Book suggestions for new real estate agents before starting their careers (2024)

Looking for book suggestions for new real estate agents? You’ve come to the right place.

Your first day on the “job” in real estate is nothing like your first day in any other industry. For starters, no matter how hard you work, how many gazillions of hours you put in, you can’t count on a paycheck.

Getting that first deal is your goal. At times, it will seem like it will never happen.

Starting a new business, which is what you’re doing, is akin to working an algebra problem. Take the steps, as laid out (“Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally,” remember?), and you’ll find success.

Trying to speed up the process by dividing before multiplying and, although you may think you’re still on the right track, you aren’t.

It would be amazing if there was a PEMDAS for real estate. Instead, advice from others has to suffice. Some of these book suggestions for new real estate agents we’ll be introducing you to act as a roadmap, setting out the steps you will need to get to your destination.

Your First 365 Days in Real Estate: How to build a successful real estate business (starting with nothing), Shelley Zavitz

Our first choice in our list of book suggestions for new real estate agents begins with words of wisdom:

“Just because you have a license, doesn’t mean you have a business,” Ms. Zavitz claims on her website.

Truer words have rarely been spoken.

Zavitz, a Portland, Oregon agent, goes on to offer new real estate agents “The framework every successful start-up real estate business must implement in their first year.”

We looked to online reviews of the book to learn if she fulfills that promise.

There are few negative reviews. One of them is about the condition of the book (there were pages missing from her copy). Another was from someone who identifies himself as an agent, has reviewed seven real estate books and hated them all, including the very popular “Millionaire Real Estate Agent.”

Reviewers without either envy or another agenda rave about “Your First 365 Days in Real Estate.” Awarding it 4.6 out of 5 stars, here are a few of the accolades:

• “It’s a book about how to get business. How to keep your mindset in the game. How to prevent your Ego from being your largest road block.”
• “I bought 11 for all of my new agents!”
• “Once you begin reading you won’t be able to put the book down … It motivated me to GO HARDER in everything I choose to do.”
• “If you want a glimpse of what it is like to be in this business and get some guidelines and how to run this like a professional, buy this book.”
• “I would recommend this book and the resource section in the back of this book.”

Total pages: 151

Publication date: June 3, 2019

Available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, AllThingsRealEstateStore.com

SOLD: Every Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Building a Profitable Business, David Greene

One of the most challenging aspects of becoming a new business owner is correcting your mindset: How to lose the employee mentality.

Your broker is not your boss and he or she in all likelihood won’t have the time or inclination to teach you all those critical aspects of running a real estate business that you didn’t learn in real estate school.

Do you know how to construct a sales funnel “… to keep clients moving along the path from prospect to paycheck?” How about the most efficient use of a CRM?

Greene stresses, among other things, the importance of achieving “… mastery of your tools,” to free yourself up for other aspects of your new business that need your attention.

Eighty-nine percent of the book’s 226 reviews garner five stars with only one single-star review.

Here’s why this one makes our book suggestions for new real estate agents:

A former police officer and active real estate investor, Greene co-hosts BiggerPockets’ podcast and is a go-to guest speaker on all things real estate for CNN, HGTV and Forbes.

Amazon reviewers love the step-by-step instructions: “David gives such great, actionable steps to take as a new or seasoned agent. This book is invaluable for anyone who is taking their real estate career seriously, and wants to run it as a true business.”

Additional reviews include:

• “If you’re considering becoming a realtor this book is also a great way to get an idea of what’s involved. Worth every penny.”
• “This book is an easy read with a ton of information, so much information that I stopped writing notes and just started marking pages in the book that I will come back and reference.”
• “So many tips for new agents. As important as what to do is what not to do.”

Total pages: 208

Publication date: February 2, 2021

Available at: Amazon.com, BiggerPockets.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Powells.com

Your First Year in Real Estate, 2nd Ed.: Making the Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional, Dirk Zeller

Stick around the real estate industry for a minute and you’ll become familiar with the name Dirk Zeller. A highly respected coach, speaker, author and CEO of Real Estate Champions, Zeller brings the business of real estate down to the basics.

