Home > Blogs > Gary Bland > Hawaii Real Estate Blog: Maui Realtor, Gary Bland Century 21

Are you Part or Full Time Real Estate Agent?

By Gary Bland

Real Estate Agent with Century 21 All Islands

October 22, 2007 04:59 AM

In our industry many of us take on part time position in our services. I am for one a Full Time Agent. I make my living putting in the long hours to get the income I need to live here in Hawaii. It is also a known fact the change we have seen in the market place. I am having to put in more hours and find new ways to survive. I am wondering how many part time agents we will loose with the change in market. The Part Time Agents must be thinking of getting out of this field. I do know that my costs to have my License has not gone down and costs are going up for marketing.

The easy days are over for many of us and looking to make it or break it. The market has slowed down in many areas in the United States from reading many blogs and listening to news media hipe.

This blog was posted due to reading another blog just yesterday when I had read about an Agent having to cut coupons from the Sunday paper. This will open up many eyes over the next few months.

I am wondering how many Part Time Agents will hang in there. Myself, I am learning to paddle faster.

Comments(14)

Comment

Show All Comments

Sort:

Fran Gaspari

Patriot Land Transfer, Inc. - Limerick, PA

"The Title Man" - Title Insurance - PA & NJ

Gary,

I applaud both your post and your outlook! Thanks, Fran

Oct 22, 2007 05:12 AM

Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty

Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL

Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

It is tough. I am busting my rear, determined to survive!

Oct 22, 2007 05:25 AM

Randy L. Prothero

eXp Realty - Hollister, MO

Missouri REALTOR, (808) 384-5645

I do not believe part time agents can not give proper service to their clients on their own. A slowing market squeezes them out because they just can not compete with a full time professional.

Oct 22, 2007 05:34 AM

Renée Donohue~Home Photography

Savvy Home Pix - Allegan, MI

Western Michigan Real Estate Photographer

Even full time agents cannot seem to figure it out. Full time right now means more than 8 hours a day and more than 5 days a week. Prospect/Marketing, BPOs, Appointment (min one a day) is what my day is all about. No BPOs or Appointments - go back to prospecting and marketing!

Oct 22, 2007 06:25 AM

Christopher Ohlsen

Credit Werx, LLC. - Malone, NY

The same is true for "Loan officers". I am a Mortgage Advisor. If the best thing to do is hold off from making a purchase that is what I will advise my clients to do. Many "Loan officers" got into the business during the refi boom. Now that the easy money is gone we will see many people leaving the Real Estate and related businesses. I wrote a blog called "a whole lotta pie" it references something similiar. Yes the industry is suffering but as more people leave the level of business for each individual will level out.

Oct 24, 2007 12:33 AM

Ruthmarie Hicks

Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605 - White Plains, NY

It depends on what you mean by part-time. i do have another job, but the hours are nearly 100% flexible apart from 6 hours a week that i actually teach a class - I'm an adjunct professor of biology. In some ways it is helping to stabilize me financially. This semester, I put it aside because my father became seriously ill over the summer and I couldn't take care of him, teach, and attend to my clients. The change DOES allow me to spend more time on prospecting. So we'll see what happens. If the prospecting starts to pay off, then I'll be very picky about what slots I accept or stop doing it all together. People have to survive.

Oct 24, 2007 07:13 AM

I should add that I was putting in about 80 hours a week for both activities. More than 50 of them in real estate.....

Oct 24, 2007 07:15 AM

Diane Aurit

LKN Realty, LLC - Mooresville, NC

Lake Norman Real Estate

I honestly don't see many part-time agents in the business anymore unless they are semi-retired and working their referrals only or are part of a team. I agree, the part-timers will probably find it most difficult to be successful in this market1

Oct 25, 2007 02:38 AM

Mike Norvell Sr

Morris Williams Realty - Leesburg, FL

Norvell Consulting Group

Hey Gary, I have never stopped clipping coupons, between my wife and my mom, its been that way thru all the phases of my life..I am also full time, and have turned my attention to cash buyers/investors..best of Luck over there.........Thanks for the comment on my posts too!!

Nov 03, 2007 04:51 PM

Gary..saw a t shirt in Tenn last week in a white water rafting store..It said////////Paddle Faster, I hear Banjo Music!

Nov 03, 2007 04:52 PM

Julie Neerings~Lifting Hearts ♥ Building Dreams~

Agent Referral - Salt Lake City, UT

Gary-I'm paddling right by your side. There is no way I'm slowing down. You have a great outlook and your positive energy will keep you going. Thank you for inspiring us all to paddle even faster.

Nov 03, 2007 06:05 PM

Gail Robinson

William Raveis Real Estate - Southport, CT

CRS, GRI, e-PRO Fairfield County, CT

Gary - It would be nice if there were fewer part-timers. I get so tired of working both ends of a transaction when a part-timer is on the other side of the deal. The exception being semi-retired full time agents, who are usually very good to deal with.

Nov 04, 2007 01:13 AM

Vanessa Plante-McDonald, MBA, REALTOR® - Cash Rebate to ALL My Buyers!

Bethel Equities, LLC - Laurel, MD

Being a Realtor is NOT rocket science.

I requires no intensive upfront training thus the low bar.

If it was a harder "job" they demographics of the industry will change so unless the bar is raised, may a college degree or a masters to be a Realtor, things will remain status quo.

Then, there'll be a different set of complaints!

Feb 16, 2008 08:01 AM

Todd Clark - Retired

eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR

Principle Broker Oregon

I am a full time agent, but I've seen some amazing part time agents work harder and better for their clients than some full time agents! I think it just a matter of attitude and what their motivation is, when I started I was part time and not a single person knew it!

I was invited to the company that I presently worked for because of my hard work for my buyers and being on top of the transaction at all times. I was working full time while doing this, it was hard, but I made it work, I had to in order to survive and build the dream of doing something better for my family.

Mar 02, 2008 04:36 PM

Are you Part or Full Time Real Estate Agent?

Comments(14)

Gary Bland

Real Estate Resources

Additional Information