One thing I like most about a long holiday weekend at home is that often times it affords me an opportunity to just sit back, kick my feet up and r-e-l-a-x. That's not really something one gets to do very often while working in the field of real estate on a weekend. I have truly come to appreciate holidays for more than a paid day off especially given that real estate agents don't really have the benefit of a "paid" holiday.

What really surprises me is that most folks do not know or understand how a real estate agent receives their compensation. I have had people I know say to me that they thought the real estate broker paid the real estate agent to come out to the properties to open the doors so that they could see properties at will. They even went as far as to say that they thought that the broker paid their agents for their gas the same as a corporation might reimburse an employee for driving their personal cars on business purposes.

Compensation, for most agents, just doesn't work that way at all. Real estate agents work on commissions with the agent paying the broker for providing brokerage services. Agents pay national brands for the right to use their name i.e., Century 21. Agents pay all of their business expenses including associations, dues, insurance, training, advertising, office supplies, etc. This news is no suprise to those individuals that understand what it is to be an independent contractor.

A real estate agent is not an employee but rather an independent contractor. They are self-employed individuals who control where, when and how they will work and get paid. Most agents are hard-working, integrity driven individuals that are working to make an honest living providing others with their services, knowledge and expertise.

Next time you are thinking about asking an agent to meet you at a property remember that they are willing to render their service to you because they anticipate earning a commission from the close of the real estate transaction. Rarely does an agent earn a dime prior to the time the transaction closes. Agents are more than willing to invest their time and money with a person aka client who is earnestly seeking to find a new property or sell an existing one.

This holiday weekend is Labor Day. While many people will be off celebrating a rest from their labors agents all across the nation may be out doing what they do best ~ closing real estate transactions.