The Happy Life of a Real Estate Agent

I was talking to my kid the other day about different jobs and careers and what kind of thing she should be aiming for by way of a profession. She told me that she loved to buy and sell things and wanted to make lots of money, I can’t say that I blame her. I have a buddy, Clay Hutson,  who is real estate agent so I gave him a call and asked him to come and have a chat to my little girl so that she could get an understanding of what life was like for a real estate agent.

My pal Clay is quite an interesting character, he grew up in Portland which was where he first found out his love for real estate, after heading over to Seattle he started working as an agent and now does business across Seattle and Washington. I always thought the life of a real estate agent was pretty full on but in actual fact my pal has plenty of time for golf, watching football and even attending country music concerts across the US. Aside from his hobbies, Clay told us a little more about the life of a real estate agent and I wanted to share it with you in case you were interested in following this career path.

Starting Out

Starting out in the industry can be tough, you will be dealing with low value and pretty unexciting properties which will make you very low commission. The key during this time is to make as many contacts as you can throughout the industry and keep your nose to the ground for the next big opportunity for you to make some cash.

Spontaneous Earnings

Unless you are on a salary from a real estate company you aren’t going to be able to count on that monthly check coming in. Earnings may be big but they are going to be sporadic and you need to ensure that you are prepared for that.

Dirty Business

It can at times be a dirty business as all the other agents are trying to sniff out the highest earnings, you need to play your cards close to your chest and ensure that you are the first one in there when it comes to doing deals, wasting time gives your competitor the chance to get in first. 

Lots of Paperwork

Whether you are working as part of a company or out there on your own you can expect to be doing plenty of paperwork. To start with there is the legal side of things to cover when it comes to the sale of houses, then there will be reports and quarterly plans, the paper trail never ends and whilst it is boring, this is your evidence that you are doing things by the book.

Ever Ready

My buddy told me that he needs to have at least one of his 3 phones on him at all times should a new deal come in and that it is vital that clients are able to contact you whenever they want, regardless of the hour.