Every year, when the 2024 RealTrends + Tom Ferry “The Thousand” list comes out, it’s topped by an agent who holds the Guinness World Record for home sales.
“He only sells new-construction residential properties and works with volume builders only,” according to Katie Warner at BusinessInsider.com.
On 2024’s list, Ben Caballero had 7012 sides, resulting in $3,638,950,694 in volume – nearly double the volume of the agent in second place.
If you’d like to get in on some of this impressive income, you may want to give new home sales a whirl.
Do you have what it takes?
John Rymer at ProBuilder.com lists traits to look for when hiring a “New-Home Sales Superstar.”
- Avid goal setter
- Ask the right questions
- Financing expert
- Passionate about new-home sales
- Exudes enthusiasm
- Takes responsibility for results
- First into the office, last to leave
- Perfected the follow-up process
- Always showing value
- Persistent and fearless closer
If this list sounds like you, selling new construction may just be your dream career.
First, the cons
Let’s get the bad news out of the way up front.
As with the broker under which you choose to hang your license, so goes the builder. Some value ethics and high standards. Others, not so much.
So, choosing the right builder may be challenging.
Then, there is the commission structure, and you may not be making the percentage you are accustomed to.
More often than not, when you sign on to become a new home sales consultant, you are no longer an independent contractor but an employee of the builder.
Naturally, there are other cons, but these are the ones that agents should carefully consider.
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The pros of working with a builder
The obvious plus of becoming a new home sales consultant is that prospects come to you. No more cold calling and chasing after business.
As an employee, you’ll most likely receive benefits, such as medical and dental.
If being a business owner doesn’t agree with you, but you hope to remain in the industry, becoming a new-home sales consultant may just be a smart move for you.
How to get your foot in the door
Your best bet is to visit a few sites, introduce yourself, and get to know the reps. Don’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions. Everybody has to start somewhere so they may be sympathetic to what you’re going through.
Do some research on your own. Learn all you can about:
- The different architectural home styles
- Blueprints (and how to read them)
- Home construction methods and materials
- Site layout and design
“All it takes is a little bit of time for an agent to understand builders — why they do what they do — to reap the rewards the new-home market can deliver,” according to Caballero.
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