Any person who’s considering being an agent should seriously count up the cost before they start. Becoming a real estate agent is more than just taking exams and knowing policies; you have to have a heart for this business before you even consider making it your way of “buttering your bread”, so to speak. The reason being you are going to have to spend money before you even make a dime.
I’m new in this business and I became a real estate agent because of my love for houses and seeing them go from a house to a home, as well as my desire to help people make their dreams come true, but I had no idea of what it was going to cost me to start making money in this business. I’ve had to go out and get another job just to be able to do my job as an agent. The cost of joining a board of Realtors, maintenance of the MLS, and other fees depending on the office you are with are not cheap either; they’re quite expensive when you’re not making money. But, I remember what one lady from our office said to me when I first started, she said “you have to love real estate in order to be in this business and not be in it just for the money.” That’s exactly true. What sense does it makes to take a job where you would have to spend money before you make it. But, just like the old adage goes “it takes money to make money.”
Even though I have a heart for this business, I wasn’t quite sure if I could do this because of the cost of starting. My assurance came when I went out on my first showing (I was doing a favor for an agent in our office, showing his buyers some properties because he couldn’t) and the buyers took one of the houses I showed them off the market. Before we left the property the couple said they would talk it over later that night but, while we were driving away they called me and said they were putting in an offer and taking it off the market. I was overjoyed because there were several showings of that property that day and my (his) buyers were the ones to get the property. That was when I knew that this is a love for me. I don’t mind the cost when the payback will be satisfying to my soul.
So, for anyone who’s thinking about becoming a real estate agent, make sure your heart is in the right place before you start. It would be a shame to waste all that money starting up then find out that you’re not cut out for this business. I know that there is so much more to real estate than just showing houses but, that part of it is really a joy for me and makes it all “worth” while.
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