If you’re new to real estate, you don’t need to know everything, writes Kevlin Guzman. You need someone to step in and slow you down and see you around the corner.
When I started in real estate, I had no formal mentor. Instead, I got a lot of well-meaning advice, shout-outs, and “I did it this way, so you should too” feedback. Of course some were helpful, but many were more or less useless.
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This early experience was most important in forming one of my strongest beliefs. That is, guidance is not optional. This is especially true for new agents. But the wrong guidance can do more damage than no guidance at all. If you’re early in your career, you don’t need inspiration. Guides and guardrails are required.
A guide will show you where to go and guardrails will keep you from falling off the cliff. That’s why they are both so critical.
Why new agents are especially vulnerable
New agents are like sponges. As a new agent, you’re learning the ins and outs of contracts, pricing, negotiation, customer psychology, and even marketing all at once. Without pattern recognition, everything sounds believable. Confidence can be mistaken for ability, and quantity can be mistaken for mastery.
I’ve seen new agents underpricing listings because “another agent said lowering prices was strategic,” overspending on leads before they understood conversions, and accepting partnership advice from people whose business had quietly stagnated years ago. Most of that advice wasn’t necessarily malicious, but it was off-base, outdated, or came from someone solving a completely different problem. It wasn’t helpful in that sense.
What should true mentorship look like?
A real mentor will not only tell you what to do, but also help you understand why you are doing it and when to rethink your approach. The best mentors I have seen do three things well:
Shorten the learning curve by intervening before mistakes are made. They provide context rather than absolutes. They respect the mentee’s trust while telling the truth.
The last point is also very important, as it is relatively easy to shatter a young agent’s confidence. Mentors should always keep this in mind and take a measured approach to their mentees.
How to choose the right mentor and avoid the wrong one
Not everyone with a title such as “president” or “executive” will be able to guide you. In fact, there are many people you should avoid when seeking guidance. With that in mind, before taking advice from anyone, ask yourself the following questions:
Is their business or career similar to what I actually want or want to emulate? Do they explain their ideas, or do they just give instructions and bark? Are they profiting from keeping me dependent on them?
This is a hard-won truth. Some of the most confident-looking advice comes from people who are not fully evolved. Changes in real estate. Markets change. What worked five years ago can be harmful today. The strategies and tactics that helped people’s careers ten years ago may not work at all today.
Therefore, I always encourage agents to ask a simple question: “In what markets will this advice work?” If the answer is ambiguous, be careful.
Unexpected lessons learned in 2025
One of the most important lessons in mentorship that I learned recently didn’t come from great coaching. But instead, observe.
In 2025, I learned that the greatest value a mentor provides is to show you what not to do. How people deal with pressure, money, power, customers, and conflict says it all. Not all successful people are the people you want to be or emulate. Recognizing it early on can save you a lot of time and pain if you find yourself chasing the wrong thing, or the wrong thing.
That awareness can become its own guardrail. Observing certain behaviors clarified my own standards and reinforced me as the leader and person I didn’t want to be. These lessons aren’t necessarily intentional, but they can be formative if you pay attention.
Build a circle of success instead of a single hero
We don’t need one perfect leader. You need a small circle of success. That means people who are good at operations, people who are good at sales and negotiation, and people who understand long-term positioning and brand.
Borrow wisely. Please observe carefully. Develop your judgment skills early on. Mentorship is not about imitation. It’s about discernment.
If you’re new to real estate, you don’t need to know everything, and you don’t need to know everything. But you need someone to step in when necessary, slow you down, help you check turns and anticipate your next move.
And if you are experienced or have been working in this industry for a while, remember the following: Mentorship is not about creating replicas. It’s about helping someone build their own version of success faster, smarter, and with fewer scars. Doing so will prolong your career and help the industry improve over time.
Kevelyn Guzman is a regional vice president at Coldwell Banker Warburg. Connect with her on Instagram and LinkedIn.