We like that he’s a fellow fan of mentorship and gives tips on how to go about finding your mentor. We also like that the very first chapter is devoted to the first step every almost-licensed agent must take: choosing a broker.

Here’s a quick sample of some Amazon reviews:

• “My only advice would be to read it before you even get your license. Then when you are licensed, you can hit the ground running.”
• “Packed full of real strategies and examples for all aspects within your business.”
• “Is less about motivational thinking and more about what to do and how to do it.”

Zeller also authored the widely acclaimed “Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies.” Once you get the basics from “Your First Year …” you may want to dive into the Dummies book.

Total pages: 336

Publication date: August 3, 2010 (2nd edition)

Available at: Amazon.com, ThriftBooks.com, AbeBooks.com. Barnes&Noble.com

Before You Are Licensed: 13 Actions to Jump Start Your Future Real Estate Career, Katherine Scarim

It’s no secret that women are the experts at multi-tasking. Broker/owner of Island Bridge Realty in Jupiter, Florida and mom to 5 kids, Katherine Scarim is a perfect example. Where she found the time to write a book we’ll never know.

As a new agent, you’ve no doubt heard the oft-given advice to “Put away three to six months of living expenses” before jumping into real estate.

“If you’ve got that kind of money, then you don’t need this book. If, however, you aren’t sitting on a pile of cash, you have no choice but to hit the ground running the minute you are licensed,” Scarim says.

And that is exactly what this book suggestions for new real estate agents sets out to help you do.

Reader reviews include:

• “This book made me breathe a sigh of relief and gave me some insight on what to expect and what to look for when I am finally licensed.”
• “I know I will be referencing this again and again. For its price, it’s a must read for the business.”
• “The most appealing thing about this book is how the 13 actions listed in the book are simplified in easy-to-understand information.”

Total pages: 54

Publication date: November 5, 2015

Available at: Amazon.com, AbeBooks.com, Barnes&Noble.com

Success Is in Your Sphere: Leverage the Power of Relationships to Achieve Your Business Goals, Zvi Band

Relationships–building them, nurturing them–are the cornerstones of creating a successful real estate business. The time to begin construction of these relationships is immediately.

But how?

Zvi Band, cofounder and CEO of Contactually, shows you how “… to deepen your personal connections to achieve your professional goals” in this quick-read

Chasing after new contacts is the focus of far too many, he claims. Instead, “… strengthening your connections with the key people who will help you drive your business forward” is a far more effective approach.

His strategy is customizable to your business and he even offers suggestions on “… high-yield tools …” to use on social media.

As far as book suggestions for new real estate agents goes, this one’s a solid choice. Here’s what readers say about the book:

• “The book does not preach, and the author insists that the chapters are simply “ingredients” for the reader to put together based on what’s relevant to them. The stories are compelling …”
• “Zvi provides concrete examples of how to manage your time, how to lean on your contacts for more business, and provides personal examples of follow up strategies that make you stand out from the rest of the pack.”
• “As an introvert, I appreciated the simple and repeatable advice that would help me get over my initial hesitancy to reach out.”
• “The perfect book if you want to know how best to look after and develop relationships with your customers”

Total pages: 288

Publication date: May 15, 2019

Available at: Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble

The Politically Incorrect Real Estate Agent Handbook: A Serious How-to Manual with a Sense of Humor, Peter F Porcelli Jr.

We LOVE this book. Yes, the flow charts can be a bit tedious to read with so much information mashed together, but the information is priceless, so we slogged through. Man, were we glad we did.

Here’s why it makes our list of book suggestions for new real estate agents:

Porcelli comes from a real estate background where he was a broker and brags of “… selling stuff to people.”

Chapter one of the book is stuffed with amazing information for the rookie:

• Day one in real estate
• Nine ways to get in the game
• How to choose a broker
• How to be a great real estate agent

and more. And it’s all told with a brilliant sense of humor.

Total pages: 370

Publication date: October 3, 2017

Available at: Amazon.com

These are just a few of our book suggestions for new real estate agents – Be sure to do some browsing on your own to find the perfect fit for you!