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Good luck, and yes you can be successful, but be careful and do not advertise yourself as part time, as that sends a bad message. Weekends are always a must, and you sometimes can control your schedule, with proper verbage, but always want your client to feel like you can work to help them. Your start up expenses, are going to vary, but will be somewhere in range of $3,000 or so, by the time you get your keys, and all the fees to start.
actually....a buyer's agent takes a great deal more time
Absolutely. My boss NEVER dealt with buyers. And every single buyer's agent he'd hire would quit after about 6 months. There are so many tire kickers that you start to get exhausted from dealing with it.
I'd strongly suggest you look for a Realtor who needs an assistant - rather than trying to establish yourself as a Realtor now. I'm afraid attempting to become a Realtor as a part time job is almost certain to drain your wallet and break your heart, ...but it IS possible to find a part time job as a Realtor's assistant.
But don't take my word for it - call your local board of Realtors and ask for a rundown of the dues and fees you'll face to start.
Best of luck,
db
This is GREAT advice. I used to see assitants in my office get a license so they could help out the broker and then decide if it was for them. And in the end no one's time was wasted.
The only thing I would disagree with is that most bigger firms WILL welcome you with open arms because it is a numbers thing...they are all about recruitment!!
Also, from my experience, there is nothing worse than dealing with an agent that doesn't know what they are doing....and there is A LOT that goes into it that people just don't see. If you are not full time, you will not know what you are doing IMO.
I agree. Realty offices encourage NEW agents because they want to get the business of the new agents immediate family. Once this low lying fruit is eaten, the new agents are thrown away since they can't get any business in their next sphere.
You can do it part time - if you're retiring after several years in the business. What no one has mentioned so far is the hardest part for new agents - prospecting. You can't prospect part time, it takes hours and hours to get yourself "out there." Nobody is going to come to you and say, I want to buy or sell today, can you help me? This businesss is way too competitive for that!
And dbn_girl - not sure where you're seeing this, but every successful full time REALTOR works nights, weekends, holidays, days, etc.
Okay, let's not get carried away comparing surgeons and attorneys to realtors.
Two of these require 7 years of education and one requires a 2 week course and a state exam.
We're not talking about entry, we're talking about becoming an experienced, qualified professional. To be an experienced professional it takes more than 3 deals a year.
You can do it part time - if you're retiring after several years in the business. What no one has mentioned so far is the hardest part for new agents - prospecting. You can't prospect part time, it takes hours and hours to get yourself "out there." Nobody is going to come to you and say, I want to buy or sell today, can you help me? This businesss is way too competitive for that!
And dbn_girl - not sure where you're seeing this, but every successful full time REALTOR works nights, weekends, holidays, days, etc.
This is a point worth considering, in my opinion. People considering becoming agents for the first time don't really have a way of knowing and understanding how important this is, but it's absolutely crucial. Finding the business - enough business to make it worth continuing to pay dues and fees and remain an agent - is far more difficult than conducting the business, and can remain so for a decade or more.
And dbn_girl - not sure where you're seeing this, but every successful full time REALTOR works nights, weekends, holidays, days, etc.
Haha, the problem her friends were probably having is that they hired a part time agent. That's why they couldn't ever get them when they want to see homes. They probably don't even know they have part timers.
You can do it part time - if you're retiring after several years in the business. What no one has mentioned so far is the hardest part for new agents - prospecting. You can't prospect part time, it takes hours and hours to get yourself "out there." Nobody is going to come to you and say, I want to buy or sell today, can you help me? This businesss is way too competitive for that!
And dbn_girl - not sure where you're seeing this, but every successful full time REALTOR works nights, weekends, holidays, days, etc.
One of my jobs was to do my boss' prospecting when he didn't feel like doing it because it can be brutal. Calling FSBOs to see if they want to list, that sort of thing. You have to get used to it as its very important and if you're not a phone person it can be tough. That combined with the DNC list rules can make it tougher.
Okay, let's not get carried away comparing surgeons and attorneys to realtors.
Two of these require 7 years of education and one requires a 2 week course and a state exam.
Correct... so I think the solution here is to make Realtors (and loan officers) take more than a 2 hour course and a state exam. The barriers to entry are set way too low and everyone should realize that is partly to blame for the mess we are in.
Of course a doctor can have a larger impact on your life (or end it) but no one can deny that a Realtor and loan officer can have a huge impact on the life of their clients. The point is I think we have seen enough foreclosures, bankruptcies and broken families that lost their life savings because someone took a 2 week course and thought they could make some big bucks working 10 hours a week.
Call me crazy but I think clients deserve financial planners, accountants, lawyers AND Realtors that take the job seriously and are properly licensed, trained and educated.
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