After getting my license, is it possible for me to have a successful full-time job as a real estate agent. I don't have many contacts but I know I would love it. Any advice?
It is always possible. Some real estate rookies come in and make huge sums of money. There are three things these people have: contacts, drive, and perseverance. The rule of thumb in any sales job is that it takes about six months to get a steady income. In real estate it can take years, but doesn't have to. I remember my first day as a real estate agent. Everyone told me it would take forever. I had floor that day and I had a contract in my hand before I left. I recommend, at least while you are getting started, that you have a secondary income. It is great if you are young and living with your parents, older with a pension, or if your spouse has a good job. If you are the sole bread winner, it can be tough. Make sure you have enough money in savings before you quit your job. Many real estate offices require that you pay them to work there. Make sure you are comfortable with your commission split. You can expect to see anything from a 50% commission split, but no office fees, to 100% commission split but you pay a large office fee. There will be many options in between. I could go on and on, but email me and I'll be happy to answer specific questions. Ultimately, your success or failure is dependent on how hard you are willing to work. If you want to learn how do really make it, find a job as a real estate assistant, once you get your license, it shouldn't be difficult. As an assistant, you will receive a paycheck while learning the ropes. What you learn in school is how to pass the test. But it doesn't teach you how to succeed.
Start with your news paper, check for real state agents, I am sure if you call one of them their will be happy to talk to you.Try as many as you can. That's what i did. Ask the manager different question like training. how to get the clients and how to marking your business. this is what i do. I give 50.00 a month to my new paper carrier to post my filers to every house he does give the new paper. But my filters are not real state because you cant give unlicensed person to post a filer, I do other business to. keep one hour everyday and give you self how many house you want to go. dont stop a day because that's when you will stop.
My father was a real estate broker and he earned a good living. The problem is that you usually work on a straight commission and pay your own expenses. The nature of the business is that it is sometimes a long time between paychecks, and yet the expenses for gasoline, car maintenance, clothes and cleaning (have to look sharp) march on whether you've been paid lately or not. Ideally, you would have some cash set aside to pay all your expenses while you wait for a sale to mature. Liken it to sitting down to a poker game with a hundred dollars total. If you don't have some money of your own to sustain you, then you must win the first hand to get some or go broke, and that's pretty unlikely to happen. You may have to play a dozen hands before you are likely to win. My father told me most real estate agents who fail, do so because they didn't have enough money set aside to sustain them until they were likely to win a hand. He some times went 6 months between receiving money, but when he did, it was a lot.
