Would a career as a Real Estate Agent be helpful ?

[Robert Boyer]

I graduated college last May, although I am 32 ( I spent some time ion the Army) and I am looking to get into real estate investment with some friends from Business School. I haven't established a career yet, but I am really good at sales.

I was thinking about doing real estate while I worked on my investing.

Would I have an advantage if I worked as a real estate agent while trying to purchase investment properties ? 

I am currently in Houston, Tx, but want to move back to Denver, Co around May of next year. Not sure If I should start real estate now or wait till I get back.

Currently selling theatre tickets.

Anyways, that's my life story.

Any advice ?

[Micki M.]

@Robert Boyer if you have business and sales skills then working in real estate (I assume you mean as an agent) could be a great fit. You could start out by focusing on the niche of being a vet who works with vet clients.  And yes when you work in the industry full time it is easier to find deals since you are always looking at properties and networking with other realtors/investors/etc.

If you are planning a move I would consider studying for your Colorado license rather than a Texas one, there is no reciprocity between the two states so you would essentially have to start over.  It takes a good 6-12 months to get a new real estate agent business up and running to the point where it can sustain you so starting in Texas won't make much sense.

PM or email me if you want more specific direction on getting licensed, choosing a brokerage, etc.

[David Edgerton]

Each state across the country has different licensing requirements, so probably not worth your time/money to get licensed in Texas. You could start to get licenses in Colorado so when you arrive you already have everything and can hit the ground running. There's still plenty of RE investment activities you can do in Texas that do not require a RE license, like wholeselling.

[Cody MacRae]

Hi @Micki M. I'm interested in becoming an agent. What are my first steps? How long does the process take? Can I learn while having a full time job? Thank you for your help in advance. 

[Kevin Grinstead]

Hi Cody, the first step is the easiest. Check your states requirements. Find a training program. There are many online options. Usually you can check in your state what the first tme success rate is for each school.  Next you take the test and in most states you need to sign up with a brokerage firm for some amount of supervision.  

[Jake Thomas]

I decided to become an agent to purchase my own investment properties a few years ago and it has turned into the best decision I have ever made (as I write this from my home office). I have an entire blog post on why to keep a full-time W2 job while being a realtor/investor because financing is difficult to obtain while being a Realtor. I quit my day job 3 months to the day almost and have been even busier that I was when I quit. You likely won't sell very many houses your first year but it picks up as time goes on but it is good to have a back-up plan in place while starting you RE career. 

[Eric Delcol]

Can someone describe what are some of the tangible advantages you have as an agent?

[Robert Boyer]

Thank you all for the solid advice. 

[Jake Thomas]

@Eric Delcol Having access to the MLS is the biggest. Being able to control your own transactions and making commission on them is the second best in my opinion. If I just helped friends and didn't actively look for clients I would still make $15-20K a year to help them buy and sell homes. It's the easiest part time job you can get.