There is a growing belief that creating a large team of producing agents under you creates the best leverage in the business. There are more agents today trying to create leverage through people than ever before. While I agree this approach is valid, you must ask yourself if now is the right time for you make that play. Are you personally ready to build and use that time? Most importantly, have you used the easiest and greatest form of leverage in real estate before you start exploring people leverage?

The greatest, easiest, and most profitable leverage in real estate sales is becoming a listing agent. Too many of us are not using this leverage to establish the foundation of our success. We are getting drawn into the more-people-bigger-team mentality before we dominate as listing agents. Once you have the skills and production of a Champion Listing Agent, you can then build a team more easily with producing agents.

Being a Champion Listing Agent spawns opportunity that carries new risk and high rewards. As a Champion Listing Agent, you will enjoy these benefits:

1. Gaining leverage by employing numerous people to work for you at no cost

How many licensed agents are in your board of Realtors®? That will be the number of people you will employ to sell your inventory each day. The best part is that all of these people working for you cost you nothing! There are no wages, withholdings, taxes, insurance, workman's compensation, or equipment changes (telephone, desks, and office supplies). There are no expenses of any kind. Now, I know that many of you are saying, my company covers all that with my buyer's agents who work for me. That may be true, but you still have to manage these people and deal with personal problems, mistakes, low motivation at times, and interpersonal office politics. All of those still need to be controlled and managed with leadership exerted to produce a result.

If you focus on being a great listing agent first, you don't' have to manage and lead any of these agent co-ops out selling your property until they actually write a contract to present. You employ all of these co-op agents for little time investment, no cost, and no risk. With producing agents on your team, you take a risk in terms of your leads and how they convert them. You invest large amounts of your time to train, coach, and direct them to success. Champion Listing Agents eliminate the risk and receive the reward.

I want to stress, again, I am not anti-team or anti-buyer's agent. I do, however, believe we, in our excitement to achieve a Champion Team real estate practice, take higher risk and lower net reward avenues because we heard an "expert" claim success, or because we really didn't evaluate the return on investment or evaluate the risk/reward equation.

2. Generating multiple streams of income

The residual value of a listing, in terms of additional business creation, brand recognition growth, market share, and market presence, develops leverage. By taking a listing, you are, in effect, creating a storefront from which to sell your services. A listing creates sign calls, ad calls, and Internet leads to convert to both buyers and sellers. It allows you to raise your personal profile in a neighborhood to generate future business. An agent who works with buyers almost exclusively has no profile.

What is a listing worth to you beyond just making a commission from the sale? One of the numbers I tracked was additional revenue and additional transactions created through securing a listing. For me, I tracked an average of 1.68 transactions for every listing I took. By pounding a sign in someone's yard instead of working with a buyer, I enjoyed the leverage of another .68 of a transaction. Track the buyers generated and converted from your listings, the sellers who buy through you, and listings you generate additionally because you sold the house down the street. I am sure that you will find leverage from every listing you take. I am sure your ratios will be as good or better than mine.

3. Maintaining a client even if the transaction fails

When representing a seller, if a transaction in pending fails to close, you still have a client. You can put the home back on the market, salvage the relationship, and sell the home. With the buyer, they have the option to not do business with you in the future. They can decide to use someone else to represent them on their purchase. The seller provides more security to your income should something fail to close or go smoothly.

4. Gaining control of your life

As a listing agent, you will be able to create a business devoid of the weekends and multiple nights that most agents must work. You can build a business that is more family friendly for your children and spouse. While you are away, you will still be creating growing activity on offers if you are a listing agent.

I remember very few Monday mornings (after a nice long weekend with Joan at our vacation home) when there wasn't a contract waiting on one of my seller's homes. I didn't know about it until I walked in the door on Monday morning.

5. Investing less time per transaction

It takes less time to represent a seller than a buyer. There will be a transaction every so often that will be the exception to that rule, but over time, the seller is clearly a lower investment of time. Because the seller uses small amounts of your time, this enables you to invest that time elsewhere to create more income.

