Becoming a real estate agent seems simple enough, right? Take a few classes followed by an exam, and poof, you’re a real estate agent. But what does it take to be among the most successful real estate agents in your market?
Believe it or not, the most successful real estate agents are those that carried their education beyond those real estate classes. They are the ones who picked up books for real estate agents and kept adding to their knowledge. They are the ones who have applied strategies for success taken from the experience of other successful real estate agents before them. Are you ready to join these ranks and become the best real estate agent in 2018?
Then take a look at our list of the 12 best books for real estate agents.
But First…
Before you crack open some of the best books for real estate agents, you need to know more about real estate investing in general. There are even more real estate books out there focused on every aspect of real estate investing. So, make the choice easier and take a look at this list.
Prefer eBooks? Click here to get ahold of our free eBook: The Investor’s Guide to Real Estate
Getting in the mind of a real estate investor is important if you’re ever going to be a successful real estate agent. Don’t forget that.
The Best Books for Real Estate Agents
Something you’ll notice on this list (as well as most lists for the best real estate agent books) is not every single one is specific to real estate agents or real estate investing. A few are simply some of the best self-help books or business strategy books. After all, a real estate agent must think like a business person and form the habits of the most successful business mogul.
The Millionaire Real Estate Agent: It’s Not About the Money…It’s About Being the Best You Can Be! by Gary Keller and Dave Jenks
You simply can’t have a list of the best real estate books for agents and not include “The Millionaire Real Estate Agent.” Despite the somewhat “click bait” title of becoming a millionaire real estate agent, this real estate book is not about a get-rich-quick scheme. Instead, it teaches real estate agents how to get a real estate business off the ground and keep it growing and prospering from there.
With this book for real estate agents, you’ll learn how to surround yourself with the right team and land clients. The author also lays out strategies and tools every real estate agent needs that will aid in the bigger picture of a real estate business.
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6 Steps to 7 Figures: A Real Estate Professional’s Guide to Building Wealth and Creating Your Own Destiny by Pat Hiban
With another enticing title about making money and getting rich, it simply doesn’t do justice to the valuable information inside this book for real estate agents. One of the best attributes of this book is the two decades worth of experience the author, Pat Hiban, boasts. In those years, the author has become one of the top Keller Williams agents and shares what it took to get there.
With this real estate book, you’ll learn all about how to set up a real, actionable plan based on attainable goals and how to create a team that’s sure to help you achieve them.
Not only does this book get into how real estate agents can build wealth, but it goes a step further. While making money in real estate is the number one goal, a real estate agent has to know how to invest this money back into his/her real estate business and that’s just what this book will cover. With the author’s guidance, you can end up with a successful real estate business that doesn’t simply trade your valuable time for money!
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
Speaking of a start-up real estate business, this book, while not specifically tailored for real estate agents, needs to be part of your collection ASAP. That’s because, at the end of the day, you are a real estate agent with a real estate business. And if you don’t view it as a business, you simply end up with a job. What this means is, you have to learn how to focus your energy into setting up a real estate business that can run smoothly even if you take your eyes off of it for a minute.
The author reviews the franchise model to help business people and real estate agents alike achieve this setup. With dedicated time to teach you business development like sales and key strategies, the difference between your last day job and being a real estate agent will feel like night and day.
Shift: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times by Gary Keller
The reason we emphasize going beyond real estate classes and into real estate books is outlined in this pick. “Shift” is the real-life education real estate agents need because as we all know, the real estate market isn’t as stable as we wish it was.
This book for real estate agents will teach you what to do and how to handle shifts in the real estate market as well as downturns. Learn, not only how to survive, but to actually thrive when the real estate market takes a hit. With tools and tactics on how to set yourself apart from other real estate agents, you’ll remain confident in any condition of the real estate market.
Mastering the Art of Selling Real Estate: Fully Revised and Updated by Tom Hopkins
Selling real estate is an art. If it wasn’t, then every licensed real estate agent would be as successful as the authors on this list, right? Well, with this book, you can join successful real estate agents and master the art of selling real estate.
