In the following interview, Kyle Bosworth of Watson Realty Corp. discusses his journey from NFL player to real estate agent. Turns out football and real estate are a lot alike!
Years in Real Estate: 1.5
Region Served: Northeast Florida, as well as Dallas and Austin, Texas
Average Market Time: 7 days
You’ve had a great career in football with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Why did you choose real estate for your second act?
Kyle Bosworth: I’ve played football since I was seven, but I’ve also always loved building and doing things with my hands. In middle school, I built tiny houses in workshop class, which I always thought was super neat. When the NFL was on the fence about me, and the only place I was hearing from was Canada, I got my real estate license. In some ways the transition has been tough, but my wife is very supportive.
What are your strategies for building relationships with clients?
KB: My network and ring of football friends make it easier, but perhaps, most importantly, I try not to burn any bridges or turn away any meetings. You never know where you’re going to get business.
Please describe some of your best marketing strategies.
KB: Much of what I’m doing in real estate is informed by my background in football. The two professions actually share many similarities. In football, you have to be creative to make winning plays. In real estate, it’s the same thing. I have to be creative with my open houses, making them out of the ordinary. I use drones and 3-D renderings to stand out, and I work very hard to market my listings. In football, I wasn’t the guy who came out of college as a shoe-in, but rather, the guy who always worked really hard. I was the first one onto the field, and the last one off. I work the same way, with the same intensity, in real estate. My creative juices are always engaged. It’s a great second career for me.
Do you have a mentor?
KB: My mother-in-law is a fantastic REALTOR® in California. She makes friends with her clients, does closings in her house and tries to help out wherever she can. She’s someone you want to hang out with, which I try to do as much as possible.
If you could use only one word to describe what you feel is most important to any successful real estate practice, what would it be?
KB: Knowledge. The more you know about the business and what you can do to help out, the better. In that way, too, real estate is just like football. Every deal is different, so adversity is going to hit you in the face, and you have to constantly be thinking on your feet. What are you going to do with it? The more you know and the more you learn in real estate, the better able you are to come up with a winning strategy.
For more information, please visit www.watsonrealtycorp.com.
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