I believe that our focus as the lead agent or Chief Rainmaker, of a Champion Team isn't to achieve a 50/50 mix of buyers and sellers. The objective is to be weighted to the seller side. The only way your mix should be at 50/50 is if you have two or more buyer's agents working for you. Listing agents, ultimately, dictate the marketplace. They set the terms, conditions, and the control level of the marketplace. Your leverage benefits need to be established as a strong listing agent before you hire your first producing agent assistant like a buyer's agent.

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Real estate business plays a huge role in the U.S. economy. The buying and selling of residential homes makes up only a portion, yet a large portion, of the real estate business in the U.S.

Until you have experienced buying and selling a home the complexity and scope of it isn’t always clear. Luckily there are groups of people and organizations to simply matters and help along the way.

1. Real estate brokerage firms are everywhere. Brokerage firms bring buyers and sellers together. Many of these brokerage firms consist of sales agents and Realtors whom work for and represent the firm.

2. Buying a home usually requires getting a home loan. Bank financing is a critical part of buying a home. Start this process early to overcome potential problems that may arise. Getting preapproved for a home loan sets how much home you can afford, speeds the buying process, and shows the parties involved that you are serious.

3. The home appraisal step is the process of determining the current market value of the property, even more so what the bank is will to lend for the purchase of the home. Often times the bank that is financing the loan will have the appraisal done at the buyers’ expense.

4. Home inspection isn’t always a mandatory service but it should be. Having a thorough home inspection done can expose serious issues with the home that may of not been exposed otherwise.

5. Rely on your real estate agent’s expertise during the negotiating and closing of the transaction is where you negotiate the purchase and terms of the sale. Pay special attention to the contracts as they go back and forth and make sure you understand what they say and what you will be getting or not getting.

Buying and selling real estate is taking place every day across the U.S. and is a billion dollar industry. When you are ready to get a piece of the pie ally yourself with knowledgeable and professional people who can help you come out on top.

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When it comes to real estate property you must know how to keep good records and managing your rental property at all times. If you purchase one property, you might be able to get by with stuffing receipts and cancelled checks, but if you own multiple properties, you'll need a better way to organize your finances or you will lost a lot of accounting.

No matter how little money you earn through rental income, you need to keep track of it for tax purposes. If you have only a handful of rental properties, you could probably track your rental income using a computer program.

If you have dozens of properties, you'll probably be better off hiring an accountant. An accountant can not only free your time but also advise you on the best way to save on taxes and keep track of rental expenses.

Create a rent roll, listing the name of each tenant, the amount of rent paid , and the date when it was received. A rent roll enables you to track your monthly rental income.

Set up a folder for each rental apartment or house you own. In this folder, put leases, correspondence with your tenants, and a maintenance log that shows when repairs were made, how much they cost, and when they were completed.

By keeping such a setup, you can quickly track down documents as evidence in case you need to settle a dispute in court between you and a tenant.

Set up a separate checking account strictly related to your rental properties. When you receive your rental checks, deposit them in this checking account. When you pay the repair or maintenance bills related to the rental property, write a check from your rental checking account.

Now when you pay yourself, write a check to yourself from this checking account. By using a separate checking account, you can easily track the cash coming in and expenses coming out. Then you can see how much money you're making from your rental property. A separate checking account tracks your income and expenses for tax purposes.

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Is one, one of those people that plan for their death more than they plan for their immediate future? Well, I know one thinks one is not, but if one has already written one's will and probably has no goals for the next three to ten years, it could mean just that; one is more concerned and planning more for one's demise, than for one's time before death. It is therefore time that one started setting goals. However, remember that goals are more than just what one puts in writing. Ideally, the goals are just like the spoken word; not true until proven by action. Here are a few tips that will ensure that one sets good and easy to achieve goals.

Specific Goals

When one is specific with one's goals, one is able to prioritize what matters to ones most either in the short term or the long term. If for example one needs to buy a car, and a Mercedes at that, one also need a decent home for one's family, college education for one, one's partner one's children and other activities which could include travel, one can prioritize what is most important. By doing this, one is able to strategize where to allocate one's resources first. Remember that goals push us to act. Having more goals for ranging from one moth, three months, six months, an year or even 10 years will make one a more proactive person. In turn, this makes one leads a more prosperous, fulfilling life.

