Want to Become A Real Estate Agent? Probably Better Off Waiting
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Being a Real Estate agent in the boom years is a fairly easy job if you are the type who can find listings. Houses move quickly, take very little effort to sell, and the commissions are nice to take home at the end of the month.
But when the market slows down, selling a house is real work. How do you differentiate your listing from the 100 others out there? What marketing plans and incentives to you offer sellers, or how do you recruit buyers? Do you have any special skills that go beyond recognizing the difference between a full and half bath?
I have lived in a slow real estate market the last few years. I have watched real estate agent have to be very good to sell homes. I also have watched friends trying to sell their homes with bad realtors, and these houses typically do not sell.
So for potential sellers and buyers, choose wisely when determining your agent. Ask them to show you specifically how they will market your property. What they will do to find your dream home.
And if you are planning on becoming a real estate agent, make sure that you have the skill sets that can provide these services to your customers. Otherwise, there may not be those high commissions coming your way.
Very funny comparison. However you don't need to pay property tax on Barbies 3 Story Dream House. With the unemployment ...
My wife has actually decided to study for and get her real eatate licence just so we dont ever have ...
I like your analogy in this article. The real estate economy really is like a patient who you cannot ...
Real Estate is hyper-local. Every market is different. Phoenix has already hit bottom and is starting to recover. We have ...
Great to hear that the big boys
are predicting recovery sooner than
most think.
Thanks for the value! 
I agree--good analogy. You have to crawl before you can walk. Right now, at least in Austin, many people would ...
I live in the Philippines and I am glad we are not on the lists... 
I have a few Litograghs of Presidents homes , made by Richard V. Sebring. yr. 1990 Do they have any ...
Comment by James on 27 October 2007:
If you are not serious about a career in real estate I would tend to agree, but if you are serious now is as good a time as ever. I truly believe real estate tries you, you don’t try real estate.
The real estate market like any other market, goes through changes. If you can’t adjust to the changes your career will be unrewarding.
This recent market change, like other changes of the past will cause the not so serious agents to move out of the real estate industry. I am already noticing the downward trend in my area. Many agents are at the brink of the big decision ” should I stay or should I go”.
The agents paying desk fees and a lot of their own bills are feeling the pinch. Many are not earning the money they used too and are heading to the more traditional brokers of the past. 100 percent doesn’t look so good anymore. A local “desk fee” broker in the area was recently mass emailing agents that his company was doing well because he did’t have to worry about the bills in this market because all his bills were paid by the strength of his agents paying desk fees. He’s already losing agents.
It is true that we have enjoyed a pretty great 10 year run. The market was popping, for a large percentage of agents, you could do a few things right and have a sale. Now, those few things aren’t working so well. You really need to know people and how to sell real estate.
So why should you get into real estate now? If you are serious, the numbers are still there. The actual number of sales in my area are not far off from the best of the ten year run. Our market is projected to match the fourth or fifth best year. If you stick to the basics and use the technology, you can still have a rewarding year and a rewarding career.
As the agent numbers start to decline, so does the competition. If you are serious about getting into real estate, find a real estate company/broker that has a steady track record, one that has been through the many changes in the past, find a stable broker that provides lots of training & support. That doesn’t necessarily mean the “big broker” in the area either.
Look for a broker that provides a great atmosphere for you to learn and grow. Once you found that, You need to be willing to learn and do the required work to make it happen. Someone once said “The world meets no one half way” and that is still true today even in real estate.
New agents and experienced agents really need to learn and fine tune their skills on determining the fair market value of a property, they need to be more selective on who they work with, buyers and sellers. Financing options are changing and tightening up.
Don’t look for the “quick buck”, meet the people and serve the people the rewards will follow you through the many future market changes in your long real estate career.
Comment by Roberto Marques on 4 December 2007:
It takes alot work to be a good realtor. it is all up to you. good luck.
Comment by Gloria Sanchez on 5 May 2008:
I really like what you wrote. It’s very professional…good job.
Comment by Jessica on 30 July 2008:
Becoming a real estate agent is not such a bad thing,sure it takes a some hard work and dedication, but no more than any other job in which you wish to excel. When it comes to the real estate field, knowledge is the most powerful tool at our disposal.