You have to think about it like starting your own business because that is what it is. First, ask yourself why you want to be a realtor? It's not just driving around looking at houses with people. That is the least of it.

• What skills do you have?
• Can you write a good, coherent description?
• Can you prospect for new clients?
• Do you have any marketing skills? Can you understand and learn basic contracts and understand some basics about mortgages?
• Do you have an excellent understanding of math?
• Are you a problem solver?
• Are you a self starter?
• Are your prepared to go months without a check when you start and continue to pay the bills associated with being an agent?
• Do you have a wide circle of people in your life that might become clients or be willing to refer their family and friends to you?

These are just some of the questions you should be asking.

rrah - thanks so much for the list of questions. I love that!

I know these were questions I should be asking myself and answering myself, but I figured I might as well journal my answers here in case others have more advice regarding my answers to these questions.

My husband has owned his own business for 23 years, so I feel like I have a handle on self-employment and what that entails, and one of the things that makes me want to be a realtor is that I would own my own business as well. My husband and I are both workaholics. He works for himself so his addiction pays off more than mine does since I'm on salary at my job. I'd like to put my obsessive personality to work for myself instead of others.

As far as why I think I would be a good realtor...I look at myself as a problem-solving, matchmaker so I'm trying to combine MY love of houses with my gift of matchmaking and problem solving. BTW, I have wanted to be a realtor since I was 20, LONG before HGTV or any of that. I know every house for sale at all times. I have a photographic memory when it comes to houses LOL

I would say the #1 worrisome thing on your list is DO YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT UNDERSTANDING OF MATH? I am just your basic-math type person. I love this advice as far as math needed to make it as a realtor... http://www.presenceofmind.net/REMath/

I worked as a medical transcriptionist for almost 20 years and worked on production. A vast majority of transcriptionists would struggle getting their line count in by day 5 of the week. I ALWAYS had my minimum line count in by day 3 or 4. Put a job in front of me and I HAVE to do it! YES - I'm a self starter!

The contracts - not something I look forward to AT ALL but I want to understand the contracts I use inside and out. The realtors I have used in the past could never answer all my questions when it came to the contracts and that drove me crazy!

As far as writing a good description - The last time we sold a house I gave our realtor the things I wanted her to say and we sold our house to the first people who saw it AND showed it another half dozen times in two-weeks' time. And our house was SUPER unique and not an easy sale. I actually love to look at houses and come up with unique things about the house to put in the description. The descriptions on most listings in my area are so generic and really don't tell you anything special about the house at all. It's like the realtors forget that most people haven't seen hundreds of homes in their lives and could really be moved to at least want to see a house if it had a decent description.

Lots and lots of people in my circle since I work at one church and attend another church. Friends and family tell me all the time, "You should be a realtor."

That's all I have for now. Thanks again for the list.

Just be aware that the number one task that ties up an agents time is prospecting for the next client. That is what we are, first and foremost... lead generators. Clients rarely just fall into one's lap. It takes a budget and a lot of work to find buyers and sellers that trust you enough for them to work with you. The slow down of this lead generation effort when we become busy with contract - to - close business, will find you walking out of that closing with nothing else in your immediate pipeline. This creates the dreaded "feast or famine" effect so common in this type of business.

Also, have about two years worth of present day income in reserve. It takes most agents this long to derive any meaningful income.

It sounds as though you have a personality suited for being a general contractor. Learn those contracts... your clients will be appreciative of your knowledge.

Like any sales job, I think you'd need the ability to not take it personally if someone doesn't sign with you. I like rrah's question: "Do you have a wide circle of people in your life that might become clients or be willing to refer their family and friends to you?" But if a friend, family member, or acquaintance goes with another realtor for whatever reason, you have to be able to let that go and not let it affect your personal relationships. For some people that might be tough.

Having said that, I absolutely agree that it would be a benefit to have a wide circle of connections and be a 'known factor' in your community; e.g. involved in service organizations, etc.

Look at your state real estate website. They should tell you what the requirements are. If you look at the education section, it will give you a list of accredited schools. Our website also gives the pass rate for the national/state licensing exam for each school's real estate course graduate. Your state may also provide that info. From your intro, it sounds like you would do well with an online course, since you are good at memorizing.

