I do think you can do this at 18, but I think you are going to have to tackle the age thing directly and become the 'whiz kid' - you seriously are probably going to have to learn more than the average agent in order to get and retain as many clients.

This is not a bad thing, it's just something to know from the beginning, because people don't see 18 as the same as 25. (Most of us still remember the idiotic things we did at 18 that we didn't do at 25 - not that 25 didn't also have its share of distinguishing moments. :)

You'll need to build a knowledge base as fast as possible (about contract language, home valuation, staging, how to help people pick the right home & get financing without getting taken to the cleaners, that kind of thing) to be able to relieve those concerns and build up a trust factor.

It's also going to be a huge help if you can find a good mentor - some stuff you can learn from research, some you just have to learn in the field and a good mentor can give you the benefit of their field experience.

Hope this helps, I agree with the people who said you can do what you set your mind to, just tackle the age thing head on.

Also, get some monthly (at least) marketing going to your sphere and clients and automate it so it always goes out, regardless of how busy (or not) you are. That will pay off hugely in the long term, but start EARLY, you'll already be doing something most of your competitors are not.

Best wishes!

Irene Dorang
www.ToolsForRealEstate.com

I'm 21 and I've been in the industry for about 2 years. The biggest drawback in my mind of being young in this industry is the fact that my social circle is not at a point in life where they're buying homes. I do find that at open houses I tend to click with the younger generation of buyers rather than older. But if you have confidence and you've done your part in learning what you need to know then your age won't hold you back. Will starting at this age be more difficult than at 30? Quite possibly yes. But confidence and knowledge will pull you through.

Also, networking proves to be more difficult because of your age group. But again if you're out door knocking, holding open houses, cold calling, etc. you'll do just fine.

One other thing I wanted to say. Some young agents make the mistake of trying to hide your age. Don't do it. It's not possible. No matter how hard you try, 99% of people's first thoughts when meeting you are going to be, "How old is this guy/gal? Doesn't look old enought to be selling houses...". If I had a dollar for every time someone said, "Aren't you too young to be selling houses?" to me I'd already be a millionaire. You need to put a positive spin on your age and not try to hide it. If someone questions it rebuttle with a comment about how energetic you are at this age, or the fact that you have no distractions like children or a wife, real estate is your life, blah blah. You're completely free to work as much as you want and people know that at this age you probably have the energy to do it.

Also, a good point made above is to gain as much knowledge as possible as quickly as possible. If you are very knowledgeable most people will very quickly forget about how young you look.

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

If youre professional and knowledgeable it won't matter. Period.

Sometimes they ask when I meet new people for the first time if I'm the agent's assistant.

I was quite young when I started selling real estate. I started out in December of 1996 and landed my first listing appointment through a FSBO a month later in January 1997. When they asked me how long I'd been in the business, I replied that I was entering my 2nd year :whistle: It was technically true and it made them feel a lot more comfortable.

You have to do what you can when you're starting out. You can always tell the prospect things like since you're starting out, you'll have much more time to focus on their needs as opposed to an agent that's bogged down with dozens of demanding clients or you can tell them that you're willing to work so much harder as you need to establish yourself. You can say that you're much more in touch with the technical side of real estate -- there are loads of different angles you can play on. Everyone had to start out with no experience so get them to empathize with a few well worded analogies that they'll relate to. Don't worry about your age -- if you have the necessary skills, you'll do fine!

I also got my license when I was 18. I started real estate school two weeks after moving to Orlando. It will be very difficult in the beginning.

I am now 22 and other agents still ask me how old I am and for how long I have been doing this.

Good luck with doing both school and real estate at the same time. I am currently on my last semester of school and don't have any free time.

My advice is to just give it your all and try to learn as much as you can from other agents.

[quote]If youre professional and knowledgeable it won't matter. Period.[/quote]

The problem is I'm not knowledgeable at all! I've just started, haha.

I started when I was 21 too and landed my first sale one month later from a buyer who was looking for an ethical realtor on craigslist. I responded with a heartfelt e-mail and she trusted to sell her a home. I was in school getting my Bachelor's in Business with a concentration in real estate. It was challenging and difficult to balance at times and I didn't realize that I had to put in a lot of time into selling real estate to become successful.

Fast forward to now, August 2008 one of the worst markets in my area.....I've worked hard building relationships, utilizing the internet and technology to be more effecient, built confidence, and continued to learn the changing conditions of this business. I'm proud to say that I recently got congratulated by the president of my company for exceeding $100k in gross commissions, I have an assistant, continuous stream of clients, and have time to play.

Point is it doesn't matter how old you are, if you take this business seriously, work extremely hard in the beginning, maintain a postive mindset, love what you're doing, have a high level of integrity and continue to be innovative, you will succeed. GO FOR IT!!

I WISH I had started RE when I was 18 , I started when I was 20 (Now 22) and know that one year brings much expirance in our field.

ah, nice.