Real Estate Sales as a Supplemental Career

[Michael Strachan]

My main goal is to get started in real estate investing as soon as possible, however I am also looking for a career to begin building on for both primary income and as means of acquiring as much knowledge as possible about the business of real estate. I am 21 years old and currently working as a leasing consultant to gain as much relevant real estate experience as possible. My predicament differs from the standard that I see on the forums, which is investors asking whether or not getting their real estate license will be worth the hassle of it. For me, I have always liked the idea of having a career in sales as a real estate agent even prior to discovering real estate investing. So is it a good idea to become a real estate agent if my long term goals are to rely primarily on my investment income? Will having my license have any negative impact on my ability to build my personal investment portfolio? Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.

[Jacob Price]

Hey @Michael Strachan! It's always great to see people my age, or younger, realizing that real estate is a great way to build wealth. I was in your shoes a few months ago and have been working on the transition. I'm 22 and come from being a web developer. I've been involved in real estate for a while due to parental influence but didn't really pick up to full steam until last year. You are already in a great position working as a leasing consultant as it will give you more knowledge. I, like you, asked myself about the agent path and decided that it would in fact be a good path for me. I take my test next Friday! If you want to get great at real estate and make money from it well there are many paths, none of which are gone from having a license. I'd say that most people will say that having your license should have a positive impact on your ability to build your investment portfolio. Hope that helps! If you have any questions feel free to message me!

TLDR; I'm 22 and left a pretty promising career trajectory to become a full time RE agent / investor. 

Also I like the Garyvee mentality on whether you should do something. You are 21 and if you are interested in a career in sales with real estate then why not just try it. If you fail and are miserable after 4 years you'll be 25. People in these forums would kill to be 25 again and be interested in real estate. Just go for it!