Real Estate Agent Median Income is it False?

[Johnny L.]

Hello fellow BP members! 

I am a young aspiring agent/investor and want to get started in the business first as an agent. I was concerned at first reading that the median income for a real estate agent was roughly 39k a year. However I recently read an article stating that you can't really take that number seriously due to many part time agents bringing that number down as well as agents who really don't work that hard. Is this true? Have you seen this first hand? Is being an agent a lucrative career if you work your butt off and know that it will be most likely be a slow start? 

Thank you in advance for your input!

[Sandy Thomas]

The good news is that successful Realtors come in all colors, sizes and personality types.  The bad news is that it is difficult to predict which will be 'successful' and which won't make it to their 2nd anniversary in the business.

Here is the best advice that I can give you: get up, get dressed, go to work.

In other words, treat it like a REAL JOB.  Set your alarm, beat your manager in to the office in the morning, dress sharp, listen intently to the experienced agents.  If you do these things, you will be ahead of 90% of the other agents out there and those experienced agents/managers will send business your way to encourage you (I know that I always send a hard working rookie business whenever I can because I want to see them succeed).

Plan to have little to no income for 6 months, maybe more.  Don't spend a lot on advertising initially but instead tell everyone you know and meet that you are actively building your business and ask them 'who do you know that is getting ready to buy or sell a home?'.

Pick up the phone and start making phone calls.  Friends, family, classmates, former co-workers.  Expired listings, for sale by owners, absentee owners, cold call a neighborhood.

Best of luck to you, Johnny!  It is a career that rewards those who work their tail off.  : )