Real estate agents have very rewarding careers. They come into the field from varied educational backgrounds and skill sets. For example, you might find agents who might have recently graduated from high school, or others who were former business executives working in their retirement or starting a new career. Successful real estate agents recognize that the career is all about service. They help others make the biggest investment decisions of their lives.
Your success in real estate depends on your motive. Before you start this career path, question your motives. Why do you want to start a career in real estate? Are your expectations of the career realistic or based on false perceptions that you gathered from casual observations? Your motives will influence your success but you must also determine if you like helping others. We are not all service oriented, and if you’re not you’ll have major setbacks in your business. Most real estate agents freely admit that helping others is the most rewarding aspect of the selling real estate.
Other real estate agents identified the independent nature of the business as being the most rewarding aspect for them. They like being their own boss, and working on their own terms. This is another aspect of the business that you’ll need to consider. Real estate agents are self-motivated. They recognize that they’re in a business that if they don’t work, they don’t get paid. You must be able to work on your own without someone reminding you of what needs to be done. Setting your own work schedules is all well and good, but if you focus on play and not work, you’ll be soon out of business. To be a successful real estate agent you’ll need to be committed even during those first few months when you’ll barely receive a commission. You’ll have to invest a lot of time, effort and money before you start making the big bucks.
If you’re considering a career as a real estate agent, review the pros and cons below to help make your decision.
Pros of becoming a real estate agent:
- As an Independent Contractor you’re in control of how you run your own business.
- The income potential is unlimited, and determined by your skills and the time that you put in.
- Your work schedule and downtime is all up to you.
- Your work location can be anywhere you want it to be.
- You can encourage referrals to build up your business.
- Finally, there’s the joy of helping others make the biggest investment decision of their lives.
Cons of becoming a real estate agent:
- Being an Independent Contractor can also be a setback since you’ll learn a lot of hard lessons along the way.
- It takes some time for new real estate agents to start earning an income. You’ll need to have substantial savings to get through the first 6-8 months.
- You’ll need to match your schedule to your clients’ availability.
- A huge percentage of new businesses fail within the first five years.
- There’s some liability and risk in representing clients.
If you are thinking of Utah real estate classes then McKissock Professional Education is the place to learn.