Martin Tirado Jr., of the Tirado Group in San Antonio shows that he knows how to achieve early success in real estate.
He’s been in real estate for less than two years, but 28-year-old Martin Tirado, Jr., has already been recognized by the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and received the RE/MAX Titan Club Award, the latter of which honors agents who earned more than $750,000 in commissions during the previous year.
A real estate agent with RE/MAX North-San Antonio, Tirado came into the industry after talking to a loan officer about the opportunity. “My whole family is involved in real estate in some capacity, but with different companies,” says Tirado, who formed a team in 2017. Today, two administrative employees handle the company’s day-to-day business, a marketing director manages relationships with new construction companies, and three licensed agents work with buyers and sellers.
Tirado is the #2 producer for all RE/MAX offices in the San Antonio area and is also on the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals’ Top 10 agent list for the city. Here are his three tips for jumpstarting a new real estate career:
- Find a mentor…fast. “Real estate isn’t a hobby,” says Tirado. “If you want to create a business, you need to have an accountable partner.” Tirado’s mentor showed him that real estate was less about sales and more about connections, and also reinforced the value of work-life balance. “He showed me how to count the money and the leads,” he says, “and how to push myself to be someone other than just another real estate agent.”
- Carve out a niche. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Tirado’s team works with a lot of military veterans, for example, and two members are former military (or, have spouses who are still active in the military). Having a niche also helps agents create more targeted, purposeful market approaches. “I see a lot of ‘let’s send out a thousand fliers,’” says Tirado, “when there’s really no purpose behind it.”
- Give back as much as you can. Once you start generating commissions in real estate, don’t forget to give back to the communities, groups, and individuals that support your efforts as an agent. For example, Tirado gives back by organizing a school supply drive and donating 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to local schools. He also started a scholarship fund for high school seniors and donates to the Children’s Miracle Network and Victoria’s Visionaries, a non-profit for teens aging out of the foster care system.
“God provides us with the ability to help families enter a new chapter in their lives. We do not take any transaction, no matter how big or small, for granted and work to deliver a world-class experience for every single client,” Tirado says. “Our success is based on this mission statement that I instill in my team.”