You will need to get sponsored/hired by a broker. For someone without prior experience, you would probably be most successful with a big firm to start with. Like century 21, Coldwell Banker, ERA, etc. They will usually offer the most training, support for new agents, and get enough phone ups, that you could get some clients that way, and by doing open houses for some of the other agents. Go talk to some of the brokers and ask about manning phones, meetings, training, benefits of working for them, office fees, commission splits. It'll help you make a decision who to work for.

I love being an agent. I work for a smaller broker, with no mandatory meetings, but was a mortgage loan originator (so understood financing/what it takes to close loans), GM for a jaguar dealership (so I knew how to sell), house flipper (so I knew how to stage/sell homes/market homes).

As mentioned, you will need to be able to financially handle it being not profitable initially, and then "Chicken or feathers" for a while.

Some of the best things you can do to be a successful agent is to learn to listen effectively, be organized, communicate well, follow up, and learn the inventory in your area. Go preview listings daily if you are slow, go on the MLS a few times a day to check new listings, see what has sold, etc. It will help, so that when you have an open house and get a client that is looking for something in particular, you can say, "I know the perfect house! When can I show it to you? (After you determine they are not working with another agent, of course).

Chicago and Linda - I do have a pretty big circle of people due to me being a church secretary and then attending a completely different church, yet I would have no problem with them not using me because it actually happens all the time now when people don't use my husband in his business. If someone is uncomfortable with using a friend or family member in business transactions the last thing you want them to do is compromise their beliefs and use you out of guilt. Talk about a recipe for disaster!

Now as far as being "well known" in my community...I'm actually one of those types of people who can go unnoticed pretty much all day long. I'm outgoing but I don't stand out. Dare I say, I'm kind of forgettable. Probably not a very good quality for a salesperson/realtor. I'll have to read some books on "how to stand out in a crowd" or something, I guess.

As far as your last paragraph, Linda - 100% my strengths!

I just saw a job listing for 4 Corners Homes asking for a Closing Administrator. Maybe that is something to get my feet wet with?

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/rej/5349187884.html

Try not to be scared of the math. It's pretty basic business math. Real Estate is a people business, a lead generation business, and a marketing business. Organizational skills matter more than being a math whizz.

Don't let the math part frighten you. It's just basic math.

Here's an example of what you could face with a potential client. They have a very nice home and need to net no less than 250,000 from the sale after your commission which is 6%. How much is the minimum amount the house can sell for?

100% minus 6% is 94% or .94.

If you just add 6% to 250K (250 x 1.06) you get 265K. Take 6% from 265 (265 x .94) and you get 249.1K

So what you do is DIVIDE that 250K by .94! You get $265,958 which is the minimum acceptable sale price.

That's probably the most complicated math other than figuring square footage of a home.

I don't know if anyone here has addressed the *competitive* nature of the business, or how to deal with other realtors -- sometimes in your own office -- sometimes your own manager -- who are less than honest or fail to pull their fair share of the work. I think that was my late mother's hardest hurdle. She became a realtor, then a broker, back when there were few women in the business.

She started during a down market. No larger firm would train her. A one-woman brokerage was willing to take her on. As the market improved, she was courted by several large firms, but stayed with the woman who'd helped her, training more newbies along the way. Midway in her career she did sign on with one of the major firms in the Chicago area -- one that had snubbed her earlier! She became their top-producing salesperson for homes in our suburb.

I can attest to the enormous *effort* required to keep 'in the game', not only starting out, but even after you are established and have enough clients to recommend you and re-list with you.

Linda Doherty -- I had to smile at your days selling Jaguars. In addition to being sought by other RE brokerages, my DM was also sought by the local Cadillac dealership's manager. I wonder, which did you find harder -- car sales or RE?

chisue- The hours in the car business were horrendous. I was often at work at 7 am, and didn't leave normally until 8 pm, but twice a month (14th, and last day of month), were there until after midnight, closing out the deals/books so salesmen could get paid the next day. I'd say that the sales are easier in real estate, since each house is one of a kind, vs cars where they can "shop" the same model at other stores. But the actual process of getting the sale done is much easier in the car business (on luxury cars at least), since most buyers are qualified, and it's only a matter of getting it submitted to the lender, and getting approval in a few minutes.

