A friend and I are both wanting to begin real estate careers. Initially we both were intending to go at this alone (she was going to start later anyway) but the more we talk about it, the more we wonder if going at it as partnership would be fun and serve our goals well.

This girl and I are like two peas in a pod - we have the same level of ambition, drive, outgoing personalities, high level of apptitude and intelligence (trying not to brag, but wanting to get my point across). We both are "people people". we see the benefits of starting together as:

1. not being alone in a new scary venture!
2. bouncing ideas and new info off each other (sharing new info makes learning 2x as fast, right?)
3. sharing the workload timewise b/c we both have small children
4. capitalizing on her accounting/numbers background (degreed) and my marketing/social work background (degreed) as a good compliment and support system.

we realize there would be many challenges, and we have the utmost respect for each other, so we would begin with an initial plan on paper for the partnership (while being open to change along the way) but also devise an exit plan as well should something happen (even life changes) that prevent one of us from continuing or wanting to branch out.

So we would be an "equal" team so to speak and plan to list duties of a typical agent and try to divide them evenly based on our strengths. We also could plan to cover each other so we can take family breaks. We would both love to make lots of money, but honestly, we just want to find a good balance between home and career and feel like two heads are better than one.

I also really love spending time with this friend and I can't imagine a more fun, dynamic atmosphere!

so are we crazy to do this together? Are there any teams that started in RE together (besides husband wife types) that have tips to make this work, or are we spinning our wheels?

I don't think this would kill our friendship if it didnt work (we have talked about the negatives alot), we are just that tight knit. Also, both of us have husbands who can "bank roll" us to get started, so we feel equal amounts of freedom to give it our all without too much pressure to get "greedy" or "panicky".

Again, we dont' have rose colored glasses on - just wanting to explore the idea and wondering if any of you have seen or are on teams that work like this. It's just fun to think I wouldnt be going through this learning curve alone....

Please be honest (but gentle please) in your ideas about this topic...

thanks!

If I get some time this weekend, I will PM you. I teamed up in my first year and it was the right fit for me. After a year we moved to different markets and went solo. The experience we gained was invaluable, and I would venture a guess we would not have been nearly so motivated in the early days if we weren't working together and having fun doing it. We listed nearly 50 properties in our first year in a pretty crappy market, so the income was terrible, but the lessons great!

Like I said, when I get caught up I will try to share some more.

thanks tbtrackstar!! that would be great. I see you are in TX? What part? I am in San Antonio. How long have you been solo now?

that is kind of how I feel about this team thing - while I am THRILLED to be getting into the field, I know I would be much more motivated if I had someone to do it with, especially someone who I think brings an equal amount of energy and talent to the table and just someone who I really like and enjoy being with!

I can also seeing it not lasting forever (but who knows) because people and their lives inevitably change, but for now we live in the same market and really just have the same goals and expectations from this job (time wise and money wise) so I am hoping this might be a fun experience.

I did notice you said you listed nearly 50 properties - that sounds like a good amount - but you said the income was terrible - can you define terrible? LOL we are both prepared to work much harder in the beginning with little returns - we know that is how we grow a biz...but I'm just curious what terrible is. LOL

thanks again!!!!!!! I am anxious to hear your experiences (but I understand how busy you are, so take your time)