Most of us dream of being successful in life and business. But success is not easy to accomplish—the road to success is full of sacrifices. There will be many ups and downs along the way. It is crucial to persevere despite hardships.

In the face of so much competition and digital transformation, it is fascinating to know how a real estate agent becomes successful in the industry. What are the habits that successful real estate agents adopted to maintain their competitive edge? It is intriguing to know their rituals that are key to their success. The majority of them have developed a roadmap to success. They overcome procrastination and acquire the habits that propel them to victory.

Multi-awarded real estate agent Dave Panozzo knows too well that adopting the right habits is very important if a realtor wants to thrive in the real estate business. Panozzo and his wife, Kim, had been in the real estate industry since 2016. The power couple, also known as the Panozzo Team, dominates the real estate market in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dave And Kim

Over the years, the partnership of Dave and Kim earned numerous accolades from the realty giant HomeSmart, which is among the largest real estate brokerages in the United States. In 2017, they bagged HomeSmart’s Rookie of the Year. Then a year later, the Panozzo Team landed on the fourth spot of the top-performing team in the realty group. In just a short time, Dave and his wife made their mark in the real estate market in Arizona. But the couple’s journey to success was not an easy one. They have faced many difficulties along the way. Early on, Dave had to battle alcoholism. And they came to the point that nearly ended their marriage.

Panozzo formerly served the United States Army. He spent more than 3 years of his active service in a military base in Germany. While on active duty, Panozzo first set his eyes on his future wife, who was also stationed in the same army base. In 1991, he left the military service to pursue a career in sales. “I experimented with different business ventures from construction to meal prep, but it all ended up as a failure. Eventually, I broke my fall when I found something that I’m great at doing – real estate,” he said. His life took a positive turn in 2016 when he decided to get a real estate license and start a career in real estate. In August of the same year, Panozzo closed his first ever real estate deal. The next year he was named Rookie of the Year, and in the following year, he was among the top four performing teams in HomeSmart. It gave Panozzo the momentum that catapulted him to the top. And as they said, the rest is history.

In this article, Panozzo shared five habits that made himself a successful real estate agent. He urged newbies in the real estate industry to try to follow these habits to become a successful agent.

Invest In Yourself

Panozzo urged realtors to acquire new skills and knowledge to expand their area of competency. “Enroll in professional development courses that will allow you to learn new skills that will make you a better agent,” he said. He exclaims, “never stop learning.” Reading books remains one of the best learning methods. “Learning more about the real estate industry will help you become an expert. Little by little, you are building your edge from other agents,” he said.

Nowadays, there are many ways of learning, such as listening to audio podcasts or reading eBooks. “Expand your horizon by reading a business-related book that is relevant to real estate. Read books about improving customer experience or building a good relationship since they will translate to other parts of your life other than real estate,” Panozzo said.

Have A Morning Routine

Every successful real estate agent has a morning routine. It set the mood of an individual’s day. “By creating a morning routine, you are already imbibing the right mindset for success. You will feel more organized. And at the end of the day, you will accomplish more,” Panozzo said. A morning routine set when they get into work.

Panozzo’s morning routine consists of making his bed first thing in the morning. “This is the first win of the day,” he added. Then, he eats his breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day. It serves as the fuel of your body so you could perform the tasks that lay ahead of you. He also does regular exercise in the morning. “Exercise helps boost your energy. It will also make you feel more alert and ready to take on the day,” he continued.

Use Social Media

It is inevitable for real estate agents to tap and harness the potentials of social media platforms in succeeding in the industry. Develop a social media marketing strategy to maximize the impact of having an online presence in promoting yourself.

In real estate, it’s nearly impossible to separate personal and professional life. So, it is essential to manage your digital image very well. “Always project a professional image on your digital footprint,” Panozzo explained.

On social media, The Panozzo Team takes their brand to the next level, posting consistent, high quality, and valuable content for the thousands of people that follow them. Dave exclaimed, “what you see is what you get,” serving as a reminder to everyone, that projecting an authentic image across all social media channels is very important.  

In Summary

Success will not happen overnight. It is a continuous buildup of small wins. The path toward success is full of challenges. “I know that there will be more failures on the road to success, but I’m confident that I can handle it,” Panozzo said. It is also the same mindset that real estate agents must adapt to grow professionally.