You know the phrase, “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

I find that saying rings very true in real estate.

When I first got my real estate license, I thought I was going to do it all.

And then I started working in the field, and found that I couldn’t do everything and be good at all of it.

I thought I was going to do residential and commercial, until I discovered that they are quite different and you really shouldn’t be doing both. Sure, some REALTORS® do both and some do it well. But most do not.

I find many residential REALTORS® say they do both, but they only do a commercial deal every few years. Doing a commercial deal every few years doesn’t make you a specialist in that field. It is better to say you are a residential REALTOR®, but you can do commercial.

Some REALTORS® are lucky and can just work only in their specific city or neighborhood. Often, that takes time to gain that sort of market presence. Most REALTORS® have to branch out a bit.

I work most of Broward County and NE Miami Dade County. I set my limit at a drive time of 30 minutes. Why?

Real estate is a very time sensitive profession and your REALTOR® needs to be available to show you properties often and at the times you need. Many times buyers want to see multiple properties on different days in a week.

If it is taking me 45 minutes to get to the property to show, there is a good chance I might hit traffic (if we are going after work), or I might not be as available to be ready to drop what I am doing last minute, for a 2 hour time slot (45 minutes there, half an hour to show, 45 minutes home). And when there is a good property listed, you bet you need to be there within the first 24-48 hours.

I have found that properties under a 30 minute drive, I can make it there within that 24-48 hour time need. Every REALTOR® is different, and they need to know what they can and can’t do, while still being the best REALTOR® they can for their customers.

If something is not in your specialty or comfort zone, sometimes it is better to refer to another REALTOR® who will do a great job, rather than you doing a poor one. So, any properties that are past a 30 minute drive time for me, I refer the customers to a REALTOR® in that area. I only want to service customers that I can do an exceptional job for, not just a mediocre one.

Real estate is a people business and you need to be focused on helping people, in whatever way they need.

For example, some buyers from Massachusetts reached out to me to find a second home in Broward County. But, the wife wasn’t sure what she was looking for. I sent them multiple emails, some with properties, others with information about the area and information regarding buying real estate down here.

The wife still wasn’t sure what she wanted. So I got her on the phone to find out more about what she was visualizing in her mind, to see how I could translate that into the best properties for her. She started telling me how the city of Hollywood was too busy for her. Where they live now, it is quiet and they have to drive 30 minutes to an hour just to get to Trader Joe’s.

She liked that kind of living. Hollywood is one of the easier cities to get around, so if she thought that was too busy, I knew Broward County wasn’t for her.

The transition in South Florida has been north. As cities get busier, prices go up, and our populations grow, people are moving north to get quieter neighborhoods and more affordable housing. Miami-Dade County moves to Broward County, and Broward County moves to Palm Beach County.

I explained to her that Broward County is probably not the best place for her. I recommended that she should be looking further north in Palm Beach County. And, I had a great REALTOR® to recommend for her up there. She appreciated my guidance and was not only happy that I was able to help her get a better idea of where she should be looking, but also, to set her up with a REALTOR® who could help her.

You are an expert, and you should always give your best advice and do the right thing for people. An out of town seller reached out to me about selling a property of hers in Pompano. She also said she had a buyer willing to pay $X. I went through all the data with her and told her that for her to list with a REALTOR®, she would probably net the same, as having no REALTOR® and selling to her potential buyer. I advised her to not use a REALTOR®, go with her buyer, and gave her a good real estate attorney to help with the transaction. She thanked me for my professionalism, honesty and advice.

The most successful people don’t do everything themselves. They have a team of professionals and know how to delegate.

Do what you do best, and become a specialist.