Working as a luxury real estate professional allows you to help buyers and sellers with their home dreams. Yet it can also start to become a solitary profession. You may work exclusively in your home or from your vehicle as you are always traveling from one available home listing to another. When this situation occurs, you may miss important opportunities to connect with other real estate professionals or even attend local events.
Why is networking important?
There are many reasons to create a vast and robust network of real estate professionals. Having a network allows you to spot real estate trends and hear about new tools and resources geared specifically towards real estate professionals. You may then use these resources to enhance your productivity and work output.
Networking with other professionals also allows you to find potential connections who are related to your industry in some way. For example, you may connect with interior designers, contractors, and even cabinetmakers. With these connections, they may refer potential leads your way when providing other services to their own clients.Another advantage to networking is that you can more easily gain and pass along referrals. There may be potential buyers and sellers who may not be the exact fit for your real estate niche. You can refer them to another real estate professional in your network, and hopefully, that other professional will potentially reciprocate in the future. If you make networking a regular part of your workweek, you’ll potentially find yourself regularly gaining new leads that may become loyal and lasting clients for years to come.
4 networking avenues to expand your career reach
There are a variety of ways you can network with other professionals, and not just in the luxury real estate space:
1. Charitable events & local gatherings
These events allow you to network with other professionals who are within your city and region. You may find newer real estate professionals looking to find more established professionals who are willing to provide development and other helpful pointers. You may also find other professionals outside of the real estate space, but who share similar clientele, who may be interested in partnering with you for future referrals. Additionally, these events can also provide a nice PR boost to your brand as they show potential clients that you are an active member of the community.
2. Social media
Social media is a great way to expand your network to reach real estate professionals outside your local geographic area. It doesn’t require you to travel to conferences or other events and allows you to connect with others on your schedule when you have time to actually forge a connection with them. When you connect with peers, you can easily ask questions, share marketing ideas, or join groups together to talk about properties, new markets, and even best practices for succeeding in the upper tier.
3. Local and national networking groups
Local and national networking groups are designed to bring like-minded professionals all into one room with the intent of making connections. These groups are ideal when you want to find other real estate professionals based on specific preferences, such as those who deal specifically with coastal properties, or more, higher-density big-city locations.
4. Community services
Community service is another area where you may be able to expand your sphere of influence. Granted, you don’t want to just volunteer for the sake of networking. If you choose to serve your community, be sure to focus on a charity that is near and dear to your heart. That way, you’re more likely to connect with like-minded individuals who will be more likely to refer you to their own networks.
It’s important to keep in mind that networking opportunities can happen at any time and at any place. Always be prepared to form a quick connection with another professional with the potential of meeting up later to talk shop with them. To learn more about networking with real estate professionals and to gain access to valuable resources, you can also become a member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing to gain access to The Institute Network.
Expand your real estate reach today with The Institute
At The Institute, we pride ourselves on providing real estate professionals with resources to further their career alongside ambitious peers and mentors. Our suite of classes, partnerships, and connections can help you grow your skills and better your brand with top-notch professional guidance.
If you are looking to break into the luxury market, don’t hesitate to contact The Institute today.
Diane Hartley is the president of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, a premier independent authority in training and designation for real estate agents working in the upper-tier residential market. Hartley brings her passion for luxury marketing and more than 20 years of experience growing and leading businesses to her role as president of the Institute.
