Lack of Time or Credibility for Part Timers?

Question

I have seen a few people say that you can't have success as a part time RE agent... does everyone find this to be true? If so, is it due to lack of time or lack of interest/credibility due to the part time nature?

I know it would obviously be more difficult, but if the goal is only a few deals a year to start/learn, is that achievable? I have a solid mentor in place that I think could help. The plan is to do a lot of the grunt work (open houses etc) while shadowing him and learning.

I would eventually like to be a full time investor and do some listings as I go.

Thanks!

Nate Monson · Answer

@John Elias There are two people who work in my office who are part timers and having success doing it. Both leverage their relationships in their jobs to generate leads as their main source of business. They do well because they set expectations with their clients before hand. (ie. if a client wants to see a property at 3pm on an afternoon, generally that doesn't work). They both know they cannot take on two many clients, and if they have more than they can handle they would refer it to one of us. They are also organized enough to be able to separate their time between both jobs and serve both well.

Going back to your point, I think you hit the nail on the head. Even as a full-time agent, focusing in on a small sphere or subset of people and doing right by them and taking consistent action to stay in touch or provide value to those people is a great way to go about business starting out.  Part time people are no different, they just won't be able to take on as much of workload. Feel free to send me a direct message too if you want to chat more!

Nate Monson · Answer

I think part time agents get a bad rap because many who go and get their license expect to just have deals handed to them without putting in any work. Those who are successful part time know they won’t be closing a ton of deals a year but focus on their 1 or 2 clients they have at a time and put a lead generation system in place that works with their work schedule. There is definitely room for part time realtors in the industry but having realistic expectations and being willing to put in extra work above and beyond your normal work hours is critical to success in my opinion.

John Elias · Answer

@Nate Monson Thank you for that information. So basically, as a part timer it would be more beneficial/better way to find success by focusing on a smaller sphere at first and really succeeding with those people and deals? And that people can succeed part time as long as they play it smart and get the right network in place?