Becoming a first-year agent is one thing. Becoming a first-year agent on a top-producing real estate team in Reno, NV? That’s another level entirely.
I joined the Kirsch Real Estate Team in October 2024, fresh off passing my exams and waiting for my license to arrive. I started where most new agents do, handling admin tasks, mail, and learning the systems. But as anyone on a high-performing team will tell you, there’s no slow onboarding. You get tossed straight into the deep end and learn to swim alongside sharks.
And honestly? I loved it.
I spent those early months absorbing everything, watching how Laura and Dilyn moved through deals with confidence and precision, trying my best to keep up while figuring out the nuances of contracts, timelines, negotiations, and client care. Open houses and showings quickly became my favorite part of the job. Even without years of experience under my belt, connecting with people came naturally.
Negotiating and writing offers… I’m still growing there. But that’s the beauty of year one: you’re learning every single day.
My first real client came from a Zillow lead, a first-time homebuyer who wanted to purchase her very first property. It felt symbolic. She was new to buying; I was new to selling. Together, we toured what ended up being the condo she purchased. What should have been a straightforward win turned into a four-month probate saga featuring an unhelpful attorney, a maze of requirements, and a lot of real tears… mine. But I’m so grateful for that client and that experience. It shaped me.
Throughout the year, I spent most of my time as our team’s transaction coordinator and marketing assistant. Six months into my real estate career, our team closed 16 homes in April alone, with me coordinating every single one. Memorable is an understatement. Another wild part of entering the industry right now? The rise of the AI agent. It’s fascinating to start a real estate career during such a pivotal shift, hearing stories of how things were 5–10 years ago and seeing how dramatically everything is already changing. And now, one full year later, my first chapter as a real estate agent is officially complete. I can’t wait for year two, the growth, the challenges, the clients, the wins, and everything I’ll learn alongside this incredible team.
Here’s to the next chapter. Karissa Kirsch
