Looking for a brokerage- Just finished the state exam

[James Lane]

Hello BiggerPockets,

This is my first post on the site. I just finished the NYS real estate salesperson exam. I would appreciate any advice/tips on finding the best brokerages in my area(I live in Astoria Queens but am also interested in working in Manhattan). I currently work in union construction in the city but want to make the switch to real estate.

My thought process is this: google brokerages in my area. Email 15 of them and see what they all offer. Pick my favorite and start working my @ss off. Is this the right way to be thinking?

Long term plan is to be a real estate investor. I think working in the field for a couple of years should give me a big head start to be fully prepared when ready to invest my capital (especially through the all the networking).

[Nate Monson]

Hey James, I would definitely make sure you interview a bunch. I would start thinking about the ways you might want to run your business (cold calling, open houses, etc) and make sure you pick a brokerage who has support for which ever activity you think best fits you. In my experience smaller brokerages can give the same type of training and provide a better team atmosphere than some of the bigger ones. But you may also choose to start on a team for the support early on at a bigger brokerage. Good luck!