JUST WHEN YOU THINK IT CAN’T GET ANY BETTER

SOME PERSONAL STUFF
This is going to be a little different than my usual, so prepare to stay with me for a minute if you start reading. I have been a Realtor for a little over 10 years now. I have been with Realty ONE Group Dockside for half of that time. I absolutely love my career and know this is what I was meant to do. Through the years, I've had many offers to change companies, but quite frankly, I knew I would not be able to find anywhere else that was a better fit for me.
I had the the privilege and good fortune of being trained and mentored by a broker and person who I could never say enough wonderful things about. I credit her with not only giving me the tools I needed to become a successful real estate agent, but also for giving me the confidence I needed to make it through that first year, and second, and third, while I was learning and building my business. She shared her support, training, and superior knowledge of the real estate industry and I will be forever grateful. I miss her terribly, keep her picture in my office and when I have a difficult task, I look at it and ask myself what would Rachel do?
When I started at Dockside, I was an experienced agent on the verge of being a top producer. My plan was to work a couple years at Dockside and save money to start my own company. I dreamed of running a real estate company where I would be the broker in charge and would have my chance to build up agents and inspire them. I wanted to make sure my own agents would be highly trained with professional knowledge, negotiating skills, and they would all have common sense and a firm understanding of ethics. They would clearly understand that what they did for a living should always be about their clients and never about themselves. Pretty much the way I was trained by my mentor..
I realized a couple things early in at Dockside. I loved being a working agent too much to become a broker in charge. Especially the kind of BIC I wanted to be. The non-competing kind whose goal is to train and mentor new agents as well as help experienced agents grow. I also realized that my new broker in charge and his wife were not only 2 of the nicest and hardworking people who somehow managed to be laid back despite everything they did to run multiple real estate offices. It seemed like none of their decisions were based on what they could do to make the most money for themselves, but what they could do for their agents so their agents could have the ability and freedom to help their clients. I thought there had to be a catch with their competitive financial structures. No office fees. They provided signs, lock boxes, mandatory insurance. They didn't charge copy/print fees even if I printed out a 200 page mailer. They didn't micromanage, but were cheerfully there to help when asked. With their support and business model, I was able to put much more time and money into marketing and things that made me a better agent to my clients. I basically was given the freedom to focus on doing what I love while they paid the rent and electric bills and smoothly ran the offices I was able work from.

CAN YOU HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS AT THE SAME TIME?
I was blessed to have the best of both worlds. I started at a very structured company where training happened constantly and I learned the right way to do things and provide quality service to my clients as well as how to be a stickler for documentation and paperwork. Years later I took those skills to a company who was ahead of it's time as far as business model and structure. It was perfect for me but because Mike and Tammi, my BIC and his wife, were so busy overseeing 200+ agents' paperwork and transactions, they really didn't have time for extensive scheduled training. So Dockside didn't really get many new agents who needed more structure and basic training.
Don't get me wrong. Dockside had periodic refresher courses, offered training on new contract law or changes, and in addition to sales meeting would have various training sessions online and at their offices. Plus, all members of the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors have tons of training opportunities in addition to mandatory continuing education. So I was able to take advantage of what Dockside offered along with what my Association offered and stay on top of important things.
Anyone who knows me or follows me on social media gets how much I love my career and how much I love my company. So I often have friends or even people I don't know ask me about meeting with my broker as soon as they take their course and pass their real estate and state exam. I think they have all been surprised over the years when I told them that Dockside was simply not the place for new agents. This might sound harsh, but if I would have started out at Dockside 10 years ago, I wouldn't have lasted a year in the real estate business despite how great my broker is and what a fantastic company he's run. He will be the first to tell anyone that he was not in the business of training new agents. I have been telling new agents for years that they need to find a company that has extensive training and a new agent support system in place. Part of me has wished I had the time or ability to help new agents but the rest of me knows that I'm already working 12-14 hour days with little spare time to even grocery shop or strike a quick yoga pose.
My dream of starting my own brokerage may have faded, not that I think I couldn't, but because I'm too happy being a working agent. Plus, after being at a company like Dockside, I'm not sure what the future has in store for the traditionally run old school real estate companies. Not knocking them, but I feel it's become pretty much the norm for a new agent to start out at a more traditional/ structured company and learn the ropes for a year or two during which time they pay the higher fees and costs associated with that type of brokerage. Then they look for a company that's the best overall fit. And if they have a choice of working at a great company that has high costs and fees and one that doesn't, they will choose the one that doesn't. It never occurred to me that a company could offer the whole package. I always said that there could never be a better company for me than Dockside, but Mike and Tammi are once again ahead of their time and Dockside is now:

I couldn't be more excited! It took 2 hours for my broker to just generally go over all the tools and training we will have available moving forward. Our clients are going to benefit tremendously from the things we will be offering. I will share specifics in the near future, but just wanted to share the exciting news. And the best thing is, not only will this be amazing for my clients and for my associates and me, I will now be able to confidently tell all my new agent friends that Realty One Group Dockside is the place for them to be from the very beginning. They will truly have the best of both worlds: amazing training and support as well as more money to put back into their business which will allow them to offer superior service and be a productive and successful agent.
So, my logos and colors will be changing, but I'm the same agent working at the same offices for the same people. We just increased our resources and support system. I can't wait to put some of these new tools and resources to work for my clients!
If you know anyone who needs to buy or sell real estate in the Myrtle Beach/Conway/Aynor area, send them my way. If you know someone who is interested in a real estate career or someone who is looking for a positive change, send them my way!


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