New agent needs direction

This Is Really Great Work. Thank You For Sharing Such A Useful Information Here In The Blog.

I would recommend words-of-mouths since people would have more confidence through recommendations. Get your friends and relatives to help out during this initial tough phase. As your portfolio widens, then only would it be a suitable time to hold open houses to further expand your client circle.

keller williams is the place to lear and get started the right way.

All the other agents that replied to your inquiry were very nice, polite and "politically correct". Kudos to my colleagues for not saying what was actually on their mind. You all rock. I respect you.
So I'll go out there on a limb and tell you what everyone else is thinking but not saying out loud- if you can't commit to Real Estate full time, why do you even bother? Ask yourself- WHY did you become an agent in the first place?
Is it to make few extra bucks on the side? If so, stick to your day job now. Do not pass Start, do not collet 200 hundred, just GO!

Real Estate is more than just about making a commission. It's about truly HELPING people and being there for them no matter what. To fully succeed as a Realtor®, you need TIME and commitment, not only to your clients (who's life savings depend on your COMPETENCE), but also to gain experience and additional education. You need COMMITTMENT and you need to put your client's interests' FIRST.

Ask yourself this- WHY did you enter Real Estate profession? HOW are you going to gain the knowledge required to serve your clients by part-time commitment to this profession? WHEN are you going to find the time to serve your buyers and sellers if you work full time somewhere else? Doing open houses on weekends is not going to cut it. Responding to voice mails while you're sitting in traffic on your way home from work is not going to cut it either.
ARE you going to become of the statistics that bring our profession a bad rep just as many others do?
ARE you going to be one of those agents who is only in it for few extra bucks because they think the market is oh-so-hot?
If so, stick to your full time job now.

Did you know that a fail rate in Real Estate business is 85%? Real Estate school won't tell you that. Brokers won't tell you that either- as both want your money. They make money off of you. They NEED you!

Next time, do your research BEFORE your go to Real Estate school and spend money on education you will never need.

Call Don 832-831-6137

Jason, I have a 9-5 job and I have been a part time agent for 3 years now. Oh, and I have also been a Top producer for my office at least three times. I also work long, long hours during the evenings and weekends to make it happen. Many full time agents will tell you it is not possible to do a full time job and be a part-time agent. I will tell you that it is possible but it will require your effort and investing in you. After interviewing with many brokers I chose Keller Williams Professionals because they offered the necessary training, mentorship program, and training specifically targeted for the part-time agent. Almost no Brokerage will give you leads, you have to search those yourself. They provide Training and meetings on Saturdays, you can use the office off hours (with your badge) and their on-line tools are super good and easy to use; which makes it possible to be in two places at the same time, if you know what I mean. Best of Luck to you and trust it can be done. It is hard but very rewarding!

Hi Jason,
Congratulations on joining this fun and rewarding career! The Keller Williams office I’m with provides great trainings I wish I joined KELLER Williams right away I wasted one year. You will learn many strategies with us including time blocking and management so you can switch from you current job to Real Estate smoothly we also have mentor at our office. Good luck and congratulations again!!!

Every Broker will want you. I am a Broker and I am going to speak truth. You can be a part time agent but can you be the kind of agent you would want for your agent. Property time and open houses can be done but there is little to no return. You need to have specialized training to learn the market. Despite the training that major brands give it doesn’t equate to you knowing how to sell. The proof is if all that training worked why would we not have huge numbers of successful agents completing a large number of transactions. In reality 20% of the agents do the business. I know the systems be cause I once owned a real estate franchise. Another problem is you are part time. Not as many opportunities are available to you. Many agents are put out there to buyers and sellers and really do not have the experience or knowledge to ensure proper pricing for the sellers or the best place for a family. This isn’t addressed in any training class. Just as each family is individual and need a home for their lifestyle. So is each home different and a CMA isn’t the complete answer. Knowing this when I opened my first franchise I developed a program where you would have the knowledge the clients deserve. I took on several part time agents and others with a passion to be the best agent possible. Every agent was successful. They now own their own companies. I decided a few months ago to start another company for those who are successful but want to keep more of their money and for those who have a passion to be the best, but do not know where to begin, If this interest you call me and let’s talk. We will be small and supportive of each other. Savvy Property Group. I’m Doris Snipp Broker my number is 832-877-1040.

