New real estate agent tips start with one thing: a framework. In this Season 3 episode of The Agent Mind Podcast, co-host Frank Warren breaks down the exact framework new agents need before they can build a lasting real estate career, from the mindset shift nobody warns you about to the contract mistake that cost one set of buyers thousands of dollars. TJ and Frank share real stories from their own deals in Memphis and Georgia, plus practical advice on finding a mentor, setting realistic year-one expectations, and learning to run your schedule instead of letting it run you.

• Why real estate agents need a completely different mindset than employees
• How to prioritize the learning curves that matter most in your first year
• What happens when an agent misreads one word in a contract stipulation
• How to find a mentor or coach when you don't have much money to spend
• What a realistic number of closings looks like in your first year

This episode is brought to you by The Hive for Real Estate Agents. Sign up for the Hive's newsletter at thereagenthive.com for updates, resources, downloadable tools, and giveaways.

Email: tjmcgraw@theagentmind.com

• (00:00:00) - Welcome back to Season 3 and today's big question
• (00:00:20) - Frank Warren joins as Season 3 co-host
• (00:01:10) - Frank's intro: why he loves teaching new agents
• (00:01:52) - Real estate as a second or third career
• (00:02:22) - Real estate is a blank canvas with no built-in structure
• (00:03:00) - The Netflix trap and the discipline it takes to succeed
• (00:03:42) - TJ's own shift from restaurant manager to business owner
• (00:04:43) - The many unrelated learning curves of this business
• (00:05:16) - Why contracts should be the first thing you master
• (00:06:37) - Learning your MLS, e-signatures, and local systems
• (00:06:57) - Knowing the difference between submarkets
• (00:07:15) - Home systems, structures, and advertising yourself
• (00:09:00) - Reading contracts closely enough to protect your clients
• (00:10:01) - Learning escalation clauses during a wild market
• (00:11:21) - Be a sponge, then figure out where to lean in
• (00:12:42) - The $4,300 mistake buried in one word of a contract
• (00:16:23) - Lesson one: set realistic expectations for year one
• (00:19:02) - Lesson two: find the right people to help you
• (00:21:27) - The "chauffeur" strategy for learning from top producers
• (00:22:52) - Treat drive time like work time
• (00:24:18) - Lesson three: do the work, consistently
• (00:25:29) - Recap: mindset, learning, and building your plan
• (00:27:39) - Get connected through The Hive newsletter

Only 15% of real estate agents are still selling after five years. On this episode of The Agent Mind Podcast, TJ and Frank dig into what actually separates the agents who build a lasting real estate career from the roughly 85% who don't make it. They cover how to define success on your own terms, why a written plan beats a mental one, and how confidence gets built one kept commitment at a time.

• How to define success as a real estate agent, on your own terms
• Why the first real metric of success is simply not being broke
• The 3 steps to building habits that stick: vision, plan, activities
• Why a goal without a plan is just a wish
• How consistency builds real confidence in your business

This episode is brought to you by The Hive for Real Estate Agents. Sign up for the Hive's newsletter at thereagenthive.com for updates, resources, downloadable tools, and giveaways.

Email: tjmcgraw@theagentmind.com

• (00:00:00) - Kicking off season three with Frank Warren
• (00:01:31) - The NAR stat: only 15% of agents make it 5 years
• (00:01:53) - How long TJ and Frank have each been selling real estate
• (00:02:38) - Why you need a foundation before you add anything else
• (00:03:12) - Defining what success actually means
• (00:04:03) - Success doesn't have to mean 100 closings a year
• (00:04:38) - The tipping point between success and burnout
• (00:04:59) - The first real metric: you're not broke
• (00:05:54) - Living your life by design
• (00:07:09) - The habits that support a life by design
• (00:08:25) - Why you need a written plan, not just a mental one
• (00:08:51) - TJ's daily journaling routine
• (00:10:17) - Frank's 3 steps: vision, plan, activities
• (00:12:00) - A goal without a plan is just a wish
• (00:12:48) - Why confidence is the real key variable
• (00:13:24) - Steven Ross and the 125,000 doors
• (00:15:59) - TJ's confidence habit: keeping commitments to yourself
• (00:17:35) - Journaling as a tracking tool for confidence
• (00:18:40) - Keeping score: the 12 Week Year concept
• (00:20:10) - What's coming in future episodes
• (00:20:52) - Sign up for The Hive newsletter
• (00:21:35) - Closing thoughts and thanks to Frank

Season 3 of The Agent Mind Podcast kicks off with a new co-host, real estate coach Frank Warren, an 11-year agent with Real Broker in Cordova, Tennessee. TJ and Frank talk through why interest rates crept back toward 7% this year, why listings are sitting longer for stuck real estate agents, and why new real estate agents actually have an edge learning to sell in a harder market. They also get into the real reason to become a real estate agent, and why motivation matters more than any script once the market slows down.

• Why mortgage rates climbed back toward 7% after dipping below 6% in February
• What to say to a seller when a listing gets zero showings in two weeks
• How to set your own income goals instead of copying someone else's hustle
• Why new real estate agent tips work better once your "why" is clear
• What to do when a listing expires and you weren't the right fit for that client

This episode is brought to you by The Hive for Real Estate Agents. Sign up for the Hive's newsletter at thereagenthive.com for updates, resources, downloadable tools, and giveaways.

Email: tjmcgraw@theagentmind.com

• (00:00:00) - Season 3 kickoff, welcome Frank Warren
• (00:00:57) - Frank's background: 11 years in real estate, new brokerage
• (00:01:45) - Who this episode is for: new and stuck real estate agents
• (00:03:18) - Breaking down this year's interest rate swings
• (00:04:39) - Middle East conflict, oil prices, and rising rates
• (00:05:18) - Fewer showings, fewer offers, and why motivation matters
• (00:06:52) - The awkward call when a listing gets zero showings, and what's coming this season
• (00:08:02) - Frank's path from finance into real estate in 2014
• (00:14:00) - The call every agent lives for
• (00:14:48) - Why hustle culture isn't the only way to build a business
• (00:17:50) - Building tools you can use at your own pace
• (00:20:48) - TJ's path: leaving restaurant management for real estate
• (00:21:04) - Probate, first-time buyers, and rewarding closings
• (00:25:00) - No income cap: owning what you earn
• (00:27:20) - Run your own race, and watch for shiny objects
• (00:29:20) - Choosing clients who actually fit you, and when a listing doesn't work out
• (00:31:38) - Final thoughts and how to reach the show