Part-time Realtor. Should I go for it? (Atlanta: sales, real estate)

[BabaЯga]

I am wondering if it makes sense to become a part time Realtor in Atlanta, is there enough work right now?

I have 4 days a week job in accounting that gives me stability and benefits and I am also passionate about real estate.

I'd love to hear from experienced RE agents and brokers if my plans are realistic.

Thank you.

[cittic10]

Just because there's not a lot of people buying homes doesn't meant there aren't a lot of people trying to sell homes.

I think there is definitely a shortage of agents that put forth the effort to market properties or even do simple things like answer the #@#$% phone.

Not to go too far off on a rant but I've been looking at a lot of listings lately. Few put more than just a few words in the listing. Their descriptions are so short, they could tweet it. So naturally when I call to find out more about the property, I end up getting voicemail and most of the time my calls are never returned. And when they do return the calls, they promise emails with more details and half of those emails never show up.

I'm not a fan of how our for-profit housing system is. But it is what it is. If you're going to put forth the effort to market homes and enthusiastically communicate with buyers, I for one think you've got more to bring to the table than most. OTOH, if the plan is just to stick a sign in the yard and wait for it to sell, I'd say stick to your day job.

[ATLTJL]

It's really difficult to make it in real estate unless you can go full-time.

Think about it. If you have something as important as buying or selling your home, are you really going to go with someone who is unavailable 4 days a week?

You also better have a flexible schedule to accommodate closings. One of my co-workers was a part-time real estate agent and missed so many days from closings that management finally had to tell him, you've got to quit here and go real estate full-time or quit real estate and stop missing so much work. He quit real estate.

[WestsideATLCindy]

I started working yesterday (Sunday) at 7:30 am. I began taking calls at 8:30. I worked all morning for various clients at my desk (email, calls, research, contract work) and then started showing houses at 1, stopped showing and got home at 7:30, ate something and took care of my dog, started work again at 9pm, went to bed when I got cross-eyed at 10:30, got up at 5:30 am to finish so that I could deliver what I promised I would by 9 am this morning, am taking a short cereal/coffee/citydata break right now, and will get right back to it. I expect that I will be done with my workday by around 8 tonight.

IS THAT PART TIME TO YOU?

Not every Realtor puts in the effort, but every Realtor should, Real Estate is people's money and happiness and you better take it seriously. If you can't answer phone calls emails and text messages from 8 am until 8 pm (during that whole timeframe--many things must be responded to/acted upon within a very short timeframe) do not even consider getting into it. I work before 8 and after 8 myself, but if I wanted to control it more, I could get away with an 8 to 8 workday 95% of the time. However I do not consider a 12 hour day, 7 days a week part time. Yes you get to have some breaks during the 8 to 8 day, but since you never have weekends or full evenings off, those "breaks" are when you wash clothes, clean house, shop for food, cook, see your friends and family, and try to make an attempt at a Life. I do not know if anyone who knows me has ever seen me, day or night, at home or a party, without my phone within arm's reach. It is in my pocket when I cut the grass, so I can stop and answer it if it rings. It is near the shower if I get that call I have been waiting urgently for. It goes everywhere with me, or I am screwed

I like Real Estate and am happy to do these things for my clients, after 13 years of it is has become my normal, but for many people it would be a difficult life, done right. I could work less if I sold more expensive properties (because I would make more on each sale) but I have never fallen into selling homes that were usually above $400,000, and mostly my sales are much less, so I have to work a lot or I will not make enough to pay my bills. I think the only people that could really do this part time are people who do not need to make much money, because they have a spouse/partner that also works. I am single so it is all me, and therefore I work when I must, which is nearly every waking hour of every day. And since the last 3 years have mostly been me working a lot, spending money working, but making very little money for all of that work, now that the market is improving (at least for my listings) you better believe I am grateful that the long workday might actually result in a paycheck someday soon. My phone can ring it's little head off and I shall be oh so happy to answer her.

I do not think someone who works 4 days a week somewhere else is going to want to work the entire weekend, too, plus that other day, but if you want to work 7 days a week, by all means, join me and have fun!

I called an Agent 4 times between last Tuesday and last Thursday to ask them if I could show their listing on Thursday. They never called me back (I called every number for them I could find) and I went by the property with my clients while we were out looking on Thursday (while you would be at work at your primary job by the way...) to see if I could get in anyway, no lockbox and no one home. How can a Seller expect to sell their place when their agent does not return calls? That is not me. And for what it is worth, in my 13 years as a Realtor, 99% of the time an Agent either answers my call or calls me back within 2 hours. So, there are not many Agents out there that do not answer the phone or call back, from what I have seen. But there are some.

Are you going to be the Agent that gets a call at 9:30 am (while you are at your primary job) from another Agent asking to show your listing at 11 that morning, and you are unable to call them back? Or are you going to watch your phone and email like a hawk while you work this other job, and be able to get back to your clients and other agents right away? All day every day? 7 days a week? And by the way, it's not necessarily a quick thing to just take a showing call. They call you, you answer, you find out when they want to show it. You call your client, leave a voice mail probably, then you anxiously wait for their return call, you talk to them a bit, then you call the agent back to (hopefully) say yes please show it. If seller can't accommodate the requested time/date, you start all over with the chain of calls. It is not HARD in any way and takes no special skill, but it takes TIME and while you are taking that time you can't be at the movies or in a meeting at your primary job, for example.

Well like I said, if you don't need Real Estate to be your primary income source, and you just want to show homes only when you want to show homes, and list only the homes you want to list (and can service them properly) go for it! Good Luck. But if I call you to show your listing and you don't call me back and I can't get into the house, I will sell someone else's listing instead, and you will have screwed your clients terribly. And if you can't show your Buyer Client that hot new listing they saw on Monday until Friday, trust that I will have shown it to my Buyer on Monday afternoon and written an offer on Monday night and will have it under contract by Thursday. SO there are times that you won't possibly be able to give the "extra" that it takes to get the job done. But if you make friends with another agent at your office, maybe they could be who you call to do that kind of stuff when you can't, and you pay them for their help.

Hope all this helps you make your decision. Gotta get back to work

[jpatlanta]

Already way too many realtors and most give up and don't earn a dime. Plus in years to come they will loose their cartel so not a smart long term goal IMHO.

[FromGA]

Just curious what it takes to become a licensed real estate professional. And I think realtor is something different (at least based on ads asking to make sure it is a realtor).

Anyone knows?

(PS: Let us be courteous. Every profession can be considered a cartel or money fleecing operation.)

[ATLTJL]

I believe it is just passing a test.

Most people take a short class to prepare for the test.

I'm not sure if you need certification showing that you took the class or if you are allowed to simply self prepare and take the test.

[Big L]

There was a time about 5-10 years ago when it seemed like everyone and their mother was doing real estate "on the side". These days, even the full-time realtors are catching hell.

[WestsideATLCindy]

To be a Real Estate Agent in GA, you must take a class (online or at school) of 75 hours (that is what it was when I did it anyway, it may be more now) and then you take a state test. It is actually pretty challenging...of course I passed on the first try but many do not.