Hello to all, this is my first post. I'll try to give a real quick breakdown of myself & situation, and as much feedback as possible from you all would be appreciated.

I don't know anyone in real estate, so it is something I'm sort of blindly going into. All I've done up to this point is order textbooks from www.californialicense.com, and read about halfway through the first book (Real Estate Principles). I don't know what the job entails, how I can use my gifts & personality to advance my career, or even how real estate agents are paid exactly.

I am 27 & married, always been a hard worker just as a working class man, no degree or trade, but my gifts & personality have opened way for some good opportunities, and I couldn't complain about the money I was making considering I got to that point from scratch. I am a good communicator & good at connecting with people, because I genuinely care for people. I also get satisfaction from putting in some good, physical labor. I am always "down for the cause," trying to make everyone else's job easier by taking on as much as I can. But, I realize that good, physical labor would not be so enjoyable as I get older, so it would be my other gifts that would need to prevail as I look to the future.

What appeals to me about real estate is the variety of work, traveling from place to place, meeting different people, etc. (something my last job entailed a ton of), and the freedom to develop & employ my own methods of achieving favorable results. Also, not punching a clock. ;-) And as I browse through job postings for real estate agents, a lot of them sound enjoyable.

Some of the concerns I have are that I don't really consider myself to be the "businessman" type, wearing suit & tie everywhere, seeking to snatch leads away from other people, etc.; spending too much time away from my family to pursue money, having a phone to my ear around-the-clock, and such as that. And like I mentioned, I don't know anyone in real estate, so maybe I don't have as much to be concerned about as I might think. I just don't know how it is, what everyday life is like for a real estate agent. I'm sure it depends on how far you want to go, how much money you want to make, etc.... I know that I am not seeking to get rich, I was making upwards of $50,000 in my last job (not considered to be a lot in California ;-)), so if I can meet or exceed that and still lead my normal life I would be happy.

Sorry if I have given any eyes too much to read. Seeking any & all feedback. Thanks!

K, awesome! lol

Basically real estate does not sound like a good match for your personality. It is an all-consuming occupation if you want to make any real money. It doesn't sound like you want to put the hours in. A good agent is always available to his clients, and is available basically 24/7, and especially on weekends. If you are not interested in working Saturday and Sunday, do yourself a favor and choose something else. "Weekend with the family" guys do not make it in real estate.

Real estate is quite time consuming.

You want flexibility? Sure, one of the best things about a real estate job is flexibility. In fact, I can work whichever 90 hours I want to every week!

I have submitted offers at 3:00 in the morning. I have negotiated contracts while vacationing abroad. I routinely drive across town on a moment's notice to deal with an emergent issue. I hardly ever make personal plans on the weekend anymore because I know I'll likely have to cancel/reschedule.

About having to wear a suit and tie everywhere...the only time I've ever worn a suit--or even a tie--in the context of real estate was when I had my head shots taken. Maybe it's just an L.A. thing...but I quickly discovered that people don't care if I wear jeans every day as long as I look put together.

Amen to that Brother!

Re: clothing - how you dress will depend on your clientele. Generally, business-casual is a safe bet for all (polo or oxford shirt, comfortable slacks or nice/neat jeans, loafers...) If you are in a beach area, you can do shorts/sandals.

But - time - esp for a newbie - you gotta do the time. when you get really successful then you hire an assistant to do the weekend stuff.

You could of course become strictly a listing agent but you would have to really impress sellers for them to take a chance on a newbie.

Why are you speaking about your current occupation in the "past" tense ?

For real estate agent formal look is very important. Your dressing style and good communication skill will attract a client for dealing.

Interesting feedback, folks. Appreciate it. If anyone else is reading and has more to add, please chime in!

[quote=Vermont]Why are you speaking about your current occupation in the "past" tense ? [/quote]
My current occupation is "househusband," lol... I got married last year and ended up living in the middle of nowhere, commuting 4 hours a day for 6 months before I couldn't take it anymore. But we are working on getting back to civilization a.s.a.p.

I don't think there are any specific requirements for time and dress codes. There are many different ways to make a living and over 300 million potential clients in the US.

I strongly disagree that you have to work 24/7 to make a $50,000-$100,000/yr living in real estate. It's helpful to work weekends but that doesn't mean that you can't have some time off during the week. My business got much better when I stopped letting the clients or customers run me around and I set some boundaries. One of the big skills in this business is learning who to NOT work with.

EazyMack

just a simple formula. Where I started in California the medium price would now be about $500k. My first broker told me to get one saleable listing per month and I would get 12 transactions per year. He said for every 2 listings I should get a buyer transaction and half the listings should sell.

So now days that would be $500k x 12 x 3% = $180k to your office so figure what's yours using your agreed to split.

As for the hours thing you should intend to put in a lot at the beginning. I did the 90 hour thing for several years, mostly to help my agents out, and all it did was give me a heart attack.

After that I made a very comfortable living at 35 hours a week and those hours were weekdays. Most of my career was the 50 hour week. I entered real estate sale part time at about 20 hours a week, but managed to be the top producer, except for my broker, at the end of my first year.

You can have what you want you just have to work it out, usually with agreements with others. Also the last time I wore a suit and tie was to a funeral in 2001. But to be successful you might have to wear whatever the native dress is, or just become the perennial outsider.

Being a Realtor is a great career.

The work you do is meaningful and fulfilling because you are helping your Clients with the biggest financial transaction most people make in their lives.

The time is now to become a Real Estate Agent because the Baby Boomers are getting older and a lot of them will be retiring from real estate in the next 5-10 years.

You get compensated for the time and effort you put in.

Just a few thoughts.

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Mario

This business is not for everybody. I'm real straight with people about it when they ask me, I had a woman in my office today getting started and you should have seen her eyes when I laid it out for her.

1. You need to be able to support yourself without an income for a year, and be prepared for at least another year of unsteady income.

2. You need to have a inextinguishable spirit and will.

3. You have to thrive in a high stress environment.

4. You have to have a very thick skin.

5. You have to be willing to do whatever you have to do to make deals happen, especially in the beginning.

If you feel like you can do these five things, and you enjoy dealing with people, are intelligent, good with numbers, and able to think outside the box, this profession might work for you. If not...don't even try.

The number of hours worked IMHO depends on how you describe "work". I often feel like I work all the time, because I am always "on", always thinking about work...always available. But physical "at-work" time is probably 30-35 hours a week.