Have you ever considered changing your current profession? Are you social by nature, and do you have a love for houses? Becoming a realtor might be precisely what you should consider!
Why should you become a realtor? As a realtor, you can help other people be happy by finding their dream home. Making it a satisfying job that you get rewarded for. Being a realtor gives freedom, flexibility, and a financial reward.
There is much to learn when you want to become a realtor. But, as mentioned above, if this job matches your interests, it will give back so much to you, with career satisfaction and financial rewards.
There are a few careers that better equip you for a career in real estate. These previous careers will make the transition to becoming a real estate agent easier. Are you interested? We recommend you to keep reading.
Becoming a Realtor
If you want to become a realtor, there are a few steps that you need to take. These are that you have to be over 18 years old. In addition, you need to complete a pre-licensing course, pass the written exam, and be affiliation with a brokerage. Apart from these steps, you also need to pass a background check, apply for a license, join the NAR and start marketing yourself. Would you like to know more about this? You can read more here: https://asktheearl.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-become-a-realtor/
The Benefits of Becoming a Realtor
Becoming a realtor comes with many benefits. The three benefits that attract many people to this profession are freedom, flexibility, and a financial reward. Even though this is a hundred percent true, there are a few things that you need to know and consider to get the most out of these benefits.
Freedom and Flexibility
One of the perks when becoming a realtor is that you can make your own schedule. If you compare it to other nine to five jobs becoming realtors, have much more freedom. There are other things besides being able to make your own schedule that gives freedom you can read more about this below.
You can schedule your own hours
As a realtor, you can schedule your own hours, making it a flexible job. If you are more of a morning person and like the afternoons off, you can fully book yourself in the morning, for example. Be aware, though, that this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to make enough hours. You might also have specific clients that will determine your working hours due to their high-demand life.
Take breaks
A nice thing about flexibility and freedom in your own job is that you can plan and take breaks during your working day. Science has proven that it is best to take a break every two hours. Taking enough breaks will help with your productivity and concentration. In many jobs, it is impossible to take so many breaks during the day. Others can also expect you to continue working. But, again, as a realtor, you have the freedom to plan the breaks yourself.
Social life and family time
There are a lot of people that work nine to five jobs. Adding the time that is spent on getting to and from work doesn’t leave a lot of time for a family and social life. As mentioned before, when working as a realtor for your own company, you can schedule your own working days and hours. This makes it a lot easier to make time for friends and family. This will not only make you happy, but it will also be appreciated by your family and friends.
Work with clients of your choice
As a realtor, you can choose what clients you want to work with. If the one client suits you better, this will help make the job easier and more fun. This is because you are working alongside people who give you energy instead of taking all of your energy. Even though this is most definitely a perk of being a realtor, be aware that sometimes getting a new client is more important than picking the one you want. You may not always be in the luxury position where you can choose your own client. At the same time, you don’t want to be known as the realtor who only takes on specific clients. Being all-rounded will help you get more clients and will help your business grow.
Pick the houses of your choice
Just like being able to pick your own client, you can also have the freedom to decide what houses you want to take on and the houses you are not interested in selling. The nice thing about picking the houses that suit you or choosing a house situated in an area that you know a lot about will help you with your sales. The more homes you have on the market doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have more sales. Sometimes it is better to pick the house that will be easier to sell than going for ten different houses in a location where selling a house is more complicated. When you get trained as a new agent and get taught by people who understand the market and know the field, you will understand what houses you want to invest your time in and the houses you will leave for another realtor. Again the choice is yours!
Behind the desk and in the field
Are you the kind of person that likes to work in the field but also enjoys being behind the desk occasionally? Becoming a realtor will give you just that. You will be working behind the desk, answering emails, making calls, checking the market, writing reports, etc. On the other hand, there will be plenty of times where you will be working outside of the office and in the field. You will meet with (possible) clients, and you will look at different houses. This keeps the job exciting and diverse each day.
Remote work
Another benefit of becoming a realtor is that you can work remotely. If you don’t want to work at the office or if you rather mix it up a bit as a realtor, you have the freedom to work remotely. Most things that need to be done on the computer are possible to do wherever you would like to do them. Working remotely saves the time you usually have to go to and from the office; it can help keep the job interesting and give you some variation in your day.
Things You Need to Take Into Account When Wanting to be a Successful Agent
Even though many agents are successful, the job is also demanding. The benefits I mentioned above are true, but you do have to take a few things into account.
– All successful agents follow a schedule
Yes, there is a lot of freedom and flexibility when becoming a realtor. You can make your own schedule, pick your clients, work remotely, etc. However, if you want to be successful, following a schedule is recommended. A few things that will help when working with a schedule are that you stay organized, prevent you from making double appointments with multiple clients, and come off more professionally in general.
– Get trained by others
I firmly believe that nobody is ever too old or experienced to learn. There are always people you can learn from. Getting trained in this specific field can be very beneficial. It is better to model your business after others that have succeeded and get training from a professional brokerage like Keller Williams.
