Starting a Career as a Real Estate Agent Starting a career in real estate can be both a challenging journey and a rewarding experience. It is a type of career wherein you may earn thousands every year depending on your patience, hard work, expertise and time invested. A real estate agent essentially works alone and earn by commission basis from the rental or sale of a commercial or residential property. It is important to have a self-assessment before starting a real estate agent career, knowing if you possess the most important characteristics of becoming a good real estate agent such as being ambitious, dedicated, organized, persevere, goal-oriented and friendly. As a real estate agent, you will need to set and organize your own schedule and you need to deal with a lot of deadlines, appointments, and follow-ups with your clients and other key professionals in the real estate world. It is more affordable to start a career in the real estate industry when compared to other types of businesses, and you only need a real estate license, MLS access, payment of Board of Realtor dues, car, signage, computer, smartphone, and business cards. Since all states require licensing for all real estate agents, it is best to contact or go to the Department of Real Estate in your area or to your local Board of Realtors. It is necessary to attend training classes before taking the licensure exam for real estate agents. After passing the real estate agent licensure exam, a fee is paid for the license and depending on your state’s licensing regulations, license renewal and continuing education is also required. Multiple Listing Service or MLS is an online comprehensive tool allowing agents to find real estate properties for buyers, and list properties for sellers. Most real estate agent professionals join the Board of Realtors, although it is not mandatory, and there are applicable annual dues. A computer and smartphone is required for proper communication via phone calls, emails, text messaging and other medium of communication from your clients, loan officers, appraisers and home inspectors. It will be easier finding your clients’ addresses if you use a gadget like a smartphone with GPS service. It is important to have a car so you can drive your clients occasionally, but you don’t need to invest in a fancy car, just keep it clutter-free, clean and in good working condition. Keep your business cards with you and hand to potential clients when needed, and also invest in signage for advertising homes for sale with your broker’s logo on it. As a real estate agent, you are expected to be presentable, so so invest in quality shoes, slacks and suits and accessories to look good and feel confident.The Ultimate Guide to Properties
