i'm thinking if i should study to become a real estate agent. does it take long? how much would i make?

Question

any good websites that i could look at. :]

i also live in southern california.

Answer 1

not being licensed in CA, i am not sure how long it would take you to get your license, but probably not more than one year. some states say you must be at least 18 or 21 years old, though.

do you really, really like people? too many people go into the business with dollar signs in their eyes rather than with a love of the differences between one person to the next.

the business is entirely service oriented. we don't make consumer goods, we are not retailers: we just take care of people's needs and wants.

the problem with this business for YOU, for anyone wanting to get their license, is that there is a veneer that real estate agents project that seems to say that they are just loaded. well, i will tell you the truth: so many of them may look real good in their new lexuses and glittery jewelry, holding ten phones at one time, but they are getting sued by their condo associations because they do not pay their assessments. and it is all to keep a facade.

and the other problem is this. the money you get paid depends on what real estate you sell and CLOSE. if the deal does not close, you do not get paid, not one dime. so you must put out so very much money to make money. you pay for your phone, your desk (in an office), your cards, your ads, your car expenses including very high liability insurance, your NAR (national association of realtors) fees, your local association of realtors, your fees to be a member of the multiple listing service (because if you are not, you have no business working in this field because you are not doing your clients a SERVICE), your errors and omissions insurance, and a myriad of other tools that you must use just to do the work in order to get paid...sometime.

you will be very, very fortunate if you get into an office whereby the managing broker actually wants to TEACH you how to write a listing agreement (and what tools you use to even get to the point of meeting a seller), a contract, and to understand terminology that only seasoned realtors know. most brokers do not teach newcomers anything other than these words: "list, list, list," because they fear, rightfully so, that you will just take what they teach you and go elsewhere, not benefiting them by your sales which give them a portion of the commission. it's important that they get a cut so that they can pay the office's overhead.

this is a very stressful career. ask any real estate broker to tell you about it. if you have gone for 4 months without a closing, you are getting very hungry. if your one deal then falls apart (there are so many reasons that they die), where are you going to get the money to pay your mortgage, for your food, your electricity, your ten telephones and pagers, and for those fancy clothes you think you need (but you do not--you need to really CARE about your client's needs over and above your own, which means that their needs are more important to you than is your commission, very hard to feel when you do not get paid anything until you get a commission upon closing a sale)...

i am not trying to talk you out of it. i have no reason to keep you away from it. but i must say that if you go for it and begin to work on a part time basis because you must pay your bills until that closing (which you had better put into the bank until the next one comes along), you will either leave it, or you will end up working full time in it. if you work full time in residential, figure that you will be working 7 days a week. when i started, even without internet for-sale-by-owners, i worked 7 days a week, about 10 hours a day, for at least 12 years, and those days began early in the morning too. i woke early to strategize keeping the deal together. i went to the office early. i was on the phone constantly with lawyers, other agents that wanted to show my listings, with owners and tenants to set appointments, with mortgage lenders, sellers and buyers and you name it: anything having to do with the deal. i did not have much time for my family, and for sure, i was NOT like annette benning in the movie, American Beauty: i NEVER cleaned anyone's house! never!

if you get into it, know that the things that you must learn to pass the licensing test (which is much harder than continuing education tests that you have to pay for and take once each two years, for the state) are normally not even used in the business. who remembers how many square feet are in a mile, and for that matter, what real estate sales agent would care? it has nothing to do with marketing real estate, and it has nothing to do with caring for your clients.

look up the word "agent" in a variety of dictionaries to learn that when you are an agent, it is almost like being an attorney. it means that you put your client's negotiating tactics, secrets, and motivation out of the knowledge of the "other side," because if you reveal these things you can then jeopardize your client's stance. you must learn what agency means.

about.com has many real estate topic hosts. real estate is all over the net (just use any search engine) because it, and all it entails from digging the foundation hole until completion, funding, and sale, represents about 28% of our entire gross national product. it's a real important area to do an honorable job in.

i wholeheartedly welcome you as a fellow Realtor, if you only realize that you are going to work harder than you could possibly realize. if you have any specific questions regarding the industry, write to me on the email address provided herein.

IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO WORK IN A GOOD OFFICE, ONE WHERE THE MANAGING BROKER TEACHES YOU EVEN ONE THING, YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN THE REAL SECRET, which is this: there is really only one thing that you must do ten times every day to be successful in the business, but you will not do it. no one does it. you say it sounds so easy, why wouldn't agents do it? well, you learn by trying to do it...

i wish you a lot of luck and good fortune!

Answer 2

You lost me at flexible hours. Actually your hours are dictated by your clients. And unless you know a ton of people, personally and professionally, it will take you a while to get up and running OR cost you a fortune. For some folks it's both. After saying that, I love real estate. I own several investment properties, I work with buyers, sellers, investors and builders. If you have the time to put into it you can make it no matter what kind of market.

Answer 3

Realtors are having a tough time right now because of the market. If you are interested here is the website for California:

http://www.dre.ca.gov/

This goes over the fees and requirements needed to become a saleperson. Some local real estate offices offer classes to get you licensed:

http://www.londonproperties.com/home.php

They will want you to hang their license with them so you start selling properties.

I would try the lending side (it's much easier and not as tough as real estate sales). CountryWide (Full Spectrum Lending) is always hiring - telemarketing for mortgage loans - a good job look under careers:

http://www.fullspectrumlending.com/?from=PX&afid=97&sourceid=PXS6;SMX

Answer 4

you have to pass the realtors exam in your state. you'll potentil earning will be based on homes sold as its commission based, are you a good salesperson?