Tips For Managing RE Agent Hours

[Andrew S.]

Hey guys! I live in Los Angeles and I'm considering getting my real estate license to become an agent (and eventually invest in properties). Family time is important to me. My wife works a 9-5 (though somewhat flexible). If I become an agent, is it possible to manage / control my hours so that I'm not constantly pulled away from time with my wife and 1 year old?  Or is being on call all of the time simply the nature of the job? Would love some opinions and suggestions!

[Jason Franklin]

To be 100% honest with you. You can control it, but if you want to be successful you will need to put in the hours. My first year I worked every day and every weekend (1-4pm or 2-5pm for open houses) for 8 months straight. I was able to get a couple sales and match my income from my previous W2 job. If you want to be an agent you will definitely need to put the work in to make the money. You'll need to do open houses to find potential buyers to represent, so plan on working every weekend. During the week its mostly prospecting, door knocking, doing showings and following up with Open House leads. You can control those activities for the most part. Also most people work 9-5, so if you need to show them properties it will likely be after 5pm or on the weekends. Being an agent is like being an entrepreneur, the more work you put in the more you will make, which you'll need to do if you want to qualify for loans on investment properties.

Just my 2 cents. Let me know if you have any other questions.