It's a matter of survival of the fittest in the industry, with good agents staying and others seeking alternative employment.

It's a long-term strategy to basically make $1 do the job of $2--you get life insurance (not tied to your employment) AND you can still use those same dollars towards RE investing. 

There's lots of factories/warehouses out there so heavy demand for rentals with the employment going on.

My current employer is sponsoring my green card application, but the whole process will take another 4 years to complete.

Population is growing aggressively and jobs are moving here especially with major employers like Intel, Google, Amazon, Nationwide, etc.

I'd also love to hear about your journey in real estate and how you got started.To be clear, I’m not seeking funding, employment, or any commitments from you.

Are you self employed ?

I had to get a w2 to get out of the mess I got in being self employed in RE.

In all honestly in your situation, I wouldn't put any money into real estate until securing stable employment.

Fast forward to now, a fresh 24-year-old, recently booted from my cushy W-2 job paying $80k/year, left to ponder the meaning of life and the potential of my bank account.Now, I find myself in the trenches of self-employment at my buddy's small business lending firm, with a 1099 in one hand and $75k in student loan debt in the other.