Phil are you  in the  Portland OR area? My daughter just moved out to that area from college. What is the cost of housing running around the downtown portland area, or just outside of it. Starter type home?

Phil, I've been in the real estate business about 33 months and have closed about 50 deals. I didn't count how many of those where double sided...I may be close to where you are.

I've been at this for 11 years, but I dropped out for 2 years to help a friend with a business project. I dropped out one year after open-heart surgery. The four years I was in real estate, from 1996 to 2000, I closed on a 145.

After the three year absence, I started my own company. I sell myself, but mainly give leads to my agents (I have three active agents, and three not so active.) I have personally averaged about 25 a year since starting my company, although last year I think I sold 15 myself -- one was 3.5 mil and one was 1.4 mil. I am marketing the high-end properties heavily so I have less transactions and more bottom-line profit.

Where are your numbers Phil? My first year - The big Zero! My had faith in me and year two was 12 sides and year 3 was 18 and the first of the year was the beginning of my 4th year. I'm on pace to hit 35.

Todd

P.S. - We still need to get together - I think you sent me via e-mail the cold you had - Thanks!

How ever many I have closed it's not nearly enough!! so everyone please keep up with the suggestions:)

Hey Phil -

Not counting a six-month corporate dropout period in 2005, I count 38.

I am with Todd. I didn't break anywhere close to even after the first year.

Having to go back and work at a tech consulting job was tough but offered flexibility until I got to a better financial position.

Taking a couple of reality licks will make anyone pull their act together.  

This year so far 5 with 2 in escrow. I will have to go back and count the rest when I'm in my office. I am in my husbands office today. It is going to be a good year as my dollar figure is even with last years already with less sales.

I missed it Phil - Don't know how that happened. Hope everything went good with the surgery!

I know how hard that can be on a family. My dad had a liver transplant 17 years ago. We all had to help out!

Lori - You got the right idea - NEVER ENOUGH!

We closed 107 sides last year!  

We have to work hard for our money...our average sales price is only $130,000

9 closed so far this year (Thank God) with 3 in escrow.  For 3 years, I'd have to look it up.  Been in real estate 4 years, but wasted, I mean spent, last year in non-selling management with ole KW.

My personal goal this year is $12mil closed.

Associate Broker with 9 years full time experience.  

Closed 30 transactions first full year.

Averaged between 40-50 personal transactions each year after that until I started a team in 05.

2005 - 78 Transactions - 53 Personal  - 25 Team Agents  

2006 - 66 Transactions - 47 Personal - 19 Team Agents  

2007 - 17 Transactions - 13 Personal - 4 Team Agents

Average sale price = $205,000

I am finding this year to be the hardest yet.  I did a lot of work with investors my first five years, but now the investment inventory where I work is falling apart and the deals I put together would not close due to inspection issues.  

I am now working very hard to shift gears toward strictly residential which takes much more effort than mutliple investor deals!

I replaced a lot of my investment deals with internet deals, but now with the mortgage issues going on, even those are getting harder to get closed.

We have a lot of inventory here around Atlanta and fewer qualified buyers.

I am contacting my past clients more often, working on revamping my web presence and web effectiveness, developing a professional offline local marketing campaign, trying to launch a consistent publicity campaign and getting involved more in the community.

All of that with a dwindling marketing budget!  Who said this was going to be easy?!?

Phil,

I am not going to bring up politics again, or religion, or sex.

M

I'm with Lori!  It's never enough!  My numbers aren't the best either.  I got licensed in 2004 and was a long time before I got my first sale.  Was just getting going and gaining some speed then the market tanked!

Wish I had some great numbers to post up here, but I don't.  I just keep at it and keep doing what I can everyday.  Things are up and down here.  One week up with lots of leads and the next week down with hardly any.  

I just wish the media would shut up and people would stop listening to them!  It just seems to encourage those buyer's that Brian mentioned to come out of hiding.  Many of them are still in La-La land here!

I have to just keep saying to myself....This too shall pass....

WHEN though?  LOL....Really...WHEN?  How much longer?  

I guess I am hanging in there better than a lot of others in my area.  Someone told me that only half (literally) of the agents renewed their MLS dues at the beginning of this year at one of the boards I belong to.

In the meantime, I suck up as much information here as I can and try to come up with more ideas to make my phone ring!  ;)

2 here! Need I say more?  4 months in. You guys really help me to sound like I know what I'm talking about.  Fake it until you make it.  Mucho faking being done over here in Glastonbury,CT

I have closed 6 so far this year and have one in process and working with a buyer. So hopefully 7 by the month end.

My numbers are okay, but I know of small teams around Atlanta selling 3 times what I am doing.  So I am always trying to improve.  Please let me know if anyone you know is moving to the Metro Atlanta area!

OH wow... I don't know. Does it really matter? There are agent in the area (maybe it's just where I sell real esteate...) that close atleast one transaction a week it seems like and don't know their head from their... feet.

I do remeber one month last year where I was closing on 4 deals, all bank forclosures, three on the same day. (That was fun) Had top producers asking me why I would work so hard and four deals when one of theirs was twice what I would make... To this day I don't know of a real answer to give other then "It's my job to look after the client."

Are you all finding that the only differnce between a new agent and one that closes 50 or so transactions a year can be nothing but a client base?

Congrats Julia.  2 in your first 4 months isn't bad at all.  Especially in your high rent district over there in Glastonbury.  

Faking it until you make it is a valid sales tool.  I just got a call from a guy who found me on the internet, who told me that it was obvious to him that I was a successful commercial realtor in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut and that he wants to engage my services to purchase 100 acres of land that can be mixed-use residential/commercial.   I've closed 3 commercial deals in my life.  But who am I to disagree with a customer?

