Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I am a real estate agent in Washington, DC and found Ms. Sullivan's book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Real Estate Agent, to be such an inspiration. I have been a licensed agent for five years and have always believed that the industry needed to change its way of doing business. The traditional "sell,sell, sell approach" has put a dark cloud over a very good and esteemed profession. Real estate agents are facilitators not salespeople, and the "New Ideal" approach expressed in the book empahizes this truism. Operating as an independent contractor, I always felt as though I was a business person, but did not know how to establish my real estate practice and run it as a business - until I read Ms. Sullivan's book - five years later! It is very true that real estate brokers treat their "salespeople" as employees even though they are really ICs. Agents are not taught how to think or act like business owners which has contributed to the bad image real estate agents have in the minds of many consumers. I hope that many more agents and brokers will read this book and adopt the "New Ideal" philosophy. I feel that it will give a much needed boost to our real estate profession. The "New Ideal" philosophy and the advice given in this book has truly changed my life around and breathed new life into my business practices. I thank Ms. Sullivan so much for sharing her knowledge and experience.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book about upgrading the real estate profession
Review: I am a real estate agent in Washington, DC and found this book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Real Estate Agent, to be such an inspiration. I have been a licensed agent for five years and have always believed that the industry needed to change its way of doing business. The traditional "sell,sell, sell approach" has put a dark cloud over a very good and esteemed profession. Real estate agents are facilitators not salespeople, and the New Ideal approach expressed in your book empahizes this truism. Operating as an independent contractor, I always felt as though I was a business person, but did not know how to establish my real estate practice and run it as a business - until I read your book - five years later! It is very true that real estate brokers treat their "salespeople" as employees even though they are really ICs. Agents are not taught how to think or act like business owners which has contributed to the bad image real estate agents have in the minds of many consumers. I hope that many more agents and brokers will read this book and adopt the New Ideal philosophy. I feel that it will give a much needed boost to our real estate profession. The New Ideal philosophy and the advice given in this book has truly changed my life around and breathed new life into my business practices. Thank you, Ms. Sullivan, for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Rating:
Summary: This book gives the new agent tools to move with confidence
Review: I bought this book immediately after passing the real estate exam. While I was reading it I became engrossed in it. Marilyn Sullivan inspires the spirit of professionalism, integrity and Ethics for the Real Estate Agent. This book is loaded with excellent principals, suggestions, advice and must do's. This book really should be a must read for every Real Estate Agent Candidate in every state. Speaking as the new kid on the block, this book has given me the tools to move ahead in my new career with confidence and a sense of pride of being a Real Estate Agent. I feel that armed with this new knowledge from Marilyn Sullivan, I will be a success in my new career.
Rating:
Summary: Great advice from Marilyn
Review: I have been a tennis teacher since I was 18 years old. I taught tennis during the summers while I was in college and full time ever since graduation.
Last spring (2004) I decided to pursue the Real Estate career as a 40 year old. I then went to a mall in South Florida and searched for a book on the business and found yours. I read it cover to cover and after I finished it, I was convinced!
I moved back to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (where I had lived for 13 years before moving to South Florida for 11 months) and enrolled in the Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors certification course (60 hours). I passed the local test and the SC state test and then completed the required 30 hours of extra education.
I began working at a local real estate company in September 2004. Not much was happening for me there, so I interviewed and received an agent position at Dunes Marketing Group (one of the Island's top-3 firms) right after Christmas. I have been doing my best and working hard over the last six months, and I finally made my first sale two days ago!!!
I wanted to thank you for being so positive and honest in your book regarding this profession. I'm not sure if ever I'll be a Big Dog, but I'm certainly going to try!
By the way, do you have a newsletter for agents? This would be great periodic training!
Once again, thank you for pointing me in the right direction with your book!
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book if you're considering a career in real estate!