Set Realistic Goals

Remember that one are kidding no one, if one's goals are no believable even to one, one's chances of achieving them is almost nil. One must gauge how much one is likely to achieve and set one's goals based on that. Goals that are not realistic will just end up disappointing one and eroding one's confidence for one's abilities.

Set Quantifiable Goals

When setting the goals remember that measuring one's achievements is of major importance. For example instead of saying that one will be financially independent in five years, just state how much money one wants to have accumulated in saving by that time. Alternatively, one can have the amount worth of equity one intends to have accumulated in the short term and long term. If one is targeting a particular income annually, then break this down to monthly incomes and see how achievable that goal is. Should one find that one is earning more or less than earlier envisaged, one is free to make amendments to one's goals. An admirable character trait among successful people is the fact that they make goals fast and are equally fast to make adjustments when the need arises. They do not hesitate, waver or even engage in negative thoughts about themselves.

Set Harmonious Goals

Harmony and condition between one's goals and actions should go hand-in-hand. If one has set a goal to use time more efficiently, then by al mean s avoid contradicting goals like having more time to relax and spend with family and friends. If this is to happen, one will no doubt have a hard time balancing the two.

Have a Vision of the Goal

Take some minutes each day and visualize physically as having achieved the goal. It may look faked afterwards, but that is the whole idea of visualizing the goal. Because it is not yet real, it pays to engage one's fantasies. Ever heard of 'act like you got it until you do'? Well, it is the idea that has propelled many successful people to their goals. This helps one to be more determined towards achieving one's goals, since one possess them in one's mind.

Work Towards Goals

Without working towards one's goals, they just remain a fantasy in one's mind that will probably never see the light of day. Prioritize one's work such that each day moves one closer to the goals.

Give Them Numbers

By giving one's goals specific numbers in the order of importance, one is able to ensure that enough justification is given to e ach goal. If one's goal is to have a better home, what is the supporting reason for the goal, is it because one are not comfortable with one's current home or just because one wants to move to a safer neighborhood. Are there more pressing goals like sending one's children to college? Ideally, the reason for one's goal setting should be important than one's goal. Several goals often present tough choices because they demand so much of one's time and resources, but remember that by setting them, one is acknowledging a need in one's life.

Examine, Evaluate and Modify

Flexibility is one thing that determines how fast one achieves one's goals. When one examines and evaluates one's goal, one is able to know the adjustments needed. Because some things happen different than one had expected, one must be able to factor this in. No matter what happens however, one must always strive at self improving works. Working harder on physically rather than on the job will lead to personal development, which is the background of one's persona

Have Deadlines

As earlier stated, a goal without set deadlines is just conversation. Try to set one's goals in the four areas listed below

Financial

One's goals should reflect the income, cash flow, equity and the net worth one wants to have.

Fitness

Fitness goals helps one lives a better, healthier life and in turn gives one better chances of achieving some of the other goals whose achievement depends on one's physical wellbeing. The phrase about the apple a day keeping the doctor away rings true to this day. Do things that will ensure that one remains healthy because this not only affects one, but one's family as well. It is advisable to start with the simple steps and then adjust with time.

Family

Family goals could include spending more time with one's family, taking family vacations, visiting places together or even visiting relatives. The goals include how often one would want to get involved in this family goals. There are a variety of family goals that one can set, just choose what matches the needs of one's family.

Faith

Faith based goals include spiritual goals, associations with one's friends and basically everything that one believes in. One's spiritual believes shape up one's actions and also affects the kind of company that one keeps. Now that one have decided to set goals, it is also advisable that one chooses friends that believe in one's goals. It pays to be around people that encourage one and even put one into account whenever one seem to relax on the efforts to reach one's goals. The biggest mistake one can ever do is hand out with non-believers in one's goals because such will only draw one back. Remember that birds of a feather fly together. If one wants to earn 1 million dollars by the end of the year, then be with people that have the same goal, or that have already achieved this. The latter group is just evidence that one's goal is indeed achievable. However, this does not mean that one gets rid of all one's friends. No one can keep them but never let them in on what one is out to achieve. The idea behind successful goal setting is to have a goal and a vision to achieve just that, who knows, one could just be the next millionaire, home owner or wealthiest farmer!

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