Is now a good time to become a real estate agent?

[Will Walker]

With the bulk of the buyer pool being pushed out of the marketplace by interest rate hikes, is now a particularly difficult time to get started as an agent?

[Keri Markham]

This is an excellent time to be a Real Estate Agent. That is if you are willing to work your butt off. Most newbie agents only make about $24,000 per year their first couple of years. We have a huge turn over because a huge ratio of folks coming into the business think that all you have to do is show some homes and write them up.

No, there is so much more. You have to accumulate a knowledge of your market, financing options, keeping up to date with changing real estate laws, grow a list of clients and market yourself. You have to be willing to work long hours and to spend money on your career. You have to become accountable to yourself and be dedicated to your career. You don’t have a boss standing over you. You don’t have to punch a time clock. You control your own work schedule. You have to understand, I mean really know deep down, that if you don’t put in the work, the time and the effort that you will fail.

I do not want to dissuade you but you need to know what you are getting into. Yes, you might make much more in your first couple of years but most don’t. Most have to put in a few years before they can actually be considered successful. If you do decide to get into the business find a broker or office that will take some time to train you one on one and be available to answer your questions in the evenings and on the weekends. Your real estate classes will teach you how to obtain your license but your real training happens on the job.

Keri Markham, Realtor