Part time agent or full time agent? Which is the answer.

You can make it work in Real Estate only being there full time, no question about that! Especially at the beginning, you need to work 50-60 hour week, to make it take off.  

Part time you end up doing a poor job at both places. You need full time in order to ficus on your career. Part time you miss clients, miss opportunities. Also once you cut the rope you either sink or swim and you will find out which very soon. I got my license in Feb 2004. My first sale in June (starved in the mean time with lots of cah out go). Finished the year with 17 sales. 2005 I hit 42 sales and 2006 73 sides. So far this year I am around 40 sides. I could not have done that on a part time basis. In our office we have one part timer...she has been part time for two years... doing about 6 sides a year... you just don't get the exposure or opportunity.

Nattalie,

As I have posted to you in the past I worked in a Property Management Office before I became a full time agent. I did this for 6 years, I had climbed what I called the Corporate Ladder in that field, started as the low man on the totem pole, Property Inspector, all the way to the top, Property Manager. I left my job at $11 an hour, for Clarksville that is really good pay. I do have a husband that makes really good money, but between us we have 6 kids, he pays child support, we have a mortgage, car payments, etc. Did I mention that I do not receive child support for my 3 children? The point I am making is that times do get tough, I decided to become a full time agent in September, coming up on the winter months, the worst time of the year, but I convinvced myself that if I could have one sale a month that would compensate for my lost income. The benefits outweighed my working 40 hours a week in an office, I had more free time with my kids now. I have since found that now I still work 40 hours a week sometimes more, just staggered hours. The point is, I couldn't do it as a part-time agent. I had to make a commitment to myself and apply myself as a full-time agent. When you have a income-producing job it becomes a hindrance in a way because you don't put forth all the effort that you can into being an agent. Make sense?

The above comments all refer to being "hungry" or having the time to devote to the profession. I would point out that there are other factors, maybe more important. Here are just 2.

1  Real estate changes daily, can you keep up part-time? In my first 6 months my area had three contract wording changes and 2 substantial court rulings. Any of these could cost an agent thousands of dollars and or their license.

2  Do you suppose your competition will ask this question? Why would you trust the sale/purchase of your largest asset to someone who has no career committment to the profession?

When I first got into this crazy business - I too started as part-time. I had a fulltime career in Law enforcement and worked the Graveyard shift (10-8) which left me time to work the real estate during the day (of course I also had to sleep)

This business in the begining is very difficult unless you have a terrific sphere to work with. When I relocated from another state and started doing real estate in Baltimore I went full-time, because I didn't have the connections it was real slow start. Now things are starting to pick up.

The problem with being a part-timer is that often it is difficult for clients and other agents to reach you while you are working the other job. Just make certain that you respond to voicemail and emails as soon as you have the opportunity. Communication is the key. Good luck and hang in there.

Nattalie,  Looking at this from the mortgage side I usually cringe when I hear that my Realtor is Part-Time.  However,  being part-time is not a bad thing but you must decide on are you a Realtor first and your job is second (so you can eat) or is it the other way around? I wish you the best but always remain focused on what you want.