I like selling homes much better though. I love looking at houses.

My husband's main concern with me becoming a realtor is the "competitive" nature of the business. I'm a nice guy, not a shark by ANY means so that concerns him. Funny enough, my husband is a car salesman LOL He owns his own business buying and selling wrecked cars. He said while I'm going through school/training he'll have me selling his cars. I've done it before, in a pinch. I actually love negotiating, but I'm an idiot when it comes to cars, especially wrecked and rebuilt cars. Might be good practice though.

I love looking at houses, too!!

The one thing people don't think about is the fact you'll be self employed. Yes, you may work for a broker, but if you don't close, you don't get paid.

How do the successful realtors do it? One word. Passion.

What is passion? "I would do this job even if I didn't get paid."

I think real estate probably has one of the highest turnover rates as far as realtor associates go. That's because everybody thinks it's easy money, and they like looking at houses. Then they have to do their first negotiation with a seller. Or they have to do the boring parts like cold calling prospective clients, setting up inspections, title searches, difficult sellers or buyers etc. The successful people like doing it all! They love all the aspects of their job, and it shows.

You won't succeed in this business if you think it's going to be fun. You succeed in this business or any business because you have the passion for it.

I speak from experience. I'm not a realtor, but I've been self employed for over 30 years. And I still love what I do for a living.

I couldn't agree more, Christopher! I WOULD DO THIS JOB EVEN IF I DIDN'T GET PAID!! That's why I mentioned earlier about all my friends and family telling me I should be a realtor all the time, because I've literally done closet realty my entire adult life (meaning I try and find everyone I know houses all the time - which I have done successfully, I might add, I just don't get paid anything for it LOL). I sort of feel like it's my calling, but I was always successful at my real job, and with my husband owning his own business, it was a bit risky for both of us to be self-employed. At this point, my real job has been outsourced, and I need to start over doing something career-wise and thought now was the perfect time to take the chance. I am not only passionate about houses and matching people with houses, but I'm just a good worker in general. Please don't take this as haughty because I don't mean it to come off this way, but I am always - at the very least - working as hard as any coworker wherever I am, usually the very hardest worker, and I never hardly call in (only 1/2 a day so far in 2.5 years at my current job), don't ever skip the hard aspects of any job or leave them for the person behind me, etc., and I really would like to be the employer who benefits from the type of employee I am, for once. Does that make sense? I'm not looking to get rich off the thing, I'd just like to make a living. I have no mortgage, no car payment, no kids left to support or send to college, etc., so I feel like it's kind of now or never and that scares me more than anything. All that being said, of course I've never done ALL the different aspects of the job so I can't know whether or not I'll like them all, but I'm pretty sure I won't like a difficult client. I might get some satisfaction from successfully completing a sell with a difficult seller or buyer, but NO I won't enjoy them being difficult.

I sure have enjoyed the advice you all have given. I have been thinking about all the negatives, and I appreciate the positives that have been thrown in as well. Thank you!!

Good luck to you, OP! It doesn't sound as though you have children, and your DH already probably works long hours, so...you will have youth, energy and TIME to devote to learning the business. Your *commitment* can make you a success in a commissioned career. It's often unrewarded in a salaried job.

Linda -- Thanks for the scoop on auto sales vs. RE. I bet a psych degree wouldn't hurt. People can be so irrational. My DM would roll her eyes over the buyer coming in with a two-page list of 'specs' that any house would have to meet. (This was often an accountant or someone in engineering.) She'd play along with this, then show him a house he could fall in love with!

OP, it sounds like you're ready to do this. Back in 2007/8 one of my closest friends started in RE in the NY region. She had been a list manager for many years until that business ended and she was let go. She had enough savings and that first year I think she made one sale (remember this was the start of the recession) and one rental. She's now a very successful RE agent making six figures a year and she was able to buy a very nice condo last year after renting for years. It can be done. Oh and btw, she's not a shark either but like you, self motivated and willing to work hard.

