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Number one requirement: Proofread everything you write and make corrections before publishing.
I agree. Too many agents come across as sloppy, careless, and with poor listening and communication skills. How you communicate here reflects how you conduct yourself professionally. Many agents fall to understand this, unfortunately.
I understand NYC is different than much of the US. You should find someone local to discuss.
Me personally, after 20 years I have no regrets and still enjoy it.
It can be a great career.
OP, I agree that from my experiences, NYC is a different universe than NC.
The general practices and protocols vary wildly, again, from what I hear and see.
If you play to be in NC in two years, I would suggest you purchase real estate manuals from NC and bone up a bit, and take your first step into real estate brokerage when you arrive here.
Additionally, if starting a family, have the financial reserves or working spouse to support your venture until you develop reliable income. That can take 6 months. It can take over a year, too.
Keep in mind what happened with the last housing crisis when the bubble burst due to bad loans. That was 10 years ago and a lot of RE agents had to get out of that field. While the same crisis may not happen the same way, it can happen again. But very few professions are secured anymore.
My comment was also gentle sarcasm since the first post of this thread shows the lack of care for that little detail.
(This poster ain't the only one who neglects to proofread, though.)
LOL, Yes. Thank you for pointing out my typo! Yes, proofreading is very important. Clearly that was a mistake. However, I am glad that people still understood what I meant.
Not to hijack the thread, but keeping in line with some of the questions asked.. I've been interested in becoming a real estate agent but admittedly I'm not sure I have all of the traits and skill sets needed to be a great one.. that said, I feel attracted to the idea of becoming a real estate agent for the following reasons:
1. any agents out there, don't take this personally, but this is based on my limited experience.. I've not
had an agent that I felt puts my best interest ahead of all else, including their own interests. the agents
I've had kind of just send me weekly portal listings based on some general criteria I gave them and then
I'm to look them over and indicate what I'm interested in and what I'm not interested in.. for those that
i'm interested in, we schedule a time to meet at the property, at which point they open the door, maybe
give me a printout, and let me look around.. I don't get as much feedback as I'd like.. about the
property history, location pros/cons, red flags, potential issues to be aware of, etc.
So I always thought that it would be nice to have a more thorough and engaged agent.. who is actually
earning their potential commission.. someone will do some of the legwork and research for you ahead
of time, give you their candid assessment, and if it's not the right place for you, we'd move on.. I
wouldn't want to get impatient or provide better service to the next person just because they're looking
for a more expensive property which means higher commission for me.. i'd want to give each client
the same quality of service and attention. i'd want them to be satisfied with their purchase and
experience. Of course, I'd like to make a good living and maximize my time and profit, but I'd want to
do so by developing a good reputation and gain business by word of mouth, and not go for the quick and
easy bucks at the expense of a client.
I don't know how I'd feel after taking a picky client to look at 100 homes over 6+ months, and have
near perfect homes rejected due to something trivial like the color of a handrail (which could be
changed) but I'd like to hope that I would be patient with clients.
2. I tend to pay attention to details and think I could be good at helping clients consider and spot issues or
favorable things about a property.
3. I'd like to develop good working relationships with key partners, like home inspectors, termite
inspectors, and etc., so when the time comes to examine a property, it will be done thoroughly for
the client.
4. I like checking out homes, neighborhoods, and evaluating them. And I generally don't mind driving
unless I'd always be stuck in traffic at a snails pace. I'd like the idea of meeting with clients on sight
and evaluating potential homes together. I think I could provide good, courteous customer service.
5. It seems I'd be able to set my own schedule, so I like the freedom of it. I can choose how many clients
i'd like to take on and etc.
6. It seems that if you have enough business, you can make a good living off of it..
right now, i'm considering keeping my full-time job (which is at night) and during the day pursue
a side career as a real estate agent and get my feet wet.. see how it goes..
The down sides:
1. I admittedly find contracts somewhat intimating and there'd be a lot to learn. but maybe once
you've gone thru them several times you get comfortable with them and more familiar with them.
2. i'm a bit worried about the legal liability I could be subjected to, potentially.
3. i'm not an extrovert with a strong personality, but rather soft spoken. i'm not sure if that would be
favorable to me in negotiations with other agents and what not.
4. I'm not looking to introduce much stress in my life.. and not sure how stressful things will get as an
agent.
5. there's a lot of competition out there and i'm not sure realistically if I have a shot, by promoting my
strengths and finding customers that value them.
Any existing agents care to chime in? I'd rather do low volumne and provide high quality.. ideally i'd like to deal with larger/newer properties in general.
I am brand spanking new to the profession and potentially still in the "honeymoon" phase. I just joined my local, state, and national association of REALTORS (R) today and got my first lead from my team leader today and am psyched! My first official day at the office isn't even until Monday but I can already tell this is going to be an exciting new career.
Granted....I haven't actually sold any real estate yet...so I guess check back in a few months and see if I'm still as excited about it then! haha.
8 weeks and 5 (still pending) contracts later....I stand by this statement.
I don't know how many times you've bought and sold, and thus been left wondering whether your agent was working for YOU. But I can assure you there are plenty of full time long time successful agents that operate their business basically exactly how you'd like to.
Your "warning signs":
Quote:
I don't know how I'd feel after taking a picky client to look at (a large number of homes over a half-year period), and have near perfect homes rejected due to something trivial
Quote:
It seems I'd be able to set my own schedule, so I like the freedom of it. I can choose how many clients i'd like to take on and etc.
until you are WELL established, good luck with this one. Sure, if you work another job and find dear friends and relatives willing to work under your circumstances just because they like you and trust you more than your actual abilities reflect, then you'd be fine.
Quote:
I'm not looking to introduce much stress in my life.
A very large part of a good Realtor's job is to take as much stress as possible- and there's lots of stress - and take it with a smile and a thank you.
almost all your positives are everybody's initial positives (I mean, who would even say "I want to do it because I hear you make a bunch of money and can not care about your customers the moment they close"), and all your negatives are REAL reasons to not get into the business.
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