New AgentsSystemsPersonal Growth
Written By Michael Montgomery
As a new real estate agent on the path to success, you need to focus on the right things and read the right books to help you build your business and sell more real estate. Here you will learn the 24 best books for new real estate agents, and they will be organized for you. A long list of the best books for new REALTORs is good, but a list with structure is better.
You don’t need to look far for the studies and anecdotal evidence for entrepreneurial success and reading.
Warren Buffett: Reads about 500 pages every day
Mark Cuban: Reads 3 hours per day
Bill Gates: Reads 1 book every week
Mark Zuckerberg: Reads 1 book every 2 weeks
“Leaders are readers” is the common saying!
To be successful as a new real estate agent, you need to learn. New agents jump into the industry with excitement, but this usually wears off in a few months, when it becomes challenging. And rightfully so, it is a difficult industry, but you can be in for such a rewarding and lucrative career, you just need to stick with it, and continuously fill your brain with learning, information, and motivation.
I don’t think it requires long to convince real estate agents that reading is important, but I do hear this common hurdle frequently.
“I don’t have enough time and I don’t know what to read”
If you have caught yourself saying this before, I have you covered.
I Don’t Have Enough Time To Read
I get it! There is a lot on your plate as a new real estate agent. One of the last things you are thinking of doing is curling up and reading a good book. But I am not talking about novels here, I am talking about mind-expanding ideas and books centered around learning.
Don’t treat your reading as “downtime”. Instead, consider this part of your learning time.
If you are still struggling to find the time, then you need to jump on the audiobook train. This is how I consume most of my books. I use Audible to listen to almost every book. If you really love to take in the information quickly, you can crank it up to 2x speed or even up to 3.5x speed!
I know what you are thinking. You're concerned about the retention of the information when you are listening versus reading. When I hit an important point when I am listening to a book, I pause and save those last few seconds in Audible (a great feature). After I have read the book, I head back and listen to the key points again and take notes.
Another solution that works is purchasing the hardcopy of the book if you got a lot of value out of the book on Audible. For the following books on my list, I have both the audio and hardcopy.
I Don’t Know What To Read
As a new real estate agent, it can be hard to sift through all the books to choose from. Finding the books to read is one thing, but where do you start?
Below, you will find 24 of the best books for new real estate agents and they are organized for you in groups!
That way, you know which are the top books you need to read right now, and which books can you get to in a few months.
The First Reads
These books are vital to success in real estate. They will form the backbone of your success for years to come. You will notice these books are not real estate specific. The first thing you need is to set your mind and habits up for success!
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Carol Dweck)
If you haven’t read Mindset, this should be your very first read. Even if you have been in the industry for years and you haven’t read this book, pick it up right away. This book will teach you the difference between a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset. With a Growth Mindset, you believe that you can learn, grow, and improve with effort and time. With a Fixed Mindset, you believe that your success has a limit or a predetermined set point.
The thing about real estate is we all have thoughts that are Growth Mindset focused and Fixed Mindset focused. For example, when we shy away from hard tasks, or uncomfortable situations, we are acting with a Fixed Mindset. When we take on challenges because we know they are opportunities for improvement, we are acting with a Growth Mindset.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones (James Clear)
Success in real estate can be broken down to sticking to your good habits and breaking bad habits. It seems so simple but if you prospect and learn every day, you will do well. The problem is it’s easy to lose focus and start falling into bad habits.
The hardest thing about habits is they seem insignificant until they are too big to change.
Also, good habits aren’t easy. The good habits are ones that required delayed gratification. Especially in real estate.
The quicker you can build the right habits for success in real estate, the better. James Clear provides an exact framework you can use to build positive habits in real estate.
The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World’s Most Successful People Launch Their Careers (Alex Banayan)
If you have been following our training resources, you will see a common thread. I come back to this concept when talking about building a successful career in real estate.
Praise the effort and not the result.
Instead of focusing on selling the house or getting the client, focus solely on the effort you put in throughout your day. Let go of your attachment to the result.
As a new real estate agent, you can jump into the industry and you may start comparing yourself to agents who have been in the industry for years.
In this book, Alex Banayan shares his crazy story to interview some of the world's leaders in how they started their careers. He takes effort to a whole new level.
