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Old 09-19-2009, 10:47 AM
 
648 posts, read 1,965,125 times
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Every other person I've met lately is a real estate agent. Anyone have per capita stats on RE agents in Austin?

 
Old 09-19-2009, 11:37 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 49,079,250 times
Reputation: 9478
It often seems like that in this forum. I'm an architect.
 
Old 09-19-2009, 11:38 AM
 
648 posts, read 1,965,125 times
Reputation: 184
No, I'm talking in real life. Here it is understood. And, they all want to friend me on FB, invite me for coffee, etc.
 
Old 09-19-2009, 11:40 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 49,079,250 times
Reputation: 9478
You must look like you need to buy a house.
 
Old 09-19-2009, 12:35 PM
 
Location: Hutto, Tx
9,249 posts, read 26,700,559 times
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LOL! I was about to say it must just be her ...but seriously, I think there are lots of agents out there.
 
Old 09-19-2009, 01:34 PM
 
Location: Austin
2,522 posts, read 6,038,021 times
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There are a higher number than average in Austin...a far higher number...for several reasons....
One, it is very easy to get a RE license....enough money to pay for exam/board fees, and ability to fog up a mirror with one's breath is the only prerequisite......

Two, many agents who couldn't survive in the dead markets in other former hot areas, especially the ones near Texas like California, Arizona, and Nevada, have come here to give the RE game one last hurrah before they have to retool their careers completely, which they may not have the time/money to do readily.....sure beats bagging groceries at the local convenience store...

Three, there are few high-paying jobs in Austin, especially non-tech ones.....RE is pretty much the only option for those without a professional degree/resume to make anything approximating a decent buck in Austin(over 35K)........

Four, the recession has hit hard in Austin, and RE is a refuge for the displaced that can't find anything in their field, and want to avoid the aforementioned "Do you need a bag with that?" type jobs......

That pretty much sums it up.....

Last edited by inthecut; 09-19-2009 at 02:42 PM..
 
Old 09-19-2009, 01:48 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,416,260 times
Reputation: 24745
Quote:
Originally Posted by inthecut View Post
There are a higher number than average in Austin...a far higher number
inthecut, just curious, do you have any actual statistics to back that up?
 
Old 09-19-2009, 02:03 PM
 
Location: New London County, CT
8,949 posts, read 12,140,576 times
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I have no stats, but agree with inthecut. Everyone and their brother (or sister) in Austin is a real estate agent. I used to have a tech business that had real estate agents as clients. There are definitely some good ones who are professionals and real assets to the neighborhoods and communities they work in. The agent my ex and I used to buy in Lakeway was wonderful-- very professional, knowledgeable, made excellent referrals, etc..

However, many got in to real estate because they saw it as a way to make a quick buck... ("Real estate is the path to REAL wealth, blah, blah, blah") or because Keller Williams is based here and recruits heavily. The majority of agents I knew fit are in this category and are pretty much assclowns who are an embarrassment to the professional agents out there. However, they are tolerated by many experienced agents because the structure of Keller Williams allows agents to make money off of agents they recruit...
 
Old 09-19-2009, 02:06 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,416,260 times
Reputation: 24745
Now I'm going to have to see if I can come up with any stats to either prove or disprove the opinions expressed here by inthecut or mlassof, because that's what they are, opinions, based on a particular bias, until there's some evidence to back them up.

Unless either of them has the statistics to back up those opinions readily to hand.
 
Old 09-19-2009, 02:12 PM
 
804 posts, read 1,965,253 times
Reputation: 459
It's a major business sector here. The housing crash didn't hit Austin quite as badly and there is still a steady stream of developers gone amock. There are probably more RE agents than car salesman. Sales, sales, sales.
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