I like to classify scrolling through social media on your phone as a necessary evil. By that, I mean that for as much of a waste of time it can be, from time to time, I find a gem.  Sometimes it's a way to grow my business, or how to collaborate with others on how best to serve our buyers and sellers, and other times, I get a little bit of knowledge that shifts my thoughts on how to approach our market. That's exactly what happened while waiting for a flight recently.  I saw a post by real estate coach Jared James that said, “Amateurs practice enough to get something right.  Pros practice so much they can’t get it wrong.”

As a REALTOR®, whether you're just starting out or you've been in the industry for decades, it's essential to keep improving and growing your skills. In this shifting market, getting better every day is key to your business's success and doing the best job you can for the buyers and sellers you represent.

Take time to learn a new skill. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available to help you do just that. GMAR offers a variety of certification and designation classes that can help you gain or improve your skills, allowing you to become the go-to source for market conditions and meet the demands of today's buyers and sellers. You can access all of these resources at https://gmaronline.com/designations-and-certifications.

But learning a new skill is just the first step. As a REALTOR®, the most important aspect of your business is relationships - with the buyers and sellers you serve, but also with other REALTORS® and industry professionals. Networking with other professionals is crucial to building the foundation that can help you succeed in helping a first-time homebuyer achieve homeownership or assisting someone going through the tough process of selling the home of a loved one who passed away.

Building these relationships help get deals closed, it will also let you tap into one of the greatest resources we have as REALTORS® and other industry professionals - each other!  Attending a GMAR event and speaking with one of the Strategic Partners might provide some of the best real-time knowledge available.  How many times in the last few months have you had the question, “What's going on with mortgages today?”  I’m guessing a lot - with all of the adjustments in interest rates, lenders are providing a number of different programs to help buyers stay in the market, such as 2-1 buy downs or that FHA has lowered MIP. A quick conversation while networking with a mortgage professional could be truly valuable.