Residential or commercial agent?

Question

I'm working on getting my real estate license and looking for any advice on going into either residential or commercial real estate. What are the pros and cons of each? Do you have any experience with making  the transition from one to the other? What recommendations would you give?

Tyler Northrup · Answer

Account Closed I just passed my test for Washington state.  From what I know it seems that many people begin in residential to gain some experience and then move more towards the commercial side.  Some pros of commercial is the commission will naturally be higher than residential since your dealing with larger more expensive buildings (usually).  The downside is that the commercial deals usually take longer to complete.  The commission is higher but you will be going longer without a check most likely.  Then as far as residential goes there is more product therefore you have a better opportunity to make a sale/gain new clients.  Just my 2 cents!

Robert Freeborn · Answer

Tyler capped it on the head.

Commercial is very tricky because the deals can take so long.  While anyone in WA can do it, some buyers won't even look at you sideways until you get some commercial designations.  So if you want to go that route, you need to find the top commercial agent and work with them to learn the ropes.