If you pick up this book for real estate agents, you’ll be taken aback by its size: 400 pages and 30 chapters long! That’s because it covers all of the basics a real estate agent needs to know. Learn about topics like reflexive listing techniques as well as hosting successful open houses to make sales. It’s pretty much the one book you need to learn all about selling real estate.
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The Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents: It’s Your Time to Rise and Shine by Hal Elrod
Maybe you’ve heard of the book “The Miracle Morning” and how it’s changed the lives of many. But, did you know there is a book specifically for real estate agents with similar life-changing ideas? Your habits make you who you are as a real estate agent. Luckily, it’s never too late to change them and adopt new ones with “The Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents.”
That’s all I’ll say about this book for real estate agents. You really have to read it to understand the profound effect Hal Elrod has already had on millions of people.
Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies by Dirk Zeller
It might be somewhat of a surprise to see a “For Dummies” book on this list for real estate agents. But these books are popular for a reason. If you’re a beginner real estate agent, you can learn all about the basics of lead generation, IDX, marketing, and how to overcome competition in the real estate market.
Related: How Do I Become the Best Real Estate Agent for Investment Properties?
The Honest Real Estate Agent: A Training Guide for a Successful First Year and Beyond as a Real Estate Agent by Mario Jannatpour
The reason so many people, real estate agents and investors included, turn away from self-help and self-education books, is that some of these books read more like a fairy-tale than anything else. But with “The Honest Real Estate Agent” you’ll get the honest picture of being a real estate agent. This book paints a realistic picture of what real estate agents can expect in the real estate market. With this comes practical advice to apply to the real world all the while maintaining your integrity.
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss
You want real estate investors to see you as a powerful negotiating tool. Who better to provide negotiation tactics than a former FBI hostage negotiator? Many successful real estate agents swear by the negotiation tactics offered in this book. As the strategies are extracted from the real-life experiences of the author, they are the kind of negotiation tactics you won’t be taught in real estate classes.
The Real Estate Agent: The Art of Real Estate Marketing by Robert Stack
What will shock you about this book for real estate agents, is just how short it is. Believe it or not, this book provides most of what you’ll need in a real estate education on marketing. Most notably, you’ll learn about the 7 Ps of marketing and the oh-so-important uses of internet marketing.
Related: Real Estate Websites for Real Estate Agents and Investors
How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Something often left out of real estate education is the basics of human relationships. With this book, real estate agents can learn what it takes to get other people to like and trust you. While not aimed at real estate professionals, not many books for real estate agents take the time to cover this aspect. And real estate agents quickly find out that it’s no joke when we say “real estate investing is a people business.”
Learn how to become a successful real estate agent by learning to be a leader and an influencer. Gain the ability to sell anything to anyone all the while being yourself and being honest.
Real: A Path to Passion, Purpose and Profits in Real Estate by Dave Crumby
The final book for real estate agents on this list focuses on something you may forget when you get started in this business: passion. The book “Real” reminds you that real estate education is not all about making money in real estate. A big part of it is learning what you are passionate about and going after that.
The unique thing about this real estate book that has earned it a well-deserved spot on this list is the passages from some of the most successful real estate professionals in the business including Pete Flint (CEO, Trulia), Kendyl Young (Owner, Diggs), and Spencer Rascoff (CEO, Zillow).
Bonus: A Great Tool for Real Estate Agents
Even the best books for real estate agents are of no use if you don’t have some way to put them into action. Rather than arming you with knowledge alone, we want to arm you with a tool that can help you generate quality leads. That tool is Mashvisor. With the rental property calculator, our lead generation service, and the books on our list, 2018 will be your year.
Click here to claim your free profile at Mashvisor. To sign up for Mashvisor to receive our blogs and offers, click here.
Have you read any of these books? Or maybe our list is lacking a few classics? Share them in the comments below.
