So you've just completed your first year in real estate or perhaps you're looking at a new career and are wondering what it's like to get started. Naturally, those first weeks and months in any new career are the hardest part, but once you've got the hang of things and gain some valuable experience, then you'll be well on your way to a successful career in the field.

But what exactly defines success? Let's take a look at how to measure success during your first year in real estate.

• Get a Mentor
  Any successful businessperson, no matter their field of work, has a strong mentor on their side to guide them and help them get started. A mentor, whether within your company or outside, can help guide you through the real estate landscape as an agent, as well as help you get up to speed on the business side of your new career.
  
  Mentors are also extremely valuable as an objective evaluator helping you measure your success. Having this person on your side will give you a different point of view and provide you with feedback.
  
  
• Evaluate Your Financial Goals
  Real estate is a unique field when compared to most other careers. Whether you're an independent agent or work for a real estate firm, setting individual financial goals for yourself will give you a hard metric to measure against in your first year.
  
  If you don't know where to start, your mentor or a senior agent in your real estate firm can help you set some reasonable, attainable goals. From there, you can measure yourself against the goals you set when you began your year, find out how you fared, and make a plan for improvement based on your performance.
  
  
• Measure Your Quality
  Many new real estate agents measure themselves strictly on financials without taking into account many of the intangibles that make your business a lasting one. Instead of measuring yourself solely based on sales, dollars, and financials, evaluate some of the foundational things that will see you through the years to come.
  
  It may be difficult to quantify "quality," but you can evaluate it on a simple personal scale. How many new clients did you gain? What was the average sales price per square foot of homes you sold?  Did you make a significant marketing impact and get your name out in the community? These are all questions of quality. You may very well be able to put a number to some of them, but many will be highly objective so go easy on yourself at first.
  
  
• Get Trained the Homesale Way
  If you're looking into a career in real estate, then getting started with quality training, education, and first-hand experience in the real estate field will get you off on the right foot. There are many reasons why Homesale Realty is one of the best real estate agencies in the nation, but our focus on client engagement and the psychology behind real estate sales is head and shoulders above the rest.

Contact BHHS Homesale Realty to get information on our programs, training, and how you can master the skills to have a successful start and career in real estate. We're here to help you establish yourself as a real estate agent with a client-focused mentality and to become the go-to agent in your area.