I think after 5 years in the business you probably know what you are doing. Those that can't hack it will drop out of the industry. I think being brand new can be hard. I thought is was very difficult handling all of the questions in the beginning. Gaining a background in contract writing takes time. New people get themselves in big messes. I wouldn't work with anyone new.

Good afternoon Brent, excellent question....

Age is one thing, experience is another - and accurate information is *everything*.

Right now the real estate business is going through the biggest changes it will ever see .. in another 30 months, it will have an entirely different landscape.

The FTC has pulled the grips off the NAR and their ability to snatch the MLS .. so 80% of the search is being done by consumers ...

The agents that jumped in 6 or 7 years ago for the market explosion, most will be gone by this time next year ... most agents are already seeing a 20% pay cut - and it's not even June...

Can you imagine what their YTD will look like in December without discounting their services even more.? - not a pretty site.

Besides, it's a totally different market and it's totally indigenous to itself .. there's more questions now than ever before, most lenders or agents can't even read a credit report anymore, all they know is a FICO score... what can they do you can't.?

You mentioned the word "credibility" ... how much credibility does a 23 year real estate veteran have when they never told their buyers in 2004 they were paying $480,000 for a $350,000 home.? .. do they blame it on the lenders, the system, their Mother-in-law..? .. they certainly can't use the word "experience" anymore...

If you're properly trained, you've done research on real estate and financing for the last 30 months, knew it at 15 months - and understand it now, then I'd say you are on equal footing ... I'm watching 23 year old veterans scratching their heads and ordering their 3rd Martini --- and it's only 6:24 PM.



; ^)

Experience, in and of itself, is not a true test of value.

We all know agents who've been doing this for many, many years, and we wonder how they manage to find clients at all. And we know agents who've only been licensed for a year or so, who "get it" and are fabulously skilled at educating their clients and working magic with listings, and buyers.

Yes, experience, can be a good thing, but you still need to bring skill to the table. Without skill, experience is just "old".

good answer! would love to hear more!

I know what you mean. I agree that sometimes years of experience can be used as a badge that shows you know more than the next guy. If they knew what the market was 20 years ago it doesn't necessarily mean they know how to handle the market now. I agree with what you said that if they haven't kept in touch with today's ever changing market, that it doesn't really matter how long they have done it for.

I think people ask "how long have you done this?" as a way of finding out of if this person knows what they are doing. I do agree that people should probe more into someones reputation, character, and track record as well. I don't think that you can change your colleagues opinions, but their not the ones that really matter. It is your clients that matter. A great idea would be if you make a brochure about the services you offer, along with info about you ( your track record, testimonials, and a little bio), why someone should choose you rather than someone else. It might help.

Trisha,

Thanks for your insight. It's not that I am worried about being a young mortgage professional, I just hear alot of veterans throw out their years of experience as crediability and I absolutely think if your not in touch with the market and the way things have changed, the number of years you have been in the business is really null and void. I know plenty of people that have 20+ years and produce way less than some one who has seven. I've been a mortgage professional for only 5 years but rarely throw that number out to my potential clients to pursuade them of my services. I find it somewhat funny that people in this industry use years of experience rather than their reputation, track record and character.

Hello Brent,

I am a young professional myself, I received my real estate license at the age of eighteen. I never had a problem with my clients, although it is a different story with fellow agents that looked at me with their nose up in the air. I think the reason may be that I love my job, I am dedicated, I am always on top of the latest updates and news that can help my clients along with the tried and true advice. I started because my father is a Realtor that has done it for over 35 years, and I consider him the real estate guru. He inspired me. His saying to me is " if you are green you grow and if you are ripe you rote" He means by this that you have to keep on growing intellectually, because if you don't what good are you!

When you are confident and you know what your doing people don't have to question are you to young. I have come across people that have 15+ years experience and they thought 10 years ago that they didn't need to learn anything anymore! That once you have experience you don't have to try as hard. Which I strongly disagree with. Then there are others that don't have as much experience and are very passionate about what they do and they try to learn as much as they possibly can. Now each one of these people have their own kind of knowledge. Is one better than the other? I don't think so. Of course I do think that those that have survived and thrived in their career deserve respect, but doesn't everybody!

Trisha Motter
Realtor