I have been going back and forth with the idea of becoming a real estate agent for the past 2 years. Its just such a hard decision for me because I would have to work my full time job and try to get my real estate career going at the same time. Not to mention all the start up costs... Anyway I really think i am going to do it this time, but what are the reasons you think agents always say "Dont do it" or "Turn and run in the other direction"? I think it would be the most ideal job for me, i am such an outgoing people person and the one thing i like about my current job is connecting and speaking with my customers. Okay questions:

-Would you say a real estate agent works more during the day or at night?

-Are their ALOT of weekend hours?

-Do you HAVE to have open houses? Ive heard they are a waste of time.

-How much did you make your first year?

If anyone can answer any (or all) of my questions or has anything to add let me know i would be so thankful!! Thanks so much in advance!!

Ashley

It sounds like you DO NOT want to be a regular agent.Most work weekends long days and nights and are on call most of the time.

This is why I love COMMERCIAL real estate.You work virtually no weekends,most of the the work if not all is during the day,and your clients don't call you at night because they donot want to be bothered either after managing there assetts and investments or running there businesses!!

I worked long hours with my previous businesses but the lifestyle was killing me.jmho

Depends on what you mean by "work."

I work both day and night. During the day I'm on the phone, showing properties, doing stuff at the office.

At night, I'm answering email, researching the MLS, taking my continuing ed courses, learning more stuff, blogging, etc.

Yes, most agents work on weekends. It's pretty much a given that your Saturday and Sunday may be spent showing properties.

The hours are what you define for yourself (and too few will spell failure!) Typically I do my field work during daylight hours and office work at night.

I agree with whoever told you open houses are a waste. Apparently they do work for some agents in some areas but after a couple of years of that I stopped wasting time on them.

First year you can consider to be successful if you have covered your expenses, by the second year you should start to make money.

IMHO, in order to be successful in real estate you will work long hours and weekends. Another thing to consider is that working with clients is almost a secondary task. You need to consider yourself a marketer as well as an agent.

I usually do two open houses per month. They can be a waste of time depending on how you look at them and how well you advertise them, and the location of the house itself...

There will be people who really swear by open houses, there will be people who hate them. I never consider my open house time as "wasted." I take something with me to do in case there are no shows; letters to write, bring my laptop to write blog drafts (in a word processor in case there is no internet), I download pictures from my camera into the computer to edit them, or, if I feel like totally goofing off, I bring a DVD and watch a movie on my laptop and consider it some quiet R&R away from the kids and the office phones.

I do not consider them a waste. Others may go ahead and believe I'm wasting my time, but I don't care.

That said, if your office isn't doing a lot of consistent open houses it may not be as effective - one or two open houses scattered here or there probably is a waste.

I work about 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. You basically pick how busy you want to be. I plan on keeping this up for about three years and then backing down to about 40 hours a week.

If you don't have savings, you'll need that full time job for at least the first six months of your career.

I think a realistic goal to set for yourself is to make about 60k in your first year.

12 hours/day 7days/week , you'll make more than $60K/year IMO

So 13.70 about an hour average before commission split,taxes,expenses,etc.

If you are going to do that you might as well work a corporate job and get a better return then that.:)

The key to hours is to multi-task and get others to do the grunt work for you. Its totally possible to make $60K a year working just 20-25 hours a week, and even less if you know what you're doing. If you use that down-time-open-house-time to generate more leads, then you can really cut down on the number of hours you even NEED to work. Then it becomes more of how much you WANT to work. And using the internet to work FOR YOU (as we all know) can help generate leads around the clock.

are we counting time sitting @ the computer goofing off or just hours actually working productively???

^^That's difficult for me to differentiate. I time on the computer consists of goofing off in between actually doing something "productive."

They're so intertwined; I think I'd consider time posting here as "professional consultation."

if goofing off in all it's various forms is not included in "working hours" then I reckon I work about 5 hours a week, maybe 10???

Today I came in the office at 8:30, been busy. Its now 7:30pm, and Im still working. Likely will take a break soon and put the kids in bed and come back down and work.

Like Perkey, some of the time is also intertwined with playing as well and personal calls, watching my wife shovel snow, and playing with the kids.

The amount of hours I work is hard to say. Its over 40 hrs easily and its 7 days a week (If I choose it to be). I like to do Open Houses, I find it a great time to get away from the kids for a couple houses, peace and quiet, and get some reading done. Once in a blue moon I can score a client, but I don't bank on it.

I'm the same way, only I watch my hubby shovel snow!!!