Hello my name is Jay living in orlando and i just aqcuired my florida realestate license i have the option to go into the timeshare industry or join a brokerage firm i'm looking for some good advice as to which route may be the best to take in this economy.

What would you be doing in the TimeShare Industry ?

I know many people being solicited to voluntarily divest themselves of their fractional ownership interest (for free) just to be relieved of the on-going expenses of holding a timeshare.

How the people who work that business are compensated intrigues me . . . . it must be some form of salary because the ultimate sale, where money is generated (after the fractional parts are all put back together) is deferred way off into the future.

Tough section of the market. I know a couple of people who have done Time Shares in the past and the consensus is that it is by far tougher/more stressful than other facets of the market. I don't have any experience with Time Shares and (quite frankly) I can't foresee that in my future.

It's do-able, but I suspect how successful you can be will depend as highly on your local market conditions as any other field. A friend of mine has been selling time shares in Palm Springs for the past seven years. I've never thought to ask what her pay structure is, and I sure as heck ain't gonna ask how much she nets (since it's a field that never held much interest to me), but she seems to be doing well. She even outlasted her husband, who gave up his practice in "regular" residential real estate in the same area.

If you just aren’t ready to take the plunge as a full fledged agent, try to get someone to take you under their wing. Preferably, this someone is a smashing success of a realtor.

I've looked into someone taking me under their wing but it seems like that mentor takes most of the cut. It sounds kinda like a pyramid scheme.

Of course his/her cut is big. He/she is bringing more value to the table than you are. If you want to learn and gain some valuable experience, consider it paying for an education.

Seriously, because the odds of someone just allowing you to 'shadow' them would be very slim; perhaps your broker will permit you to shadow them, but, the other agents...highly unlikely. Real estate is a competitive area since earnings are achieved via commissions. I'd say pay for the higher cut of a few transactions with one of the more qualified, experienced agents - you don't want a newbie mentoring you.

Insider, from your perspective, why would an experienced agent want to mentor a relatively new agent if commensurate compensation (i.e. higher splits in their favor) is not offered?

[quote=Maui][quote=Insider]I've looked into someone taking me under their wing but it seems like that mentor takes most of the cut. It sounds kinda like a pyramid scheme. [/quote]

Insider, from your perspective, why would an experienced agent want to mentor a relatively new agent if commensurate compensation (i.e. higher splits in their favor) is not offered? [/quote]

I think yes.

Thats just how the game works, Insider, the biggest dog gets the biggest bone.

go into the REO side of the real estate business. You can make tons in the Florida market doing this