Is your current career unfulfilling? Do you like real estate? If so, you might consider becoming a real estate agent.
But you shouldn’t do this on a hunch. You should know what you’re getting yourself into. That’s where this article comes in.
Below, we’re going to cover the pros and cons of being a real estate agent to help you determine whether it’s the right choice for you. Ready? Let’s get into it.
The Pros of Being a Real Estate Agent
Let’s start with the positive aspects of being a real estate agent. They include the following:
You Can Flex Your Schedule
One of the biggest benefits of being a real estate agent is that you can flex your schedule. In other words, there is no specific block of hours during which you need to be working. You can spread work out to different times throughout each day.
That said, there are still plenty of commitments that you need to tend to. You’ll have to stage houses at specific times and meet up with clients at specific times. So, while there is some flexibility, it’s not entirely flexible.
It’s just that you’ll have control over your schedule to an extent. You won’t be trapped in a factory, warehouse, or office for the same block of time 5 days a week.
You’ll Have Unlimited Earning Potential
Another upside to becoming a real estate agent is that you’ll have unlimited earning potential. This is because you’re not paid a salary or wages. You only make commissions on the houses that you sell or help purchase.
In your early days, you might struggle to make enough money to live on. In fact, you might have to start by doing real estate on the side. However, as time passes, and as you become more popular in your area, you could stand to make hundreds of thousands and maybe even millions of dollars a year.
It’s all about your work ethic and ability to market yourself. This is why it’s vital to engage in proper real estate marketing. So, create a real estate website, buy some search engine ad space, and do everything else necessary to get your name out there.
Do you need help with real estate web design? Click that link!
You’ll Get to Help People
Do you like helping people? If so, being a real estate agent could be extremely rewarding for you. After all, real estate agents help people through one of the most stressful and momentous occasions of their lives: buying or selling a house.
Not only will you get to help your clients with the technical aspects of buying or selling real estate, but you’ll also be there to provide them with moral support.
You’ll Get to Pursue Many Different Types of Real Estate Careers
You may start as a real estate agent. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t move to a bevy of other real estate careers. A real estate license opens you up to a variety of careers in real estate, all of which you might be able to move into as the years pass.
Maybe you’ll want to be a real estate broker? Perhaps you’ll want to become a real estate investor? Maybe being a property manager would appeal to you?
These careers and more are available once you’ve obtained your real estate license.
The Cons of Being a Real Estate Agent
Now, let’s move on to the cons of being a real estate agent. These include the following:
You Might Have to Work Strange Hours
While real estate does allow for flexibility in your schedule, it can also subject you to some strange hours as well. Again, this is not a traditional 9-to-5.
For instance, you might have a client who you can only meet at night. Or you might have to close a deal on a Saturday or Sunday. These circumstances can sometimes stretch a schedule thin, not to mention put yours above the standard 40-hour work week.
You Might Struggle to Make Commissions
Again, real estate agents make money based on commissions. So if they’re not selling or helping to buy, they’re not making money.
If you build up a big enough reputation, this is less of a problem. In the early days, however, it can be difficult for a real estate agent to make money consistently.
You Will Experience High Stress at Times
There’s no doubt about it: being a real estate agent can be stressful. Your income is dependent on commissions; clients are constantly changing their minds about things; you’re sure to run into problems with prospective homes. Stress will present itself in a big way from time to time.
Then again, this is true with essentially every career. There will also be easy times as well. So, while this career can be extremely stressful, it can also be extremely calm.
You Have to Promote Yourself
When you become a real estate agent, you essentially start a business. Like any other business, you need to market it in order to make it successful.
The difference is that, as a real estate agent, you’re marketing yourself. As such, you essentially have to make yourself a local celebrity.
If you’re alright with the fame, then no problem. If you don’t want to be in the public eye, this might not be the career for you. You don’t necessarily need to be an extrovert but you do need to be alright with promoting yourself.
Are you interested in going through with it? Here are some tips on how to become a better realtor.
And Those Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Real Estate Agent
And there they are, the pros and cons of being a real estate agent. As you can see, while a real estate career can be fulfilling, it’s not without its downsides. It’s important to weigh these pros and cons with your personality to determine whether it’s the right career for you.
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