Always remember to praise your effort and you will do well in real estate.
The Second Reads
Awesome, you have the foundation required, now let’s jump into the second round of books that you will need to read in order to become successful in real estate. It’s time to learn how to prospect!
Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling (Jeb Blount)
It takes most agents years to understand the importance of prospecting. Prospecting as a new or growing real estate agent will make or break your career. You need to start prospecting on a schedule every single day, and you need to know how to prospect.
In Fanatical Prospecting, you will learn how Jeb Blount, one of the world’s leading sales thought leaders, trains people how to prospect and succeed in sales.
Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection (Jia Jiang)
Now that you are prospecting every morning, you have probably found out that rejection is a natural part of prospecting. Here is the thing: just because it is part of prospecting as a new real estate agent, that doesn’t make it any easier.
Have no fear! In Rejection Proof, you will learn how to overcome rejection and start building a business that is rejection-proof.
You will begin to understand that it’s not the absence of fear, but acting despite the fear that will make you successful as a new real estate agent.
The Compound Effect (Darren Hardy) + The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness (Jeff Olson)
These two great books have a similar concept that is fundamental to success in business and in life.
Both The Compound Effect and The Slight Edge highlight the importance of small daily acts. They show how very small things when compounded over time lead to massive results.
As a new real estate agent, each open house you do compounds and leads to success.
Conversely, missing one day of prospecting seems harmless, but this will have a compound effect in a negative direction.
The beauty of these books is they, again, praise small efforts instead of focusing on final results.
The Confidence Gap: A Guide to Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt
As a new real estate agent, confidence is usually lacking. Not always, but in most cases. We have not had the successes yet to lead to a confident demeanor. The challenge is building the confidence that we require in order to be successful. This is a chicken and egg debate: you need the confidence to be successful and you need to be successful to be confident.
In The Confidence Gap, you will learn the importance of acting regardless of the fear in your mind. You will also gain an understanding of the importance of small wins.
Building your confidence as a new real estate agent is one of the first things you need to do.
Grit (Angela Duckworth)
This book is a must have for anyone in business, real estate, and parenting. The concepts in Grit come right back to our first read on the list (Mindset) and pair perfectly with our training main training concept of praising effort over results.
In Grit, you will learn how to develop perseverance. This concept has been a cornerstone to our training and one of our first posts is about grit in real estate.
If you develop grit and perseverance, there is no telling how far your real estate career can go. You will continue going when others will quit, and you will rise to the challenges presented in real estate.
Don’t miss this great read as a new real estate agent.
The Third Reads
Now it’s time to jump into the real estate related reads. You have built the foundation and you are rocking and rolling with your prospecting efforts. Let’s now learn how to build a profitable real estate business.
The Millionaire Real Estate Agent (Gary Keller)
You would be hard-pressed to find any list of recommended books for real estate agents that did not include a book or two by Gary Keller. This is a must-read for all real estate agents.
This in-depth guide takes you through the system of one of the most world rebound names in real estate and breaks everything down into daily tasks.
What I love about The Millionaire Real Estate Agent is it is numbers-driven. You will look at your goals and reverse engineer them down to daily tasks. Also, it is a system. It is a blueprint that you can use to build your thriving business.
Ninja Selling: Subtle Skills. Big Results (Larry Kendall)
Another leader in the real estate space, Larry Kendall, provides clear directions to building your business through database marketing. When it comes to building and interacting with people in your database or people that you want in your database, Ninja Selling is the way to go.
In this book, you will learn the exact formula that Larry Kendall uses when he teaches his famous Ninja Selling Course.
Ninja Selling cuts away all the fluff and gets right to the tasks that will increase your income per hour, while helping you still lead a life you enjoy.
The HyperLocal HyperFast Real Estate Agent: How to Dominate Your Real Estate Market in Under a Year – I Did it and so Can You! (Daniel James Lesniak)
This is a fantastic book for new real estate agents. You hear the story of how Daniel Lesniak built his business from scratch and the exact methods he used to become a top producer in under a year.
In this book, Daniel gives you specific ideas that worked for him and he shares his scripts, letters and tactics freely.