Review: I have been contemplating a change of career and on the top of my list has been becoming a real estate agent. I felt it was a field that I would really enjoy and that I had the people skills to do well. There was one thing holding me back from taking the plunge. The real estate agents that I had dealt with and any of my friends or business associates had worked with seemed to have such a pushy, hard sell attitude, with not very much respect for the client. I was afraid that this was a requirement to making it in this profession. Ms. Sullivan's book not only dispelled this erroneous assumption, but emphasizes why and how being ethical, acting out of integrity and putting your clients' wants and needs first will pay off on all levels and build a long standing, trustful reputation. I was so encouraged by her chapter on "The New Deal" which dealt with this issue. In fact there is a level of spiritual integrity that I haven't encountered in other books that I've read on this subject that really resonates with me. Because of this wonderfully organized and informative book, I have made my decision to enter this profession. I had a dream of finding a mentor in this field and now I have. I felt Ms. Sullivan wrote this book just for me and that I can't miss if I follow her advice. The FYI, Inside Scoop and Real Estate Lingo insertions scattered at strategic places throughout the book are so rich with interesting and helpful information. I really felt the depth of her wisdom from years of experience in practicing what she is sharing in this book. I am full of enthusiasm and appreciation.
Rating:
Summary: I found my mentor
Review: I have been contemplating a change of career and on the top of my list has been becoming a real estate agent. I felt it was a field that I would really enjoy and that I had the people skills to do well. There was one thing holding me back from taking the plunge. The real estate agents that I had dealt with and any of my friends or business associates had worked with seemed to have such a pushy, hard sell attitude, with not very much respect for the client. I was afraid that this was a requirement to making it in this profession. Ms. Sullivan's book not only dispelled this erroneous assumption, but emphasizes why and how being ethical, acting out of integrity and putting your clients' wants and needs first will pay off on all levels and build a long standing, trustful reputation. I was so encouraged by her chapter on "The New Deal" which dealt with this issue. In fact there is a level of spiritual integrity that I haven't encountered in other books that I've read on this subject that really resonates with me. Because of this wonderfully organized and informative book, I have made my decision to enter this profession. I had a dream of finding a mentor in this field and now I have. I felt Ms. Sullivan wrote this book just for me and that I can't miss if I follow her advice. The FYI, Inside Scoop and Real Estate Lingo insertions scattered at strategic places throughout the book are so rich with interesting and helpful information. I really felt the depth of her wisdom from years of experience in practicing what she is sharing in this book. I am full of enthusiasm and appreciation.
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: I have not yet finished the book, but I have to say I am enjoying it immensely. I have been considering a career in real estate and I don't think I could have found a better book that lays out what novices need to know. The principles of the New Ideal are a great fit with my personality, rather than the hard-selling, dog-eat-dog competition mentality.
My thanks to Marilyn Sullivan for such a wonderful book!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Starter Book for the New Real Estate Agent
Review: I was impressed by the depth and ideas espoused in this book. Even though it is in the "Idiot's Guide" series, this is a book that should spur agents to aspire to something more. Many practical tips were explained as were the matra of a "New Ideal" of real estate sales (consulting). I have recommended this to several agents and they were impressed as well. Buy the book, read it, live it, and lets change this industry and it's image!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book with a new standard for real estate sales
Review: Marilyn has done it again with this book. I read her book about equity sharing which was also written in a straight-forward but comprehensive manner. I have read every major book on the market about selling real estate; this book finally delves into every single aspect of the profession and how to make real estate sales a truly profitable and rewarding profession. I especially enjoyed the New Ideal she recommends for more ethical client representation. Also, she tells you exactly how to set up your business as if it is your own sole proprietorship (which it really is even if you work for a company) and how to computerize your business to the maximum. I recommend this book to anyone researching the field to someone who has been selling real estate for years but is still looking for some good, long-lasting answers.
Rating: 
Summary: What not to do as a real estate agent
Review: Only 20% of this book is somewhat useful, the rest should be called "what not to do as a new real estate agent". Some advice is outdated to say the least. For example, equity sharing-nobody really does it, or better yet "floor time"-which is complete waste of time because all you are doing is sitting in your company's office and waiting for client to walk in which hardly ever happens. That's not how you learn the business, trust me.
I also thought that some statements made by author is downright silly. For example, "make your work your passion". Well, okay. Here is how you should do it(in her opinion)-"if you love cars and think you should have been a race car driver-get into your car and take long way, just drive. Or if you love gardening, spend more time in clients gardens" Now, is that deep or what?
Also, author advocates to sending out cards informing everyone that you are now a real estate agent. I can tell you what everyone will do with those-use it as toilet paper. Don't waste your money on such baloney-I've been in business few years(not in sales but I had plenty of opportunity of interacting with other agents and brokers) and I can personally attest that it doesn't work. And this is just a few pieces of "advice" that you will see here. Buy this book to learn what not to do, or better yet save your money.
| 
