Quintavius Burdette
Quintavius Burdette, or Q as he is known, is well versed with hard work. The former football and track star at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) joined a big four accounting firm after graduation. But he soon found he needed to get out from behind a desk. So he joined RE/MAX Experts of Germantown, Tenn., in late September 2018 as an agent because he wanted “make what he was worth,” as he said.
In his first full year as an agent in 2019, Q closed 106 transactions, accounting for just under $20 million in sales. And he did all of this with an average sale price of $180,000.
Talk about a strong start! His career kicked off with immediate and significant success, so we wanted to know exactly how he did it. Q shares his story below.
Take us through your decision to become a real estate agent.
I played football and ran track in college. After college, I went to work in Atlanta for KPMG, one of the big four accounting firms. I was there for just over four months, and being indoors for a former athlete doesn’t sit well.
At one point, they sat us down to go over what we bill our clients, and I was seeing several hundred dollars an hour for the work we were doing. So, I went back to my desk and Googled what professions would pay me what I’m worth. And real estate popped up. I saw a video, How you can make $100K in your first year doing real estate from Ricky Carruth, and he was saying how he cold calls and goes out and meets people. I thought — if he can do it, I can do it!
The very next day, I put in my two weeks notice and moved from Atlanta back to Tennessee. I got my real estate license and started working at the end of September. From September to December, I closed enough transactions to become Rookie of the Year and Realtor of the Year here in Mississippi, and it just happened from there.
What made you choose RE/MAX?
I knew the office’s owner, Sammie Knight, so that was a no-brainer for me. I felt right at home. The agents and broker here welcomed me with open arms. I said ‘Ok, this is a family feeling. I’m definitely going to partner with these folks.’
Exactly how did you sell so much real estate so quickly?
There are a ton of agents who are doing $500k but are spending $200K. I spent zero on marketing and leads. That’s the difference between other agents and me. I did everything from cold calling, door knocking, and going out to the grocery stores meeting people. I passed out business cards everywhere I went. Being social, being out in public, that’s how I built my business.
Where do you go from here?
Past clients are now sending family and friends. At one time, I had 35 properties under contract. Last month I closed 15 deals. Now it’s becoming just the norm.
But for me, it’s not about deals. It’s about helping others and getting them through the process the best way I can. And that attitude has become contagious, and my clients want to spread it to other folks. Those folks then call me, and I treat them the same. Five years from now, my goal is to be the #1 RE/MAX agent — not just in Mississippi, but in the world.
You have a system you’ve created to structure your days and ensure you are productive. Please explain.
I created a 4-point system to pace myself and to give me something to get up every day and get after. It’s very simple:
- A contract is worth 4 points.
- A listing is worth 2 points.
- Showing buyers is worth 1 point.
- Meeting potential clients who are looking to do business within 90 days is half a point.
Every single day, in some sort of fashion, I have to get 4 points. For example, if I gain one listing and show two buyers, that’s 4 points. It keeps me going and it’s different every day.
When you get 5 to 6 deals going within a month and it’s looking pretty, it’s hard to come in and keep doing the work. If you know you have to get 4 points today, then you let all that stuff go. Back in college, if you scored 1 or 2 touchdowns last week, those points don’t go on the board for the next game. You have to come out and do that same thing every single week.
Speaking of sports, how did playing for one of the most celebrated football teams in college sports prepare you for a job in real estate?
Q on the football field for Ole Miss
When I first got started in real estate, I was making 200 to 300 phone calls a day, staying at the office until 8 or 9 p.m. and getting in no later than 7 a.m. A lot of agents told me to pace myself, saying I was going to burn out. But when I was playing football, we used to get up at 5am to work out. Then we would go to class. Then we would have to go to our tutors. Then we would have to go back to practice. And then back to studying. We were going from 5am to 8pm every single day. So for me getting into real estate and going from 7am until 8pm was a breeze because I was so used to being busy all day long. I think that’s why I lasted through that first couple of months — banging out calls and not getting a lot of results. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
What advice do you have for others thinking about a career in real estate or dreaming of being a high producer?
Anyone looking to get into the industry should start real estate as a full-time job. If you have a safety net, you won’t put everything into it. I was going to make it work, simply because I didn’t have a plan B. All my eggs are in this basket. I wasn’t going to sleep until I reached my goal.
Don’t focus so much of your time on training. Get out and meet people. You can be the best-trained agent in the world but have zero clients and you’ll be out of the business before you know it. But if you can meet 5 to 10 people a week, and get 3 to 4 deals rolling, you will learn more and remain in the business.
And for agents who want to be a top agent — make sure you have all your ducks in a row before you make that wish. Make sure you are ready for that leap. Because you do not want to get the reputation of not delivering on what you promised.