After reading this book, you will be able to start dominating a hyperlocal market. Daniel will show you how to start with a smaller area, but to position yourself as the go-to agent. He then shows how you can expand this as you grow along the way.
The Forth Reads
It’s time to get social! We know the importance of being visible online and with social media platforms. Now that you have a real estate business and goals lined up, let’s see how you can leverage social media for real estate success.
The Conversion Code: Capture Internet Leads, Create Quality Appointments, Close More Sales (Chris Smith)
If you are focusing on (or wanting to focus on) social media ads, online prospecting, and internet leads, you need to pick up a copy of The Conversion Code. This book is full of top tips from real estate leader Chris Smith on how to set up your online campaigns and convert online leads.
Not only is this a must-read for those focusing on online leads, but it is also great for anyone that is using social media. Chris highlights both free and paid ways that you can be making more money online as a real estate agent.
You will also receive Chris’ exact scripts and dialogues he uses to help real estate agents close more sales.
#AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur’s Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness (Gary Vaynerchuk)
Gary Vaynerchuk is an absolute leader in the social media and digital marketing space. Yes, his approach doesn’t work for everyone, but his concepts, tips, and tricks pair well with real estate agents.
He talks a lot about work ethic and where you need to be a business owner to be successful for years to come.
One of the main concepts from Gary Vaynerchuk that every real estate agent should embody is long term thinking. In this book (and others), he criticizes our need for instant gratification and highlights how successful we could be if we just dedicate time, effort, and effective online communication through social media and content.
The Road to Recognition: The A-to-Z Guide to Personal Branding for Accelerating Your Professional Success in The Age of Digital Media (Seth Price and Barry Feldman)
Let’s face it, in real estate, people need to know who we are. Our community needs to know we are in real estate and we are experts in our field. In The Road to Recognition, Seth Price and Barry Feldman show strategies to help you become more visible in the digital age.
The book is concise and full of great tactics and strategies for real estate agents. This is one of those books that you can keep on your desk and refer to throughout the year when you are in need of motivation and tweaks to your digital media strategy.
Not to mention, Seth Price is an industry leader with some of the most cutting edge strategies in the business.
The Fifth Reads
You are crushing it! You have your mindset dialled in and your real estate numbers. You now are a social media and digital pro. Now, it’s time to take things offline and learn the important skills required to shine in social situations, negotiation, and sales
Real estate is a people-focused career and these books will launch your social skills through the roof.
Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People (Vanessa Van Edwards)
The human behavior hacker is here to teach you all about the science of dealing with people. This book is a game-changer for those that want to improve their social skills and have a better understanding of people and communication.
This book is grounded in science and the methods are all tested. Not only does this give the book a ton of credibility, but you can also rest assured that Vanessa’s concepts really work.
In Captivate, you learn actionable tips and strategies that you can put into place right away. In real estate, you will see an instant improvement in your networking skills, presentation abilities, and overall enjoyment of social situations.
If you want to better understand people, interactions, and relationships, Captivate is for you.
Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time (Keith Ferrazzi)
We all know that relationships are everything in real estate, but how do we start building relationships? Never Eat Alone gives you exact strategies and tips to help you build relationships with and achieve success in business (and life) through connections.
In this book, you will earn the importance of building your network before you need it and you will learn ways that you can start connecting with people right away.
Keith Ferrazzi also explores authentic ways that you can stand out and be remembered after an event.
This is a must-read for anyone who wants to build their database in real estate and connect with more people.
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High (Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, and Ron McMillan)
If you haven’t had one yet, just wait, there are times when conversations will make or break the deal. When what you say and how you say it, will be the difference between your buyer getting the house or not, or your seller making the much needed price reduction.
Communication is the quiet differentiator in real estate and it is not a skill taught in the real estate course.
In Crucial Conversations, you will learn the exact phasing needed to handle high stakes situations. In real estate, you will encounter these regularly when dealing with your own clients and when you are negating.
Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
Did you know one of the top 3 things that a consumer looks for in a real estate agent is negotiation skills? In Never Split The Difference, you will learn from one of the world’s leading negotiators.
You will learn the importance of tone and selecting the exact right words for a given situation. Almost instantly you will notice more success in your real estate negotiations and your discussions with your clients.
