As a Realtor, have you been successful?

Question

I have just passed my Real Estate Salesperson exam last week. I am going to start training for Century 21 tomorrow. I am interested in hearing some comments on how other Realtor's view their career? Any pro's or con's? Do you spend more money for your career or is the income good? I'm worried that I will spend more money out than get in. How much did you make the first year?

Answer 1

no, i have not

Answer 2

My husband has been in more than three years.

It’s a great industry if you’re creative (it’s your job to find solutions to the problems that can kill deals) patient (my brother in-law needed to see more than 50 houses before he found the ONE), ambitious (you will be rejected more often than accepted), and thick-skinned (some people will treat you with the same distain as a slimy used car salesperson). You need a means of support like a decent earning partner or an evening job to get through that first year or two while you establish yourself.

You’ve just entered a career where there are thousands (if you’re in a city) of other people who do basically the same thing you do, and you have to convince people that you’re better. You’ll need time to develop your own strategy and scripts. Hopefully your office has a good training program and you can find a mentor. Don’t be afraid to ask a seasoned, successful agent in your office for pointers.

The income is great now that he’s been around long enough to get referral business from past clients, but it was tough in the beginning. You have to pay out all of these dues to NAR, your city and state associations, and your state licensing fee even though you haven’t made a dime yet. You might need a new wardrobe – you’ll see all manner of dress in this industry, but it’s hard to argue the impact of a suit when trying to earn someone’s business. Even if you have a good office, you’ll probably still have to cover some of your own marketing.

You’ll need to be available on evenings and weekends because that’s when the majority of your clients will be available. In fact, you’ll have to learn how to schedule time with your family or you'll find you're working all the time. In our case, my husband’s clients know that Friday night is normal off limits (accept when negotiating a deal) because that’s *our* time. If there’s a significant other in your life, it can be hard to adjust to having a partner who’s almost always on the clock. I have definitely been through phases where I’d like to smash his cell phone with a hammer because it rings constantly.

Don’t forget that your office likely won’t withhold any taxes from your earnings. Find a good accountant as soon as you can, and please don’t discount the importance of paying your quarterly taxes; it really softens the blow when next April rolls around. Save your receipts so that you can deduct your expenses next year!

Answer 3

Be prepared to treat this like a full time job and a real business.

Have a business plan and work it, every day. Your training should show you how to do this.

Find a mentor to help you.

Make yourself available to sit open houses for your colleagues until you get your own listings, go to other open houses to learn the neighborhoods, and tell everybody you know, over and over, that you are in real estate and ready to help.

Make sure you work closely with your broker, since you are new. Ask ALL your questions and have your broker walk you through your first listings, sales contracts, ads and marketing programs.

Dress and act professionally, and be honest and ethical at all times.

Be patient, but work hard. Be positive and spread that high energy to everyone you meet. Volunteer your time to your church and community - and go to networking lunches and meetings.

You can do it. But you have to make it happen, with a smile on your face, always.

I love my job, because I am truly helping people. But I work my tail off, 24/7, and have a solid marketing plan that costs me time and $$$, but my customers are VERY IMPORTANT to me, and I let them know it every day in every way.

I am making a decent living, from my first year and currently. I am not a millionaire or even close, but I can pay my bills and do the job I love.

Good luck and best wishes.

Answer 4

I agree with VeniceRealtor, wow, is it a tough road, but so rewarding.

Pros: You make your own schedule

Cons: No one holds you accountable for your time, so if you aren't disciplined enough to work alot, it is easy to not work to your full potential.

Pros: The money is good when it is coming in.

Cons: Bills come in whether money is coming in or not.

Pros: You get to work with some wonderful people.

Cons: You have to work with some very mean people.

Know your finances, but you have to spend money to make money. Keep working at it even when you don't want to. The first two years are the toughest, if you can get through that, you should be good to go.

Good luck!

Answer 5

My mom's a retired Realtor. You've gotten a few well recommendation thus far. All I can upload is that this. Learn to "reveal" you purchasers good. By that, I imply be taught to not waste it slow displaying them residences that they cannot manage to pay for or in locations in which they do not wish to reside. The time that you simply store may also be placed to larger use displaying different residences to good-matched purchasers and networking to get extra listings.

Answer 6

Hi, I just started real estate this past year...
I think it really depends on the person and the circumstances... if you have the time to put into it, you will make $.. you will not get rich but you will make $.
It takes a lot of time... when someone wants you to show them houses, you do.. no questions asked.
If you dont have a lot of $ to put into getting started then you might want to look into a company that has an ad bill. i am with Crye-Leike realtors in Conway, AR and we have ad bills, I was able to buy my cards and everythign I needed and put it on my ad bill and it came out of my fist commission check. Also, double check into a company... a lot of companies provide you with free signs and stuff... If you have any questions just e-mail me.

Answer 7

Not me. I did sell enough houses to pay my college tuition. It was better than working 20 hours a week at WalMart, but I hated every minute of it.

Real Estate School -- now that was fun.

Answer 8

in reality virtualy successfull