Prior to entering the real estate industry 10 years ago, I was working as a government contractor at NASA. It was a rewarding job and I learned a lot, but after a couple of years I was burnt out and looking for a change of pace. I wanted a career that didn’t involve sitting at a desk all day. I was looking for a job with more variety and, even more important than that, meaning. I wanted to help people and work toward something larger than myself. While looking for my first home, I thought about a career in real estate. The opportunity to help people like myself through the rewarding and at times bewildering process of purchasing a home sounded like a great career, but where to begin?
I got my real estate license and was an eager rookie agent at a traditional brokerage. I knew that my new career would be hard, but I had drive and desire for success, and I expected to learn from the experienced agents at the brokerage I joined. The reality though, was that all the agents were too busy with their own clients to help a new agent learn the ropes. So when I heard about Redfin, where agents work in teams, I knew it would be a better fit.
Over the past eight years, I’ve had the pleasure of helping Redfin grow and the chance to lead others and mentor lots of young, driven people. Three years ago, I helped form our Redfin Agent Development Program, which we call the RAD Program. It’s an apprenticeship program for those coming to real estate out of college or from a different industry. The concept was inspired by my own experience trying to launch my real estate career. Many recent college grads or young professionals have student loans and other expenses to contend with and don’t have a lot of savings, making it downright impossible to pursue a career in real estate without any income security.
The RAD Program is unique in that our trainees, or RADs as we call them, are full-time employees who receive a salary and benefits while they learn the ins and outs of the business. The compensation is on par with other entry-level positions and puts them on a trajectory to professional growth. The RAD Program provides the stepping stone needed for people to have financial security while learning the business.
Our RADs are immersed in the real estate business from day one. Each RAD is integrated into a local team and paired with a senior agent to provide hands-on guidance and mentorship. The RADs have a chance to shadow agents through real transactions to get first-hand knowledge in how to show a home, host an open house, write an offer, work with lenders and negotiate a contract. As they progress through the 18-month program, they have the chance to take on more and more responsibilities and begin interacting directly with clients.
We don’t throw our new agents into the deep end. We make sure our RADs are confident in every aspect of the home-buying and selling processes before they represent a Redfin client. When RADs start handling their own clients and transactions, they are backed by a team to help when questions arise. We invest in our RADs and they ultimately become productive agents for Redfin.
As a brokerage, we have a chance to develop talented people and train them to do business the Redfin way.The RAD program has enabled us to develop a pipeline of smart, honest and customer-centric new agents. You don’t need to have a real estate background to understand how to work hard and treat people with kindness and respect. We find people with the right mindset and give them the comprehensive training and solid guidance they need to be successful agents.
I also hope that the RAD program helps show people that real estate is an aspirational career and one worth pursuing. We’ve come a long way from the sleazy salesman in a cheesy suit. As a real estate agent, you get to help people as they make the biggest financial decision of their life. You also get to learn negotiating skills, business metrics, legal contracts, public speaking, interpersonal communication and many other business essentials. Some of the smartest, most talented, driven people I know work in real estate.
We’ve recently announced new RAD opportunities across the country. Check out the opportunities by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page.
About Taylor ConnollyTaylor is a market manager at Redfin in Baltimore. In his role he manages Redfin’s brokerage in Maryland. He is responsible for recruiting, mentoring agents and teaching them how to deliver the best customer service in the business. Taylor has been at Redfin since 2007 and has held several leadership positions during his tenure.
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