[quote=jamesww]Please don't do real estate part time. You will find yourself stressed out or going broke. The requirments on your time are just to great with your day job. Real estate is not a occupation that should be performed part time. Save 6 months of income and some money for initial marketing then launch into the field full time. If you do it any other way you will end up at best with unsatisfied customers and a number of agents in your market area dispising you for your lack of follow through. Not to mention that right now agents are having to work twice the hours for the same income. [/quote]

I [i]SO[/i] agree with you. We have a friend in the family who is a part-time agent. We happened to use his services last summer when we were looking to purchase our first home. We ended up staying in our apartment.

He never sent us listings (he had a full-time job and apparently did not take the time to learn how to use his MLS system), so we had to look ourselves (what's the point of hiring a real-estate agent if you have to do the work yourself??).

Then, he had not been around the neighborhood enough (again, instead of spending time researching the market he was doing his day job), so we ended up going to a lot of houses that were a BIG waste of time for us (and him!).

Finally, and this is the worst part, every house we went to, no matter how ugly, dirty, or just plain wrong for us it was, he favored this comment:
"This might be the house for you, eh?"
Well, NO! It can't be! It's nothing like what we described to you!!!
(sorry, can you sense the frustration I'm having just thinking about it?)...

There were other things too, like he tended to bring us to homes that were a bit too pricey for us (i.e., he wanted a big commission to make up for his time), which eventually led to us giving up on buying a house.

Anyway, since he IS a family member, to make amends I sent him some info on other ways to make income...

I'm sorry, but I don't agree with this last comment. I don't believe that a part time agent equals a bad agent. I think it is how you perform your job and how much time you put into it. If you desperately want to succeed, you will find the time. If you think that RE is going to be a cake walk without putting forth any effort, then you get the type of service that MyWayToHelp had. It really just depends on the person and the will to succeed, in my opinion. :)

skg1396,

Perhaps you're right. I hope you ARE right. Still, I don't think I will ever go with a part-time realtor again.

have you bought a house yet?

The thing that I've found with part time agents is that they are PERCEIVED as not being as professional and knowledgeable as FULL TIME agents. Whether true or not, the public and most agents generally view them this way.

My personal experience with part time agents in my area mirrors what was said above, that they are not as knowledgeable or accessible as those who are in the business full time. There are exceptions to the rule but for the most part, every part time agent we've dealt with has been a frustrating experience.

Amy

If you really want to become a real estate agent you can do it. I've read all the previous post but don't agree with most of them. First of all most "full-time" agents are really part timers they are just available hours that your not.

I had a full time executive job in the financial district in San Francisco when I started. I was able to tie in with another new agent in sort of a loose partnership deal and it worked.

After a year I quit my job and got one driving a truck from 3am to 11am in the morning and became the top producing agent in the office.

What you work on and when you work on it is not set in stone, there are areas you can focus on to get business with your schedule.

Get you license and work out the kinks. As a broker for over 40 years I had many agents start with the same or similar problems as you have and phase into the business just fine, they just wanted it.

As you may have read through my previos thread as well, I am in the same situation. Although it's good to hear some of the negative comments of starting the way we both want to start, it's even more refreshing and comforting to hear from people who have done it themselves, or witnessed a successful transition into the business in the same manner.

Steph

serendipidy..can you elaborate on finding sellers at moving sales....you have raised my interest......if you dont mind..I am curious...

It depends on the person and their motivaion, my good friend is a realtor part time and has been for 3 years now, he works a full time mon-fri 8-5 job, and closes 2-3 deals a month with the market the way it is now. last year he made 90k in real estate only, but he is always really busy so to say you cant do it is unrealistic. He said it is 90% motivation and thats it he said realtors get lazy and thats why they dont do good here in Az.

So there are 2 or 3 agents every month who have to struggle to make a deal work with an agent who is not available because he is at work. I have worked with agents like your friend and it is very frustrating.

[quote=AmyF]I am very interested in becoming a part-time real estate agent. I currently work a full-time dayturn job as a customer service agent and am gone from 7am to 6pm weekdays. Evenings and weekends are free. I am wondering if starting out part time is worth it? I have a good DSL line at home plus access during my lunch hour for everyday for real estate communications. I am a very motivated, aggressive person and feel I would do well with real estate, but would definitely like some sound advice. If the business really takes off, I would consider it full time but at this time feel it too risky to give up my current position. [/quote]

Hi Amy

When I first got my real estate license in 1980, I was self supporting and had bills that would not quit coming in on a monthly basis.;) As a new agent, I had no income whatsoever for quite a long time so I was forced to work a full time job while I sold real estate on a parttime basis. However, what I did was become an assistant to one of the top producers in the office. This was a great way for me to learn the business and what it takes to make the big bucks.

My point is, you can sell real estate on a parttime basis, many people start out that way and once they get their momentum going and are able to quit their full time job, then you will have even more time to devote to making a good living. In addition, you have all those great prospects where you work now, start by letting them know that you have your real estate license and are open for business. Since you are in some sort of customer service industry, find out ways you can introduce real estate to your customers too.

Best of Luck!

Susan
www.susanbarlow.com

[quote=tony1911]serendipidy..can you elaborate on finding sellers at moving sales....you have raised my interest......if you dont mind..I am curious... [/quote]

Visit garage sales, ask the proprieter if they are just cleaning out their garage or planning to move in the near future. If moving, hand them a business card and go from there.

Susan
www.susanbarlow.com

I say go for it.

What is a part time agent anyway? If you work 20 hours a week in real estate, are you a part time agent? If you work 40 hours a week, are you a full time agent?

It's all about what you want to accomplish. Make sure you're being responsive to your client's needs, be professional and be yourself.

Many people understand that being a new agent in this market is very, very tough, so as long as you can be all you can be, that's all that matters.

Good luck.

Most everyone started real estate part time. If you are driven and determined enough it will work. Also, your current job might give you referrals from your co-workers.

Good luck.

As I recall from my days prior to being in real estate there are wage and hour laws that differentiate between full time and part time for employees.

I can't conceive of how you would distinquish between full time and part time for independent contractors or broker/owners though.