– Work with a Training and Technology company like Keller Williams
Keller Williams is well known as a brokerage and is well known in the field. She has written many articles and has taught many people about the field. She can teach you how to generate real estate leads online, her well-known profit share system, the way she splits commission, she can help you with beginner mistakes, do’s and don’s, ethic violations, and more. She will set you up for success. Working with her will get you into the job as a professional. You can read more about why Keller William is the #1 training company under the subheading Don’t treat it like a job. Treat it like your own business.
– Don’t work alone
Even though you can work remotely, most realtors work in teams. People are helping them in the office and outside of the office. Having different people working in one business will attract more different kinds of people. It can help organize and structure the work. Also, it can help when there is an overload on work. What is actually a luxurious ‘problem.’ When you work with other people, it can be nice to show your face now and then. To achieve this going to the office is inevitable. Apart from sharing the workload, it can also be motivating to work with others. Getting inspired by colleagues and learning from each other will benefit your business and career as a realtor.
Financial Reward
A realtor makes about 2.5% to 3% of the home’s sale price. The exact earnings are hard to say and depend on the market, the number of clients, and working hours. Based on research, an agent who works approximately fifty hours a week makes an average of $62.500 a year. Based on a recent survey done in 2021 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Build secure future
Everyone will agree that when you are financially stable building, a secure future is much easier. It can help you save money, buy your own house and it is a worry less. Unfortunately, in this life, we can’t live without a financial backup. Being a realtor will give you that. The one mistake that many people don’t realize, though, is that the financial reward will only come if you work for it. If you take too much freedom and too much flexibility, you don’t get rewarded. The only way to make money is to have clients and have houses on the market to buy and sell. So, working for this is inevitable. But, if you do it right and aren’t afraid to learn from your colleagues, then a financial reward is up for grabs.
If you follow the suitable courses and get mentored by the right people becoming a realtor is a fun and excellent learning experience that will give you knowledge that you can take with you forever.
Careers That Make Good Transition Over to Real Estate Agents.
Once you have practiced a few of the following careers, they can help when transitioning into a real estate agent. There are a few characteristics and skills that are included in these jobs that a realtor also needs. Without these characteristics. (You don’t have to be good in them all). But having experience with them or naturally having them will set you up for success in the realtor world. It is a competitive industry where you need to stand out to get the clients and houses you want. These trades can help a lot.
Below there is a list of 5 careers that include similar character trades that a realtor also has.
1. Office Managers
As an office manager, you are a good problem solver and can look ahead. These are two characteristics that are also helpful when you are a realtor. A realtor needs to solve problems quickly for sales to go well and for clients to be happy and satisfied. For example, if a sale doesn’t go through because of a mistake or because the other party changes the initial contract, a realtor needs to handle it quickly. To make sure that the clients will be satisfied in the end and to have the biggest chance for the deal to still go through. This should be the end goal.
2. Nurses
Caring for people is in a nurse’s nature. Helping people makes them feel good. A realtor constantly works with other people. They want to get to know their clients better. To talk to them to understand their wishes. Like a nurse helping someone find their dream, in this case, a home, will be satisfying. If you don’t like to work for others and the work to always revolve around someone else’s wishes and needs, then becoming I realtor might not be your thing. This skill can’t really be taught. You either like working for other people, or you don’t. Once you try it, you will know if this is something you can do by nature.
3. Barrista
A barista is someone that works in cafes where they serve coffee. A barista works behind the coffee machine, making whatever the customer orders. This can be, for example, a cappuccino or a late. A barista is motivated and enthusiastic. They keep the vibe alive in a cafe. They love seeing their customers happy. Like nurses and office managers mentioned above, transitioning from a barista to a realtor already sets you up for success because you are already using skills that will come in handy. They have a good eye for detail and are constantly scanning the room. They have a good intuition on what a customer wants—looking to see if everyone is satisfied, keeping the area clean and comfortable. A realtor does the same thing. For example, they invite customers over to their office to talk about what they can do for each other. They offer their clients something to drink and try to make them feel comfortable to share their stories with them. The more comfortable someone is to tell you about their wishes, the easier it will be to find their dream house.
If you are trying to sell a house, having an eye for detail is critical. You want a house to look good when you put it on the market. Looking from the perspective of the client is a handy skill to have. The realtor is looking ahead. What can someone want in a house? What is essential look-wise? In the end, the big question is why they will come back to your home or office (cafe in the case of a barista).
4. Bar Tenders
Being a bartender is sort of the same story as being a barista. Bartenders are known for being good listeners, are social, open-minded, and often good communicators. A realtor can benefit greatly when they have experience with the character trades. When you are a good listener, make eye contact, and are able to ask the questions that matter, this will make the process of finding or selling a house much more effortless. Communication skills can be taught. Asking questions that will get you the answers you are looking for as well.
