Starting as an Agent in Orlando area

[Natalie Wright]

Hey there!

I've been interested in Real Estate for a long time and I decided to start looking into getting involved professionally. I'm looking for advice on getting started and, since central FL is a hot spot, hoping someone might know a place that's looking for trainees or new agents with an interest in investing. It seems like becoming an agent is fairly simple, but I was hoping you pros on BP might have some tips for doing it right!

[Madison Santerre]

I'm a new agent, so here's my opinion as a newbie.

1. Pre-licensing education is easy asf, and so is the test. If you don't pass the test, don't worry. You can take it an infinite # of times until you pass.

2. What interests you about real estate? Do you want to start a new career? Or are you looking to build a side business for passive income? You don't need your real estate license to wholesale or buy investment properties.

3. This is a business, not a job. There's no health insurance, no 401k, no salary or hourly wage. The average split for new agents is 70/30. Outside of $$, an agents success is based on personal drive, creativity, and consistency. You need discipline to wake up and work every single day without someone checking in on you.

4. On the positive side, there's hundreds of ways to make money in the industry. Of course you can sell regular homes and there's luxury properties but, you can work exclusively with investors, you can be an apartment hunter, or a property manager, you can work for home builders. You can go into commercial real estate. You can specialize in condo's, townhouses, large apartment buildings. You can be an assistant or a transaction coordinator or handle marketing. The sky is the limit. Don't let other people discourage you by saying "there's more realtors than homes." Cause 80% of realtors quit after two years. So if you're committed to the industry, you'll figure it out and your business will flourish. Remember that you're not in competition with other agents, you're in competition with yourself.