Aw thanks chisue and cpartist - those are helpful and encouraging words. I do wish I had more of a background in the business instead of years in the medical field, but because of years of interest in the business and buying and selling several homes myself, I guess I'm not as green as some people LOL. Just trying to look on the bright side :)

My husband decided the weekend before Christmas was the best time to work on a laundry room remodel, and I'm his hired help so I've been juggling that with real estate research and planning my third Christmas party of the season (not attending but HOSTING!) to be held the day after Christmas for my very immediate family so it's been a busy weekend!! I'm sure it has been busy for you all as well and I appreciate the time you all have taken to read and answer/give advice on this thread. You guys are awesome!!

The most important aspect of being a REALTOR is paying the NAR the dues and signing up your allegiance to that organization.

The first thing to realized is that REALTOR and real estate agent are not synonyms.

Ooh - that is important!

"I WOULD DO THIS JOB EVEN IF I DIDN'T GET PAID!!"

That will change soon enough!

But your enthusiasm will go a long way to get you through the lean years.

Oh, I know it will. I honestly would only did it for an hour or two a week and not get paid, truth be told. LOL

The moment that passion fades, all you have is a job. It's up to you to keep that passion alive. You have to let the passion evolve into a job you love. And a job you love doing. Because there will be times you will be doing it for no money. I speak from experience.

I know people who have left good careers to find their passion. I'm a craftsman, and I personally know 2 Attorneys, a Dentist, and a Chef who chucked it to do what I do. All of them say they've never been happier.

So well written, Christoper_H!

Congratulations! It's a lot of fun. You get to see beautiful houses and help people! What could be better.

If I could offer something that really helped me be successful...spend part of each day reviewing the mls listings including sold, and go look at as many houses as possible to get an idea of what your houses on the market look like. Print the mls listings and make notes. Try to figure out how you would stage it or market it to sell it. Then, when the listing expires, prepare a marketing plan and make appt with seller to tell them what you would do differently to sell their home. The homes that show well, keep in mind for when you get clients. When you preview homes, if seller is there, ask seller to tell you about selling points of house that aren't visible...ie new roof, new water heater, etc. Offer to do open houses for agents in your office, to get some buyer prospects of your own if you don't get a buyer for that house. Under promise and overdeliver. THE BIGGEST...DISCLOSE, DISCLOSE, DISCLOSE. But don't violate your client confidentiality. If a seller tells you something bad about the house, and you aren't sure if you should disclose, or you have any questions, ask your broker. If a seller is wanting to be dishonest on a listing you are trying to get, don't be afraid to turn it down. It will come back to bite you later if you dont. Always treat other agents and clients ethically. It will pay off in the long run.

Congratulations.

Learn quickly that RE agents do not sell homes... we market them. We sell ourselves to potential clients. Also, remember that most of your work is going to be focused on lead generation.

Also learn that people will have no problems wasting your time knowing that they have no intention or no capability of ever purchasing a home. Figure out how to minimize unproductive tasks.

Love it, Elpaso! Thank you for the detailed advice! I LOVE that! I'm going to do exactly what you suggested on several things. Thank you so much!

ncREguy - You hit on an area that I'm very worried about - the time wasters. I tend to attract leaches. As far as lead production, that's what I've probably spent the majority of my time researching but it seems to be so individualized that it sounds like I'll just have to start trying things and see what works for me and in my area. I'm a little overwhelmed, I'm not going to lie!

It took me almost two years to realize that some people are just plain time wasters! There are so many people that have a difficult time making the easiest of decisions.

When you are not showing property or writing up listing agreements or offers, you need to be looking for buyers and sellers. Going through the MLS and going to open houses and previewing homes is not making you any money at all! In fact, you are spending money with no return. Find out which lead generation propositions work for you and lead generate. When you get a buyer or a seller, you can deal with the details then.

If you live in a big city, you can befriend a successful agent on the other side of town and ask her / him to refer you any buyers or sellers that they can not handle that are in your area. This helped me in the beginning.

