Do Realtors ever hire assistants for their team as W2 employees?

[Kat Hussey]

Hi there! I was going to start investing this year and then got laid off due to COVID, so I don't have the income to qualify for a loan even though I've got a down payment saved up. I need to get a new job, but I'm hoping to get one related to real estate investing to deepen my knowledge, but I'm not sure working as a full realtor is the best plan. If I could ask for some guidance, that would be amazing!

Who do Realtors hire for their team?

How do you look for those positions? Indeed?

Are these positions usually commission based like Realtors, or are there W2 jobs as well?

[Will Fraser]

Hi @Kat Hussey,  agents will usually hire transaction coordinators, general assistants, and marketing specialists for their teams.  You'll find the vast majority of agents are hiring as 1099 contractors but it is possible to hire any of these positions as a W2 employee.  

The best team-members for a savvy real estate agent usually come through networking and referrals -- when someone connects me with a person because they thought "oh, you would be perfect for this role Will was telling me about last week" then there is a much higher chance good things are coming, compared with a craigslist hire.

I'd recommend getting really deep and nerdy here on BP and doing as much networking as possible in the DFW area and seeing if you can add tremendous value to any of the local real estate agents or brokers.  That's a winning strategy.