I've been wanting to move to california for a really long time. Currently i live in NJ. I also want to go to college in Cali, but im not sure if it is a smart move...going so far away.? I want to study business and get my real estate liscense. Selling multi-million $ houses in Cali mean lots of commission! Is this a good future and field of work?
Becoming a real estate agent is not as easy as it sounds. This is especially true if you are moving to a new area. Do you know people in California? How will you market yourself as an agent? There are thousands and thousands of agents competing for the same listings in CA as in other states. If you do not have a solid marketing plan, it would be very difficult and expensive to break into the market.
That sounds all good and great, but making money at real estate for a new unestablished inexperienced agent is HARD. Trust me. Especially in a state where many people can't even afford it. Your first year in real estate will be your hardest and most frustrating one. Unless you hook up with a top producer and he gives you his leads on a split. Competing withthe thousands of agents (who have the same goals and idea you do) is difficult, getting people approved for a loan to even buy lately is difficult, and the agents that have been there and in it awhile and are established are the ones who do most business (unless you have friends and family, a ton of referrals, etc) If you are going to move there and get your license and go to school, that is great, but you have to have another job besides being a realtor, because it just isn't steady enough. It isn't how you think. People are so flaky and full of s**t, you have no idea. Not trying to discourage you, just being honest and preparing you.
Selling real estate has a lot to do with knowing people who are selling and buying and about the market. Yes, the commission checks on multi-million dollar homes are nice however, real estate agents live on commission alone. If it takes you 6 months to sell your first house, you have no paycheck for 6 months (unless you are working somewhere else too). Have you applied to schools in California? Have you looked at different areas that you would be interested in selling real estate in? Do you know how to get your real estate license in California? Real estate agents that people like to say, oooh. i could do that... they make SO much money... have been in real estate for a while-- they didnt just decide to sell real estate and make a ton of money. Being a real estate agent is opening a small business. You provide a service for people buying or selling real estate but you have to run your life much like a business. Most people shop for homes on weekends. If you dont work a weekend, you can miss out on sales. My point is that the really successful real estate agents work when everybody else has gone home for the evening. I think that yes, real estate is a good field of work and offers people great futures... however, I think your plan seems more like a pipe dream and pretty naiive to think its that easy to just up and move to California and start selling multi-million dollar homes. I say this because I sell real estate and its much harder and more time consuming than I ever would have guessed prior to getting into the field.