5. Recent Graduates Just out of high school
Often people that just come out of high school can be good realtors. They have a natural love for houses and architecture; otherwise, being a realtor is not something that will come to mind. They are often enthusiastic about starting work. This can rub off on clients. Being ready to work and being okay to get taught by others how the job should be done, they are already setting themselves up for success. As mentioned many times above, learning from someone who is already working in the field will help a lot, prevent unnecessary beginners’ mistakes, and save you lots of money.
Some character trades come more naturally. Others are teachable. Therefore I recommend training from someone that knows what there doing. Someone who knows the profession. For example, someone like Keller Williams. I have mentioned the company before under the sub-heading freedom and flexibility.
Don’t Treat it Like a Job. Treat it Like Your Own Business
A realtor makes lots of hours. It is a constant process. Houses get put on the market every day at random hours. Clients can call whenever they have time, and working at night to finish some things off that you didn’t have time for during the day is for sure going to be part of your career working as a realtor. That is why it can help not to treat it like a job but to treat it like your own business. In the end, it will likely be your own business. To help you achieve this, there are a few things that can help. These are having the right mindset, getting coached and trained, building a team, and deciding what company you want to represent. Below this will be explained further.
How to start treating your job as your own business:
1. Mindset
First of all, having the correct mindset is very important. Everyone is different, and everyone works in their own way. Even though this is not a bad thing, some basic mindset tricks will help you become successful. These are: Having a clear goal, Committing to self-mastery, productivity, and prioritization, having a purposeful mindset, not being afraid to keep learning, removing limiting beliefs, and being accountable. You can read more about this here https://asktheearl.com/6-personal-perspective-a-road-map-to-continued-success/
2. Training and coaching
Training is inevitable. Once you start something new, there is no way of knowing the game. Training can really help to know where to start, avoid unnecessary mistakes, and make life a lot easier. When you are deciding on which training course you want to do, you are looking for something worth your money and time. The best training real estate company year after year is Keller Williams (#1 on the Training Top 125). Not just that she is also ranked as best employer for women, best place to work, top work-life balance, happiest company to work for in America and more. Are you interested in working for this company, or do you want to get trained by true professionals? You can read more about this here: https://asktheearl.com/the-best-training-real-estate-company-year-after-year/
3. Building a team
Being a realtor is a demanding job. You have to keep track of the market, keep clients happy, keep up with new rules and regulations, etc. That is why many realtors work in a team. When you build a team around you, you want to work with people you can trust and that are loyal. Sharing the workload and having different brilliant minds together can help take your business to a new level.
Making Dreams Become Reality
The final benefit that I want to mention about becoming a realtor and the one that, in my opinion, is the most important is that. As a realtor, you can make dreams become a reality. This on its own is a satisfying feeling. Making other people happy by finding the house that serves their needs should be the number one goal. Selling a client’s house so that they can live in another dream house is right there next to it on the list. The financial reward should be the bonus, not the goal. If you want to become a realtor only for the financial reward, success will not happen. Clients will feel it and realize that the work your doing is not in their best interest. Once you have a bad name on the market, it is hard to bounce back. Being integer and loyal are two powerful characteristics that any realtor should have. If you have that, then clients will feel it and trust you. Buying and selling a house always takes emotional values along with it. People make and have memories in the home they lived in. If there is someone that takes care of it and wants to help sell it to someone else that will also take care of that house, you are doing your job correctly. The market can be challenging because there is a lot of competition. Being professional and unique can help a lot. Also, when you know people already working in the field, this can be beneficial. Once clients have a positive experience with you and trust you, they will pass this on to family and friends. A successful realtor has a working attitude that wants to help others and wants to find dream homes and sell homes worth the money that they are on the market for.
Conclusion
There is only one conclusion that can be drawn after reading the article above. The conclusion is that many benefits come along with being a realtor. Flexibility and freedom are two of the main ones. Be aware, though, that professionals trained all successful realtors in the field. They follow a schedule, work hard and work in a team. Underestimating this can have adverse effects on your business. However, if you are open-minded, like a challenge, and don’t mind the things mentioned above, becoming a realtor is a very fulfilling job worth working towards or being.
Robert Earl
Robert EarlRobert has 20+ years of experience as a Real Estate Agent, Coach & Digital Marketer. Robert Earl is passionate about teaching and empowering others to pursue their dreams and create sustainable income. Whether through a career in real estate, affiliate marketing, niche blogging, or transforming campgrounds into thriving communities, his proven strategies and techniques have helped numerous individuals and businesses succeed. Based on his years of experience and knowledge in the online marketing industry, along with his hands-on management in the Real Estate & RV Park sector, he has crafted a unique and effective approach to personal and professional growth. In addition to his business pursuits, Robert is also a CrossFit Online Level 1 Trainer (CF-OL1) and enjoys fitness activities, while traveling the country. His multifaceted career showcases his dedication to growth, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence in various domains.