“Help people get excited about buying or selling their home.”
In the small but highly competitive market of Burlington, Iowa, Brian Hopkins, 23, has established himself among the industry’s sales leaders after only a year in the profession.
He did $1.3 million sales volume in 2000, closing 25 sides, despite a late start. “I’ve always been aggressive,” says Hopkins, whose introduction to sales came in the fast-paced world of auctions, a calling he responded to at the age of 16.
“In six years in auctions, I learned to make people excited about spending money,” he says. “What I like most about real estate is that the harder you work, the more money you can earn. If you don’t produce, you don’t make any.”
Hopkins says he learned a lot about real estate by shadowing the more experienced sales associates, and he recommends that strategy to other newcomers.
“And always let people know you’re in real estate,” he says, “so that when they think real estate, they think of you.”