I finally got approved for a license. I waited so long because of a background check. So much for passing the test first try and first oppurtunity, i still had to wait about a month and a half to get licensed. But i'm finally there.

Anyways. I have a few newbie questions.

I have a full time job and make pretty good money doing it.
Do you think a newbie like myself should buy into the Top Producer program? I want to buy this but the costs will be around 100 bucks a month. Is it worth if to have if you can afford it?

Also another question.

If I get a house under contract with intentions to assign it to someone else. Can I list this house on the MLS?

Thanks for any advice.

Congrats on your license approval!

As far as listing the house on the MLS. I would think you would need your license in hand before being able to list.

I"m not sure what you mean by Top Producer program? If you're talking about Top Producer - the contact management system, it's about $35/month. If you're technologically-inclined and organized, it's great. If not, you won't use it.

Or are you referring to a mentoring or training program?

Paying $100 a month for Top Producer at this stage of your career makes absolutely no sense. You need basic contact management and you have no clients. Outlook can take care of your needs and it's free. Hell a good planner book is all you need. If and when you are listing 5 properties a month and are running a team, something like TP might make sense. But right now it's like buying a backhoe to plant a morning glory.

Word of advice now that you have your license. DON'T BUY ANYTHING! Just get clients and learn the business.

Marketing companies by the thousands seem to have figured out that newbie real estate agents are the biggest suckers in the world. Systems, systems, and more systems.
None of it is worth a damn, so save your money.

Learn what you strengths and weaknesses are.I excel at talking to people and networking and getting the business.I can do paperwork but I let someone else excel at it because tha tis what they like to do.Delegate what your weaknesses are and build a team.

It sounds like with assigning you are trying to be an investor more than an agent which is fine.The mls is not where you are going to find these types of people,our mls won't allow assignments on our system.Your local real estate investors asssociation would have a list of members that might go for the deal.

Remember if your deal is crap you are spinning your wheels and need to move on to the next potential property.

It is good you have a well paying job elsewhere while you are starting as there is usually several months between starting in this business and it generating a good enough income to live on. Once you get business underway you might want to switch roles making RE full time and supplement with part time until you are sufficiently established to work just the RE.

Navarac has some good advice about not trying to buy everything that will be sent your way. Start with your basics then add to it as needed. Remember that starting part time will still give you full time expenses: no part time discount for board membership or MLS access!

Good luck and I wish you much success!

I just want to make a simple comment about Top Producer. Like everyone says, it does you no good when you dont have any clients/ transactions to manage. I use an excel spreadsheet and it is good for what I need.

Keep your expenses as low as possible...... Dont think you need this or that. What you probably need most is to get a client, learn contracts, and preveiw, preview, preview.

Speaking of part-time realtors..if a realtor does have a 9-5 job, can he/she expect to fulfill the obligations of a listing agent?here in Socal the broker's open are held tuesdays 11-2; I would think this would be a problem.If you had a listing, and got an offer, went onto escrow, etc. What would you do if you were in this position?

Pay someone in your office to sit the broker's open?
Also depends on what your 9-5 is... some people hold very flexible jobs.

Broker's opens seem to be a great way to spend $100 on food or gift cards to bribe other realtors to your house, IF any show up.

I very rarely see Broker's Opens in our area. The few agents I know who did have them, had nobody show up.

Our office has had success with regular open houses though I'm not fond of them this time of year! One agent in my office has sold two houses as a result of opens...one was for the actual house itself (neighbor brought a friend by the night before the open when the agent was putting up a sign; friend made an offer on the spot.) The other one was to buyers she picked up at another open house.

Broker opens though tend to not be well attended by other agents here.

I know some of the agents here who have "other" jobs manage quite well...some are teachers, some work at WalMart, some drive school bus, some work in home health.

Of course if nobody shows up, you can keep the cards! LOL

if you set up systems and are in an office that has good systems you can be a 1 hour a day realtor. There is an office where I am that has awesome systems in place, once thier agents get a listing it is passed off to an office listing assistant who fields office calls and gives showing insructions.

one a contract is in place it then goes to a closing coordinator.

All the agents at that office have to do is be concerned with more listings and more sales.

Any one could give some insight on affiliating with a northern Virginia brokerage?
I passed the exam and ready to hang my license. I'll be starting part-time while learning the basics of the industry (probably not the "rope" level). Which brokerage I should start with? Some of my thoughts are: 1/I might not be the ideal candidate for big names since I can't be full-time committed, and I'm not a big fan of big names anyway. 2/I like the flexibility of a newly-started, indie (as in "independent") brokerage, but afraid they'd be killed or eaten sometime soon (I heard there's a wild jungle out there) and leaving me survive with wolves. besides, the name wouldn't help much either.
So, what should I be looking at?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.