We all need a little shot of inspiration sometimes.
Real estate requires more self-driven motivation than almost any other career I can think of. You don’t have anyone forcing you to produce. You either motivate yourself to produce or you don’t make it in the industry. And this is where little shots of inspiration, like this killer list of real estate quotes, can save your career.
If you need a boost, or if you’re just pumping yourself up for your best day/week/month/year ever, read over our top 10 real estate quotes, and get inspired!
This post was originally published in 2018; here is the new and improved version.
10 Real Estate Quotes to Inspire Your Best Year Ever
1. “You can make money or you can make excuses. Which do you prefer?” Tom Ferry
I love Tom Ferry because he provides actionable advice in a perfectly blunt way. If you read his New York Times Best Seller, Mindset, Model, and Marketing!: The Proven Strategies to Transform and Grow Your Real Estate Business, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
So you say you don’t know what to post on social media? You don’t want to “bother” people by giving them a call? Or you’re too busy to blog?
Well, this is what it takes to find new leads and make money, so figure out a way to make it work. You can create your own social media content calendar or take a shortcut by purchasing a ready-to-roll social strategy. Remind yourself that you’re calling your prospects to help them, and make those calls! Tackle your blog posting with some strategies that don’t require any writing.
As Tom says, “You can make money or you can make excuses. Which do you prefer?”
2. “In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.” Seth Godin
Do you stand out in your market?
Does your geo farm know you? Do you have a recognizable online presence?
Fitting in won’t get you anywhere in real estate. You need to find a way to make yourself memorable.
Need a lesson in becoming memorable? Seth Godin’s modern classic Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable will teach you how!
3. “There was no big break. There were just years and years of work.” Paula Del Nunzio
Most of us know by now that there’s no such thing as an overnight success. There are years of hard work, and one day, people start taking notice.
So if you’re not where you want to be, don’t worry, just work! Follow a prospecting plan every day, and success will come.
4. “If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait until you hire an amateur.” Red Adair
This is just solid life advice! If you’re going to invest money in hiring a professional to do a job, make sure you hire someone who will get the job done right the first time.
Skip the bargain basement printers. Ignore the new Virtual Assistants on Fiverr. And have your taxes done by a CPA instead of a part-timer at H&R Block.
5. “How you make your money is a lot more important than how much you make.” Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk is the prolific author behind the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too.
His philosophy is all about building repeat business. And as a real estate agent, you should know the value of repeat clients and their referrals. In today’s review-based market, it’s not enough for you to make a paycheck. You need to earn that paycheck with the type of service that will also earn you referrals and repeat business. That’s how you build a sustainable real estate practice.
6. “I am basically a full-time psychologist who shows houses every now and then.” Dori Warner
This quote makes me smile every time. We’ve all felt like this at one point or another, right? But at its core, this quote is about focusing on your clients’ needs. They aren’t coming to you just because they need shelter or a place to put all their stuff. Buying and selling a home is a stressful psychological process; your buyers and sellers need your support through the process. This is one of the many reasons the internet hasn’t replaced real estate agents.
7. “To be successful in real estate, you must always and consistently put your clients’ best interests first. When you do, your personal needs will be realized beyond your greatest expectations.” Anthony Hitt
Speaking of putting your clients’ needs first, don’t you just love this quote from Anthony Hitt?
You’re in a service industry. Your livelihood is tied to the service you provide to others. If you want to see success beyond your wildest dreams, re-frame your goals to a service mindset. Instead of, “I will list 50 homes this year,” try “I will help 50 families move into the next chapter of their lives this year.” It’s a subtle change, but it shifts the focus toward how you’re going to serve others.
8. “Success is actually a short race — a sprint fueled by discipline just long enough for habit to kick in and take over.” Gary Keller
Habits are incredibly powerful.
Will Durant said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” (bonus quote!).
To find success, you need to build the right habits. And Gary Keller wisely points out that this is great news for all of us! We don’t need to struggle toward success every day. We just need to struggle for a few weeks to establish a new habit that will carry us to success.
If you want to learn more about exactly how to build these new successful habits, check out Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. It’s about changing tiny habits and how that can skyrocket your success.
9. “Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it.” Warren Buffett
Stop. Read that again.
The typical real estate agent views market downturns with a sense of dread. If people aren’t buying or selling, how are you going to make a living?
Well, first, people will always be buying and selling in every market. Sure it may be far fewer buyers and sellers in a down market. But that’s a good thing for superior agents because it typically forces inferior agents out of business as the competition is even more fierce than normal. If you can provide stellar service and market yourself even more aggressively than normal in a down market, you can come through stronger than ever!
But there are things you can do to recession-proof your real estate business. How about adding property management services or property tax appeal services to your real estate business? In a down real estate market, the number of renters increases, so the need for property management also increases. And property tax appeals is a goldmine in a down market! All you have to do is show your County Assessor that the fair market value of your client’s property is worth less than the value on their tax bill. The county will reduce your client’s tax bill, and you have a brand new stream of income!
If you haven’t already read The Recession-Proof Real Estate Agent, you’re going to want to add it to your list asap.
10. “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan, backed by action, makes your dreams come true.” Greg Reid
This Greg Reid quote always makes me feel like anything is possible. I read this every morning like a mantra or an affirmation.
What is your dream? Your goal? Your plan? You need a business plan.
Do you have any real estate quotes to share?
We’d love to hear your favorite real estate quotes! Leave them in the comments.
Get Your Complete Recession-Proof Guide!
If you’re serious about growing your real estate business during a slow market, check out The Recession-Proof Real Estate Agent. This book offers a complete step-by-step guide to recession-proofing your real estate business.