You are getting some great advise from this site and else where. The Bible does say stop praying and get to work. Be very careful of the high fees & commission splits. Many larger brokerage at 30% split without other fees they charge could force you out of the business with these very expensive unnecessary cost.

I am a newer agent with KWM, and I struggled for a while like you are doing, but I am finally coming into my own.

As others have suggested, a mentorship program is invaluable. Look for true mentorship and active coaching if you need that type of learning environment. Interview multiple brokerages from different umbrella companies, and independent firms not just multiple within XYZname.

Good luck and congratulations on getting your license!

I am the broker for Clissold Properties. We have no desk fees, we actually have no fees. I pay for “ realtor® start up” which includes your signs, supras, business cards, car decals and riders. You can do open houses weekly on my listings to get buyers. I average 20-30 listings a months so I get a lot of buyer calls. I spread these out among my realtors®. I only charge 5% for the leads I give you. Normally at least 5 per week. We do intense training and I am available 24-7 for questions or advice. I also double check your contracts before sending to your co op. We are small but rated one of the top 10 brokerages in Northwest HOUSTON. We do not charge a franchise fee and we do not charge a transaction fee and we do not charge for insurance. There are no fees. This is a great company for part timers or newbys because you don’t have all the monthly fees that most companies charge. Plus our commission splits are much higher than what most brokerages pay.

My Goodness, YES Most Definitely! I remember when I was new so many years ago. There are so many details in this business that it is hard to learn and remember in one day or one sitting. I would suggest new agents have a mentor and shadow that mentor around to showings, listing, anywhere the mentor goes that is business related. Learn from one who knows, I am sure an experienced agent would be glad to share what they have learned and NEVER STOP LEARNING.

Hi Jason,

Where did you go for your real estate classes? Sometimes, the school might be able to point you in the right direction as far as a brokerage that would provide some training and allow you to work part-time with the real estate. I worked full-time in real estate but kept a part-time job that first year. Then after a year, I felt more confident to go all in. Many of the larger "mass" offices will want to recruit you but offer little training and little in terms of incentives charging you a desk fee just to be there. Try to avoid those offices. The office that charge a high split will likely offer decent training and will keep up with you.

You will be required to get more classes under your belt by the time your 1yr license anniversary comes up from TREC, so go ahead and get those as soon as possible. Having information from those classes will help you. Try to join a small to mid-size office. You can search on the HAR.com site by zip code and see the number of agents/staff working in each office. Hope this information helps!

Mark McNitt
MarkKnowsHouston.com
832-567-4357
Bernstein Realty

Congratulations on earning your real estate license! I highly recommend that you take HAR’s course Realtor® Launch. This course will provide you with all the nuts and bolts about embarking on a career in real estate, and you’ll learn the details of how to create your business plan, and how to establish yourself as a real estate professional and launch your business. I know there are many Realtors® in this community forum that have taken Realtor® Launch, and I hope they will post about their experience and the benefits of this wonderful course. I wish you much success!

Josh it is very difficult to do real estate part time but it can be done. I would never recommend getting into real estate without having 4-6 months funds in reserve to cover expenses as you transaction to full time. You should have a mentor to come along side you to make sure you are providing the proper disclosures, etc. when marketing yourself. Many brokerages provide many classes that can assist you in educating yourself to handle your business properly. I would suggest asking to do open houses that are fresh on the market or less than six weeks old. Best of luck in this incredible business where you can establish your own income.

Hi Jason!

Congrats on beginning your journey into real estate! I had a similar situation over two years ago when I switched from full time in insurance sales, then started part time as a Realtor®. I quickly found that part time was not going to work for me, as I wasn't able to fully serve my clients with their real estate needs. I would highly encourage you to try some open houses though before making that full time switch, and find a great mentor! I know at certain firms, they may require you to have someone train you, and I would make sure you feel that you are getting the training you need! If you'd like to talk directly please feel free to contact me!