Can part time real estate work

[Melissa Taylor]

I’m interested in doing real estate part time at least to start out so I have a solid income on current job. My question is, is it possible to have a part time steady income as a real estate agent? I’m being told no and being told keep solid normal job for a while.

[Charlie MacPherson]

@Melissa Taylor  Yes, it's possible - but it's not likely.

I have had quite a few part time agents - 10 so far.  Each has promised me that they were on fire to get out of their current jobs and work to get into real estate full time.

Not one of them has.  Lack of time, lack of energy, lack of whatever.  Personal issues, reasons, excuses.

When it's not providing your income, it's been my experience that agents just aren't hungry enough to make it happen.

If you're serious about making it in real estate as an agent, build up a war chest of 6 months living expenses plus several thousand to get licensed, print business cards, pay for marketing yourself, etc.  Then and only then should you pull the trigger.

By the way, part time agents are the bane of the business.  

When I need a showing scheduled, a contract signed, an extension executed, an inspection or an appraiser scheduled, personal property negotiated - any of the dozens of times I need to reach a part time agent on the other side of my transaction, it's just miserable.

Not only is the part timer busy with whatever else it is that they do for a living, they're also inexperienced.  They make mistakes.  They fail to return calls, text and emails promptly.  They don't know how to manage the emotions of an unreasonable client.  

They screw up perfectly good deals because they treat real estate as a hobby and not as a serious profession in which we help clients make some of the biggest financial decisions they will ever face.  

At this point, I no longer sign up part time agents for all of the reasons I've articulated above.