Any Real Estate Agents??

[ThreeMusketeers]

Okay, so now I am on to Real Estate Agent as a possiable career move.

Do you like your job? What is realistic in terms of income (avg). I realize that this will "all depend". Just looking for avgs.

What is a day like for you? Are you able to scedule your own day?

Thanks!

 

[bfrosty]

Former Real Estate Agent:

Okay, I'm not bitter at all, but would like to give my advice to you.

It is a very neat job, be your own boss, show houses, eat food, meet people, etc, etc, etc.

Now, here is the hard stuff...you do work a lot of hours, it's a sales job no matter how you slice it, your going to spend a lot of your own money the first year, you need to have great customer service skills, bargaining smarts, etc.

There are a ton of great real estate agents and everyone is very nice to you, but I have a feeling that there is some secret agenda that all agents develop sooner or later.

My advice, if you do decide. Get lots of training, pass your test, advertise, advertise and advertise. The market is now considered a "buyers" market, so you will be chasing after people who want to buy. You make a bigger margin if it's a sellers market (about 2-3yrs ago). It's all one big cycle..so if you hangin' there you should average out your earnings over time.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I'm a realtor and have done everything from being a buyer's agent in the beginning, to working the foreclosure market presently.

I've been in the industry around five years and my husband, while a career firefighter, is also the owner/operator of a home inspection business.

Needless to say, our conversations center around real estate and it gets old!

There is good money in the career only if you bust your butt big-time, or if you're extremely lucky with a large sphere of influence (read: people you know, or know of you).

The industry also has a horrible reputation, due to the bad apples out there. You'll rarely hear about the good guys, but the bad guys will get lots of press, including here on the DIS. I do some serious tongue-biting, but let it rip every now and then.

(There are several real estate agents on here that I know of.)

I think due to the potential for a large income, the industry attracts close scrutiny. Nobody likes giving away a portion of their assets and if they think you aren't worth it, they'll think they can do your job. It's the nature of the business.

Advertising! You have to do it, because everyone tells you to. Unfortunately, it can be like throwing your money away. Sometimes it sticks and sometimes it doesn't. The really bad part of that, is you have to do it for a reasonable time to get noticed and that costs big bucks. (I spent over $20k my first year getting started)

Bottom line - whatever you've been told that's positive about the career, shave it down by about 30%, because it's not all fun and games and you can go months and months and months without a paycheck. You have to be prepared for that, or you're setting yourself up for failure.

 

[CherCrazy]

I am currently a realtor. I work all the time. It is my way of life now, with very little left for free time...except my Disney trips.

I work all the time...did I mention this before? ha ha If you want to be successful at this job, you must WORK ALL THE TIME!! I think you may be getting the picture.

You must be at the beck and call of your clients at all times. I limit my calls to 9-9 7 days a week, but I know other successful realtors that keep their phones on 24/7. Yes, I can schedule personal things into my calendar, and I can keep those personal appointments. But, my kids are older and I am much freer to work than I was when they were little.

The expenses are tremendous to being a realtor. Most costs are paid for by YOU! Advertising, gas, car expenses, brochures, lock boxes, brochure boxes, the list goes on and on, are paid by you. Sure, the broker will pay for some things, but if you really want to make it happen, you have to do more than the minimum.

People think that it's easy to become a realtor, but it is extremely easy to get your license, but hard to keep it. The job has a high drop out rate. I don't worry too much about the competition from new licensees coming in the door, because 3/4 of them won't make it thru the year. Average salary nationwide is only about $40k, not too much for all the work involved.

Bottom line, this is not easy and this job should not be attempted by those who have no prior sales and customer service experience. You need to know how to sell and service your customers before you can sell real estate.