Chairman’s Message: Always more to learn with real estate

By Russell Berry

November 01, 2022

Adopting a lifelong-learner attitude is essential to your growth as a REALTOR. There’s no right way to educate yourself, but whatever path you choose will pay off.

Remember taking all those classes to earn your real estate license? So many hours learning about contracts and finance and the other basics of our business. You passed the licensing exam and were raring to go.

Then you started working as an agent and realized there was so much more to learn: how to prospect, convert leads, build trust, negotiate, save transactions from going off the rails, and a thousand other details that don’t always work in real life the way they’re outlined in pre-licensure or SAE classes.

I can think of no better path to success than pairing hard work with continual learning. (I’m considering high ethical standards a given. After all, we are REALTORS®.) And no matter how long you’ve been in this business, there’s always more to learn.

Thankfully, there are many ways to build real estate knowledge throughout our careers. The number of formal classes offered by our local associations, NAR, and Texas REALTORS® is seemingly endless. You can find courses and designations for almost any real estate specialty or interest, like commercial, property management, affordable housing, military, buyer representation, farm & ranch, appraisal, green real estate, seniors, technology, luxury homes, investing, resort properties—the list goes on. Texas REALTORS® even offers designations tailored specifically to agents and brokers in our state. And don’t forget the Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI), a series of classes that provides you a greater depth of knowledge of the most important aspects of our business.

There are plenty of ways to continue your informal education outside the classroom as well. Ask your broker questions. Talk with agents and brokers from other firms, too. Attend events at your local association, come to a Texas REALTORS® meeting, or attend an NAR conference. Make use of your franchise’s resources if your firm is part of one. Look through the hundreds of FAQs on texasrealestate.com. Read your industry magazines and emails. Participate in online training, like the fair housing program Fairhaven from NAR or pursue the C2EX designation to demonstrate your commitment to excellence in our profession. I could go on and on.

Even social networks can help build your knowledge. I have learned so much—including situations to avoid—from discussions in the real estate Facebook groups I follow. Some agents and brokers hire real estate coaches, while others belong to peer groups in real estate or business in general.

My point is this: Adopting a lifelong-learner attitude is essential to your growth as a REALTOR®. There’s no right way to educate yourself, but whatever path you choose will pay off for you and the clients you serve. See you in class!

Russell Berry is 2022 chairman of Texas REALTORS®.

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