LOVE the idea of asking agents across town for referrals. I can offer to return the favor as well ;) As far as lead generation goes...starting out I feel like I'll be most comfortable with trying to sit at other agent's open houses and visiting the surrounding homes the day before the open to tell them about the event and give them a personal invite and see if they are thinking of selling. Any feedback as far as that technique? Of course I'm hitting up EVERYONE on my social media accounts and personally calling those who seem to warrant that type of contact. Once I actually get business cards made I think I will mail them out to everyone I can and go by all the local businesses, especially those where I used to work or did business before going into real estate to make sure they all know what I'm doing now and make it a point to go by periodically. I know going by once will not be enough to stick in the minds of anyone. I learned that being on the other end of the equation. By about the third time I would keep them in my mind when I needed their type of service. Being a church secretary previously, and being the main contact for all the vendors there, is coming in handy now because I dealt with a LOT of local businesses from flower shops to funeral homes, plumbers, electricians, banks, schools, city officials, etc. I made a lot of contacts while there. I've always been outgoing, but knowing that I wanted to be a real estate agent once I left there helped me to always remember to make a connection and not just a phone call with the companies/people that I dealt with while there. I actually had job offers while there (in sales) where people said if I ever left there to come work for them. I'll definitely go by those places! The other actual "lead generator technique" that I feel I want to try is calling FSBOs and expireds, but I haven't really researched that enough yet so I'm not sure exactly what all that entails. I know when I had my house FSBO I never received any calls trying to get me to list with them or to listen to a listing presentation or anything so I'm not sure how all that works. I will find out!

Well, enough for now from me. I'm beginning to be one of those "time wasters" we talked about. Have a great evening and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave any feedback you can regarding what I've said so far. Thanks in advance!!

That kind of sounds bad . . . I also tried to establish connections with contacts since I was a church secretary, too. I'm not THAT calculating :)

ncrealestateguy - you gave me great advice and confidence through my own home sell a few years ago and I just now realized it was you. LOL
http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2582022/buyer-wants-to-meet-seller

That's nice of you to say. I hope I can be of help with your new career. You made my Wednesday!

Thanks, ncrealestateguy! I appreciate that!

UPDATE - It's been over a year since I became a Realtor and I have to say I've been blessed beyond belief! I truly took ALLLLL the advice I received and tried nearly everything and honestly all of it was helpful in at least some form or fashion. Immediately after getting my MLS key I went to preview a unique house that came on the market in my area, because I wanted to say I'd seen it and to try out my new device, and while I was there looking at the house a young couple walked up to the door and asked if they could take a look. They ended up putting in an offer!! That was sale #1 which closed August 26, 2016. From August 2016 to August 2017 I closed on 23 properties! So far everything has been all about timing - HIS timing! I just keep being in the right place at the right time and things work out. I'm a true miracle! I've already gone through two roommates at work - one went back to her previous career because she absolutely hated being a Realtor and the other just couldn't get anything going in real estate and eventually ran out of money so she was forced to go back to her old job. It makes me appreciate everything all the more. Again, all the advice above is so spot-on! Thanks again!!

Great to hear that you actually tried it and have succeeded!

My real estate agent gf at the time convinced me to try selling 37 years ago. Worked at it for a couple of years till my allergies to fur and feathers kicked into high gear and that was the end of that. But she's still at it. Every great-grandmother needs to keep busy!

Congratulations! Very exciting

and just wanted to add.." Under promise and overdeliver"..so true, for whatever your field is.

Thanks!!

Wow! You took right off. Glad to hear. Besides hard work, a bit of good luck and good timing sure does help.

Now, make sure that over the next few years you don't neglect your personal and family life. It happens quite a bit in this business for some reason.

Again, congratulations.

Your story is inspiring to me. I've been wanting to get into selling real estate for over 10 years now but I've instead just continued to practice law. I've always been afraid to take the leap from being a salaried employee with benefits to being self-employed with no guaranteed income, but I've regretted not trying earlier.

Thanks NCREG! Yes, I'm already neglecting family and friends ;)

TNFHF - I actually signed up for real estate classes when I was in my 30s and dropped out because I just didn't seem to be getting it fast enough and I lost my nerve, so when I first started this time that was my biggest regret, starting so late in life. I do like the freedom that I have now with no kids at home, no debts, etc., so making the money isn't SO stressful as it would have been in my 30s, but still, I do regret not trying.