Best Practices for Relocating as a Real Estate Agent

Alexa Bricker

Posted on

Moving to a completely new place is difficult under many circumstances, but especially if you are required to pack up your career and start anew. This challenge can be particularly daunting for real estate agents—after all your business is being the expert voice of the market in your area, and you’ve probably spent years getting there. The prospect of starting over isn’t pretty.

The good news is it’s not unprecedented. There are plenty of agents who have made the move to a new market—agents like Candace Decker who explains in a Stay Paid interview how carefully planning and a brilliant strategy landed her a new listing on her first day in a brand-new territory!

Getting to know a new market will take time, so it’s important to remain calm and be prepared for the difficulties and work you face. But if you’re in real estate, we know you’re up for the challenge.

Here are some of the most important tips to consider when rerouting your real estate career in a new city.

Do your research

Hopefully you have a few months to prepare before your big move, which should give you enough time to thoroughly research the market in your new area. Think about the strategies you employed when your career first began. How did you start your research process? What resources did you pull? By this point you probably have a grasp on where to go for the most reliable market information. Use this past experience to your advantage.

Be assertive

If the level of competition in your new city is high, you know you’ll have to pull out all the stops to make a name for yourself and garner the trust of locals. If competition is low, it’s probably because there are only a handful of agents who have already staked their claim and are widely recognized by locals. These can be tough hurdles to overcome, but not if you stir the pot. Sometimes marketing yourself as a new agent with a fresh new perspective is exactly what buyers and sellers want to hear.

Meet everyone

It should be your ultimate goal to meet as many people as you can. Talk to everyone—neighbors, friends of neighbors, parents, local business owners. You never know where your next successful connection will come from, especially as a newbie in town. These introductions may start out painful, but over time you’ll begin to recognize more faces, and locals will begin to recognize you, too. Like anything else, building relationships in the community takes time but should be a critical part of your strategy.

Hone in on your strengths

Now is not the time to experiment with new strategies. Handing out business cards while in a goofy costume—unless it’s Halloween—will get you plenty of stares but most likely, not a lot of business. What might prove successful is connecting with other local agents, holding as many open houses as possible to introduce yourself to buyers, and, perhaps, even hosting a housewarming party yourself. You are, after all, as much a part of the community now as your neighbors.

Be one with the neighborhood

Speaking of your place in the community, it’s essential to get involved in as many local events as you can. Don’t overwhelm yourself—no one can be in two places at once. But pay attention to the big happenings in town, and make sure you have a booth or, at least, are seen in attendance. Communities, especially those in small towns, appreciate the effort of getting involved in what community members feel passionate about. Show them you are passionate, too.

Written by Alexa Bricker

Creative writer who believes in the power of a well-told story and helpful content.