In this weekly column, real estate agents across the nation share stories of the lessons they’ve learned during their time in the industry.

Third-generation real estate pro Ricardo Wolf has spent decades in leadership roles with some of the industry’s leading sales and marketing groups, resulting in more than a half-billion in closed sales. 

As the broker and managing partner for Wolf Real Estate Group, he continues to work with agents and clients throughout his South Florida market. 

Find out why he believes that no matter where you are in your career, there really is no substitute for ongoing professional development.

Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for style and grammar.

How long have you been in the business? 

I have been licensed for about 30 years, since 1992, but real estate is a lifelong family affair, so my education began well before being licensed. My father, Enrique Wolf, inspired my love for real estate, architecture and the importance of history. Dad was a real estate developer in Peru who moved to Miami in 1970 and began Mazal Investments with my uncle Naftali Reiter. 

 I consider my most valuable education to have been the knowledge learned by working at their office; attending meetings with the architects, attorneys, investors, and banks; dealing with tenants; collecting rent; and other tasks that offer an education one can’t buy.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 

As a boutique brokerage company, I think that we are going in the right direction and that our growth will continue to be reflective of our ability to perform for our clients. 

What advice would you give to new agents?

New Realtors should focus first and foremost on learning the business. I know this is a difficult request since one needs to earn money, not spend more time learning. 

But spending the first few months learning from a good mentor can really impact the timeframe necessary to become self-sufficient, begin to establish a clientele and establish their own personal identity. 

  1. Create and organize a database of personal and professional contacts to begin marketing yourself and your services as soon as you’re licensed to do so.
  2. Determine what broker you want to affiliate yourself with, and make sure they can assign you a mentor to help you navigate the business requirements and the MLS and get some on-the-job experience showing and listing properties.
  3. Start with an area you know best, and focus on getting your feet wet in that territory before looking at areas less familiar to you.
  4. Spend as much time on the MLS learning everything about the system, the different services offered through the system, and getting familiarized with inventory, pricing and sales within the areas you would look to focus on.
  5. Surround yourself with seasoned pros, don’t be scared to ask questions, and listen closely once you do.

Do you want to be featured on an upcoming “Lesson Learned” column? Reach out to us here!

Christy Murdock is a Realtor, freelance writer, coach and consultant and the owner of Writing Real Estate. She is also the creator of the online course Crafting the Property Description: The Step-by-Step Formula for Reluctant Real Estate Writers. Follow Writing Real Estate on TwitterInstagram  and YouTube.

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