Ian Grossman, Austin’s very own real estate expert, shares how hard work and persistence led him to a successful career in real estate.

Ian Grossman’s philosophy is quite simple. For him, clients always come first! Ian believes that buying or selling a home is a life-changing experience and therefore, he provides personalized and exceptional service to all his clients. Ian has learnt the importance of relationship building and makes sure to be his clients’ trusted resource to guide them through the buying and selling process. Learn more about Ian’s experience and success story by reading his exclusive interview with PropertySpark below!

 

 

When did you start your career in real estate?

I got licensed in the summer of 2014 while on summer break from teaching and started learning the business in my free time. However, I was still teaching 5th grade at the time I got licensed, so I taught the 2014-2015 school year and then started full time in real estate in June 2015.

 


 

What inspired you to start in real estate and how did you motivate yourself to keep going?

I’ll be honest, back in 2014 I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I had a degree in Elementary Education which could only get me so far. I figured getting into the business world would probably start with an entry level sales job somewhere…that didn’t excite me. As a teacher I loved to create and find new ways to deliver my message to the kids. I saw starting a business as an opportunity to also do that (which was one thing I loved about teaching), and real estate has a pretty low barrier to entry; 4 weeks worth of education and exams, and less than $2k to launch. Every single day, every single deal, is different. I’m motivated by the constant challenge that lies before me on a day to day basis. The sky’s the limit in this industry, and giving my family the opportunity to travel and enjoy all that Austin has to offer motivates me to be great.

 


 

Comparing your business from back then to now, what has been the main thing that allowed you to expand your business?

Asking LOTS of questions and being open to learning. When you start in real estate, everyone just says “fake it till ya make it” which only goes so far. I always faced this battle of confidence vs competence, because without one it was hard to master the other. I found the top agents in my office and found out what they did to become so successful. I never lost the drive to learn from those that were better than me. You’ve got to put your ego aside and be humble as you continue to master your craft. And when (not if) you make mistakes, use them as a learning experience and be better the next time around.

 

 

What’s the most profitable aspect of your business, why do you think this is and how can others apply this to what they are doing?

What makes my business so profitable is not getting sucked into the world of “easy buttons” that surround us and focusing on the relationships I build with those I already know. My phone rings several times a day with sales calls from the newest and greatest lead source that will “take my business to the next level.” I understand being enticed by these offers, especially when you are a new agent and just can’t seem to figure out where to find business. Trust me, if it were that easy everyone would be doing it. Focus on what you’re good at and build relationships…the business will follow. When people trust you they’ll want to work with you.

 


 

How do you work? (Do you wake up early, work late, communicate, what jobs do you do yourself, who do you talk to, etc.)

I recently started a routine that consists of waking up at 6am and starting my day with a workout. For a while, I was sleeping later and planning to work out later in the day, but things would come up and I’d sacrifice going to the gym to attend to work and my clients. That wasn’t working out for me. I like to make myself available to my clients whenever they need me, so that often means showings late in the evenings after work and on weekends or phone calls late at night when they’re able to talk. I know it’s important to set boundaries, but my clients understand that I have a family and there’s times when I may not be available. No real estate transaction has ever blown up at 10pm…just saying.. I still do mostly everything myself, and if you are a solo agent that hasn’t added team members, partner with a trustworthy peer to take care of your clients when you are out of town or just need a favor (and obviously you’ll be there for them when they need someone).

 


 

When did you realize you were successful/made it and how did you feel/celebrate?

It’s interesting because I think most of society measures success by the amount of money you make. I taught elementary school for 7 years and made around $40k/yr. Is that successful? Looking back on my time as a teacher, I won the Teacher of the Year award at my school in Georgia and here in Texas. I think I had a successful run in the classroom, but my paycheck might not suggest I was “successful.” Success to me is more about the impact you make and the legacy you leave. In my first full year in real estate, I made nearly 2.5x my teacher’s salary, but the bar keeps getting set higher and I still have a lot more to accomplish. I don’t think it’s quite time to celebrate.

 

 

Looking back, what could have you done sooner to get to that point quicker?

I was fortunate enough to have a seller and a buyer to work with right as I jumped into real estate full time, so I was able to gain some quick experience. I’m still constantly learning from my interactions with clients, highs and lows of deals, and from outside sources such as books and podcasts. I think I could’ve put myself “out there” more early on and started building my network even earlier.

 


 

What should other real estate entrepreneurs reading this be focusing on to expand their own business?

Success in any industry comes down to how you add value to the lives of others. When you are in the early stages, start figuring out how you plan to add value. This doesn’t mean randomly teaching a friend about the benefits of homeownership, but maybe figuring out what they need help with to grow their business and how you can play a role in that. I see A LOT of new agents come through my office mainly because it has one of the top training programs, and many of them get too carried away with making it big quickly and figuring out the fast track to building a big team. This usually leads to premature hires and unnecessary expenses that cut into your profitability. Start simple; find ways to add value and work with integrity and your business will expand (but don’t expect it to be overnight).

 


 

What do you consider the main differences between those people who have been successful in your industry and those who have failed?

Again, I think we categorize the successful agents as the ones with the highest sales volume, but there are so many more aspects to building a successful career in real estate. That being said, when agents “fail” it’s usually because they just don’t give it enough time. This is a business you’re building and it’s not going to happen overnight (or in 6 months to a year for that matter). Trust me, it’s tough when your livelihood depends solely on a commission check and nothing is guaranteed. You’ve gotta stick with it. Find ways to supplement your income as you build your network and eventually you will start seeing more consistency.

 


 

How has social media and online marketing affected your real estate business? How much more success have you had now after implementing social media and online marketing efforts?

Social media is SO important at this point in time (and for many years to come). I launched my Instagram a little over 2 years ago at the beginning of 2016. I’ve built a big following but felt like it was lacking authenticity. After searching for accounts that were better than mine and getting advice from those people, I recently started taking my account to a bit of a different direction so people saw more of who I am. If anything, social media has played a large role in building awareness for what I do. Most of my business still comes from people I know and referrals, but I want people to feel like they can learn from my Instagram account and count on me as the expert in the field. I need to get more into video, as that’s where EVERYTHING is moving towards!

 


 

We hope you’ve learned a great deal about becoming a successful real estate agent. Make sure to reach out to Ian Grossman for a phenomenal and a one of a kind experience in buying or selling real estate in Austin, TX!

Check out Ian Grossman’s Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/realestate_atx/
Check out Ian Grossman’s website here: https://grossmani.kw.com/



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