Stay Organized and Focused

No matter what your daily routine is like, it is important to be organized and have your thoughts together. Surratt always arrives to work early to make sure he is prepared for the day’s events.

“This part of my routine helps me start my day in a relaxed mode to better serve my clients,” he says.

Realtors must be self-motivated, but it is very helpful to hire one or multiple assistants to keep you on track. Surratt says that his assistant, Lauren Morris, makes his routine much easier.

“Having Lauren allows me to be in ‘two’ places at once,” he says. “She keeps up with the enormous amount of paperwork and deadlines generated in a thriving business.”

Karapasha utilizes three assistants, and agrees that they are an integral part of her process, helping her with clients’ phone calls, data entries and the listing process.

“As production grew, it became important to have more assistance,” she says. “I have great assistance from my staff that frees me to do what I love most: listing and selling.”

Maintain Constant Communication With Clients

Staying organized allows top producers to make time for one of the most important parts of what makes their business successful: communicating with clients. Surratt prides himself on returning phone calls quickly, and tries to change his voicemail message twice a day to assure clients that he is around. And Karapasha gives her cell phone number to her clients, and takes their calls during evenings and weekends.

“My routine consists of communicating directly with clients, apprising them of the process and what to expect at each stage,” she says. “Communication is key to providing the best service.”

In order to communicate more effectively with her clients, Karapasha analyzes the housing market by continually updating market comps for her listed properties every 30 days, sourcing her data through the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), builders and information provided through local venues.

“Understanding the values of the area as well as the economic trends allows me to better inform my clients of changes occurring that will affect their marketing,” she says.

Surratt agrees that market analysis is a key ingredient to being a successful Realtor. He uses HAR’s MLS to stay current on the latest market trends, and reads as many real estate publications and blogs as possible.

“Agents need to know what is on the market, and what has recently sold to keep up with the dynamic market we have here in Houston,” he says.