Becoming an agent in todays market

[Adam Pierce]

Hello bp members, i have been considering going for my real-estate license in Massachusetts. Does anyone have any tips or advice? How difficult was it to switch and get started selling homes? Is it possible to be an agent part time and keep a full time job till you get more advanced in real-estate and know what your doing? Is the market flooded with real-estate agents making it harder to get clients? Any information on the subject would help greatly in my decision thank you.

[Nick Foundas]

I personally think its worth it.  Going full-time right out the gate is not easy as its a competitive business, the pay is unpredictable and it takes time and patience to build a strong book of business and referral network.

Being a part-time agent while balancing a regular full-time job is definitely doable.  Most Buyers look at properties after business hours or during the weekend so you can certainly juggle the schedule around your full-time job.  Examples of when it can get sticky is when you need to do a home inspection or a closing during the work week.

I personally started part-time while working a regular full-time W2 job and it worked out great.  I primarily started out helping family, friends or co-workers, closing a couple sales/year and it provided great side income that I could use to invest in real estate.  Also, having the license is super convenient allowing you to look at properties for yourself whenever you want without having to work around an Agents schedule.  The license also allows you to earn a commission when you buy a property for yourself.

Lots of Agencies arent a fan of part-time agents but there are plenty that will take you on.  I'm still part-time myself and recently decided to get my Brokers license to open my own office.  This allows me to have more flexibility and not have to worry about an office frowning on me for being part-time.