If you want to build on one of the most important skills in real estate (negotiation), then you need to pick up Neve Split The Difference.
The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea (Bob Burg and John David Mann)
This is one of those books that every real estate agent needs to have, read, and re-read. The Go-Giver teaches the concept of leading with value and how this can be transformative for your business.
The Go-Giver is a quick read with 5 lessons that will fundamentally change how you do business. It is one of the books that you will find yourself nodding your head “yes” with each page you turn.
The lessons are based on people and how you can over-service them versus what they can do for you. The beauty of this book is the simplicity of the concepts yet unbelieve power behind this thinking.
This is another must-read for every real estate agent.
The Sixth Reads
All right, you are on fire! You are a social ninja, you have your business plans in place, and you have the fundamentals nailed. Now it’s time for a few bonus reads.
These books will change the way you see real estate, sales, and personal growth.
The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work (Shawn Achor)
This book is a game-changer when it comes to how to be successful at work and in real estate. Too often we have the mindset of “we will be happy when”. We will be happy when we sell 25 homes consistently every year. We will be happy once we hit the top ten list at our office. We will be happy once we get that new car.
In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn flips this concept on its head and highlights that success doesn’t lead to happiness. Instead, happiness leads to success.
This is one of our main training concepts: you need to enjoy what you do and you need to be enthusiastic about sales and success will come.
I know what you are thinking: easier said than done. Yes, flipping a switch and becoming happy in hard times can be a challenge, but in this book, you will learn just that.
Learn these strategies and watch your success follow happiness!
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Brene Brown)
Brene Brown has changed the way the world looks a vulnerability and courage. Her studies, TED Talks, and books are some of the most powerful concepts out there.
In real estate, we think we need to be perfect. We think we always need to be “on” and when we compare ourselves to others, we think we are failing. In Daring Greatly (and other books by Brene Brown), you will learn the importance of vulnerability in life and leadership.
This doesn’t mean coming from a “share absolutely everything” place. It means letting go of shame and building our success on the courageous acts we take.
Daring Greatly is a book for everyone but is very important for new real estate agents.
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (Jacko Willink and Leif Babin)
In real estate, we can find ourselves blaming outside forces more than we should. We complain about the market, or the new disruptive technology coming for your commissions. We blame the quality of the internet leads and we find ourselves saying “_____ is just successful because _______”.
In Extreme Ownership, you will learn that you need to take major responsibly for your life and your business. It’s time to stop blaming others for our lack of success or short comings and it’s time we own our lives.
This is taught perfectly through the intense situations that Jacko Willink and Leif Babin faced as U.S. Navy Seals.
Jacko Willink is famous for saying “discipline equals freedom.” In this book, you will learn about discipline, hard work, and owing your success.
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) (Hal Elrod)
As a real estate agent, you are in charge of your schedule. If you want to sleep in until noon, you can, but I think we all know that this will not lead to success.
The Miracle Morning is a simple concept but can have transformative results.
Business owners and entrepreneurs swear by this concept and have seen massive growth from just waking up earlier and following the steps in this book.
The morning set you up for success. Your morning routine sets the tone for your whole day. In real estate, you need to stay focused, motivated, and energized throughout the day. One of the quickest hacks to having a successful day is following a morning routine. The Miracle Morning is a top read for anyone looking to build effective habits first thing in the morning.
Conclusion
There you have it, the ultimate list of books to read for new real estate agents. If you are brand new or less than 5 years in real estate, these books will be transformative.
Once you get through these, not to worry, there are tons of great business and real estate books to keep you occupied for years to come.
Remember to leverage tools like Audible if you are short on time when it comes to reading. When reading, either in audio form or paper, make sure you take notes to retain the information from these books. It’s not just about quickly reading these books, it’s about retaining the information and putting it into practice.
Follow Up Reading:
Zillow’s List of Books for Real Estate Agents
Inman’s List of Books for Real Estate Agents
FitSmallBusiness’ List of Books for Real Estate Agents
Questions: What is one of your favorite reads that have helped you in real estate? Let me know in the comments below!
-Michael Montgomery
New AgentsBooksSystemsMindset and Habits
Michael Montgomery
