sites such as Real Estate Webmasters or Agents Online feature a variety of discussions to help agents explore their own businesses and how to make them better. Finally, the NAR website has some exceptional tools to help individual REALTRS® as well as guide the industry.

So what does this mean? If nothing else, you now have access to the tools that will make you a more successful agent. If you haven’t already, sign up with ActiveRain.com and touch base with your peers. We are all in the same boat and this is an excellent tool to network and find the best practices that will work with you. In addition, stop by the Agents Online site and see if any of the discussions resonate with your areas of interest. If you are really into getting the most out of your web promotion, check out the Real estate webmasters. Finally, if you have not spent any time on the National Association of REALTORS® website, it is time to take advantage of the tools that it has to offer.