Hi Phil,

I'm at the start of my third year in real estate here in Phoenix. The first year was 12 closings, the second year was pretty bad. So far this year, well lets just say I'm still smiling! Total closings so far, 20 in just over 2 years, 2 in escrow and 2 listings. The inventory here is very high and buyers are a luxury. I'm working harder than I have in my entire life, but Loving every minute of it!

Jannette

I work for a big company, almost 3,000 agents around Atlanta.  We were listed in Realtor magazine as one of the Top 100 companies in the U.S. for the last two years.  However, the average agent in our company closes 5 transactions per year.  The best average I saw in Atlanta was around 17 transactions per agent.

Mike, I really like your idea of increasing unit price, but I have not really been able to break into the upper end market.  The marketing costs for upper end homes are much more than for the 200K mark as well.

So I keep plugging along!

Phil, you said:

We certainly have several folks that seem to have A LOT of experience and who make suggestions daily...

I really thank God for the fabulous suggestions and information that we get at this site. I have been amazed at the generosity of my fellow Point2er's as they share their knowledge.

24 in 2005, 55 in 2006 many were investor clients and many fell out would have had over 80, oh well, 2007 is off to a slow start alomost 1/2 way in and we have 12 closed, 3 in esscrow and some of the many listings floating around out there. Kepp on plugging and the buyers will come.

Lucia,

One of my brothers is with KW a tad south of Atlanta. He has found a high-end niche at Lake Spivey. He called himself the Lake Spivey expert for three years until everyone started believing him. He is now in a Texas Hold'em club made up of doctors and lawyers who live around the lake -- he gets most of his listings playing cards.

You are right about the marketing costs on hig-end properties being higher. I have had one big one, waterfront on one of the islands here, for a year -- finally got it under contract to close this month -- marketing costs total about $15,000.

Lucia and I work for the same company (different offices) and I closed WELL over the average. I am a lot behind this year I've only closed 3. I have several listing so hopefully they will sell soon. I am working with several buyers also. I guess I'm not doing bad compared to the average but I don't want to be average.

I work mostly high end properties and have averaged 12 million a year over the last 4 years. Last year was my worst year in the business when I had just over 4 million in closings. My average sale is in the $400,000 range. Operating two franchises has taken a lot of my time but this year has started off great and I feel confident I will hit my average. I tend to get lazy when I have big months and pay for it in the following month. I had a 4 million dollar month two years ago and found myself on the golf course instead of the office. I don't think I have ever had a year with more than 25-30 sides. My checking account is the main statistic I track, it is pretty accurate as to how my year is going. Unless the wife gets a hold of it and then I have to make some adjustments to see how well I am really doing. I was fortunate that I got into Real Estate during the boom and a dog with a note in his mouth could sell real estate. It is a lot harder today but those days established a good foundation. Our new agents have to work a lot harder and smarter than I did when I started six years ago.

Phil, Like Mike, I am no longer posting anything to do with, Dems, Republicans, Religion, Puppies, Wars, Taxes and anything else that may come to mind after I post this. Unlike Mike, Sex has not yet been eliminated, but may be.

In my almost three years in the businees I have had 37 ends, with 8 ytd. I also have 8 current listings and 5 qualified and motivated buyers. On the commercial front, I have 30K in negotiations and another 8k under contract. Commercial is a different beast, but can be very lucrative. Although I don't have much experience in the commercial field, I have good resourses and follow Julia's saying of faking it til I make it.

WOW! Leave for 2 hours and look what happened here! P2 agents rock!

Five Valid closings 7escrow Christmas is Going to be in June 29 Valid last year. My goal is to work smarter not harder...it's not working.

Good Luck All!

I started last August and have five closed and 4 active listings. I need more, more, more!

Licensed late in 1991. Except for my first year I averaged 50-60 sides per year. Until I started a team 2 years ago. I'm better at selling than training. The last 2 years my sales were down- less than 75 closings during those 2 years with 2 buyers agents. I now have 2 good buyers agents and should start outselling what I did by myself. :) It's more difficult starting a team than I thought it would be and truely admire those who have been successful at it.

3 Full Years in Biz, this is my 4th.

Total Listings, over 100 - Current Inventory 23

Closings over 75 - Currently in Escrow 5

(counting two doubles makes 7 sides pending)

Prospects on Drip = 1009 - Prospects Created in April = 60

Goal this year $6 MM Gross Production - 150,000 GCI

That is an amazing number - She must have a team that runs like a well oiled machine! I can't see that being done by a single person.

I am new to point 2 and only on my second year in the business.  I partner with my mother, but am the driver in the partnership (she has been in business for 25 years, but had semi-retired when I asked  her to partner with me).  We expect she will retire completely in the next couple of years and I will take over the business.

Last year was my first year in the business and we had a goal of 24 combined closed transactions.  We made it.  Just barely. and I moved cities in the middle of the year to join my mother in partnership.  

This year, we decided to double that goal.  Our goal is 48 closed transactions, and to have 10 listings in our stable at all times (rotating!!)

2007 stats:  10 closed transactions, 7 transactions in escrow to close by July.  That is 17 transactions by middle of the year, so we are a little behind our goal.

We are getting ready to list 3 houses this week.  2 of them are buying from us in the area.  And we are working with about 6 other buyers moving into the area.  We currently have 5 homes  listed for sale.  Theoretically we could be at our 1/2 way point by July if we keep our eyes on the ball!!

I am pleased with the status of our business and looking to add to our capabilities here with Point2 and other agents.  I am willing to share what is working for us, and look forward to hearing tips and tricks from you veterans.

Thanks,

Shelly Constantz

www.taylorconstantzhomes.com

Thanks for the kind words, Phil, and thanks for the welcome : )

shelly