New Agent Looking for Part-Time Advice

[Account Closed]

Hello all! I am currently getting my agent license and researching brokerages in my area (Clarksville, TN). I am currently in the military and won't retire for about three more years. I wanted to get into this industry for a long time and figured I would get an early start now so that by the time I retired from the military, I would be ahead of the curve. I have researched various forums about part-time agents and brokerages, and the consensus I have come across is that being part-time as an agent is difficult and usually not worth the effort. I wanted to ask my questions here to gather some more insight.

1. Have any of you started part-time while you finished another job/career and then transitioned to full-time after? And what was your experience with it?

2. What, in your opinion, are the most part-time friendly brokerages out there? 

3. My job now is your normal 9-5, but I'm not completely cut-off from the world and still have text/email/call availability. Is being a part-time agent outside of the 9-5 even remotely feasible, in your opinion?

Thank you, everyone, for the insight!

[Chris Webb]

Hi @Account Closed, I would actually look at this in a completely different way. I would look for the agency with the most reach. Why? because you are working a 9-5. Instead of attempting to work an additional job outside your 9-5, become a referral source. 

You have a unique situation in that you know people who are actively looking to relocate. Get your name out there as the guy who will assist in other people's relocation and you can help them select an agent in their destination city. When someone from your city is looking to relocate you can help them select the best agent. Develop a standard questionnaire for agents based on your unique knowledge of moving in the military and reach out to 3 agents at the destination of your clients. Allow your clients to select who they would like to work with and you actually will earn a referral fee and develop a relationship with the agent in the other city. 

Now, fast forward 3 years and who do you think will be on the mind of the agent in the other city when they have someone moving to your city? Again this is a unique situation because the city that you are helping people move to has a military installation which will eventually reciprocate to your city. In 3 years you will have an already seasoned referral base plus the referrals from your existing clients. 

I hope this helps and if you want a more thorough understanding of what I listed here feel free to reach out to me on BP.  I saw an agent do this in Arizona and he earned $20-30K without ever stepping foot in a house in his home city. I would be more than happy to share it with you.