I am a new agent trying to decide which way to go and I am looking for help. I am considering becoming a buyers agent. Is this a smart way to go? It would seem that you would always get paid as long as you find that buyer a home. It seems easier. Am I wrong?

Typically as a new agent you are a buyer's agent a majority of the time anyway, then as you get a history in your marketplace, you get heavier on the listing side. I wouldn't pigeon hole yourself as only a buyer's agent, however, if you have the opportunity to work as a buyer's agent for a producer, go for it.

I have a buyer's agent that drives my buyers all over, I do the listings, and he gets half my buyer's side deals. It works great for us.

I started out as a buyer's agent. Typically you get fed leads from an agent that you "work" under.

I didn't care for it. It didn't take long before I realized it was not the direction I wanted my real estate career to head.

It wasn't that I didn't like working with buyers; to the contrary, I still find myself working more buyers than sellers. I didn't like padding someone else's pockets when I knew I could be generating business on my own.

I think in this industry, your main motivation is earning a living for yourself and I didn't want to have to answer to anyone. I wanted to be creative and use the considerable business skills I already had.

I also didn't like the anonymity. Nothing was done in my own name. The only thing that had my name on it, was my business cards, and even those had me listed as a licensed assistant to the agent I was a buyer's agent for.

Of course, YMMV. Not everyone is like me.

I'm on the opposite end 95% buyer's agent. We do well (April was over 3 million in production and July over 4). This is pretty good for a 2 and ½ person team (one of our members is part time).

As far as the leads I have to say nobody gave us any worth while ones. We generated our own through advertising.