College degree for real estate agents ??

Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes

I am 16 years old and want get my real estate license at 18. Real estate is my passion and I dedicate time everyday to learning about it. I’m not sure if I want to go to college because I think those years could be better learning directly in the business rather than a class. That saying I am willing to put in the work to make it work and far from lazy. Questions- Do you think a broker would hire an 18 year old without a degree? Do you have a real estate/business degree? Do you think you could have been where you are without the degree?

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member

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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes

@Jordan Lucas This isn't 1892 or even 1962. Back then a college degree meant something. You should take a minute to look at the kind of classes people took back then and what people are taking now. College has become a money-making venture and the best way to make money is to make class easy and fun for the masses so you can collect their student loan funds before they give up or get smart and walk away.

Real estate has a very, very low bar of entry. My wife took 500 hours of education to be a massage therapist in Colorado but it only took 50 hours to become a REALTOR. You would obviously have more than 50 hours of education in college but a lot of that education will involve nonsense classes that don't apply and you'll spend $30,000 and four years of your life instead of the $2,000 and two months that it normally takes.

The difficult part is becoming a successful agent at the age of 18. It can be done. I know a local REALTOR that started at 18 and it was tough but she plowed through and has been at it for over 20 years. However, she started with her family business and that probably helped her get started.

The overwhelming majority of agents to not have a real estate degree. However, most of them do have a degree. Most of them have decades of work experience and experience as an adult. The average age is 52 so while you may be smarter at SnapChat and some other tools, you won't have 1/3 the life experience the average agent does and that will be tough to overcome.

You can do it. Stay humble, listen more than you talk, find a mentor, and hustle. Good luck!

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James Murphey
Waipahu, HI · Member since 2018 · 121 posts · 81 votes
7y
@Jordan Lucas, as a high school teacher, and someone with a masters degree, I feel strongly you should only go to college if there is a viable career path on the other side that can justify the debt you will acquire in the process. It is just to expensive pursuit to not have a career path lined up. If you can live at home, already have strong network of people, and you are a people person I would seriously consider getting your RE license. I would avoid college debt as long as possible unless you know their is a viable career on the other end of college that will allow you to pay off the the debt you accumulated. I would also read @Scott Trench's book Set For Life if you have not already. It is on sale a great book for high school students or recent graduates. I also would recommend looking Graham Stephan's YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV6KDgJskWaEckne5aPA0aQ he did not go to college and became a RE agent at age 18. He also has a program for RE agents that would cost a fraction of college tuition, and would most likely be very practical. Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.
1 Reply
Blake Walsh
Huntington, NY · Member since 2018 · 12 posts · 6 votes
7y
@Jordan Lucas
Im 21 in college and my opinion is people change career paths; therefore a degree can be worth having.
1 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Randall Weatherall thanks for much for your detailed response, I really appreciated. And that was a great point about adding value, it really stuck with me!
0 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Jason L. Thanks so much for that suggestion! And I think it is a very smart one!
0 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Antoine Martel thanks I appreciate your response!
0 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Joe Nickels oh wow thanks for sharing that !
0 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Rehaan Khan thanks so much for the suggestion I really appreciate it !
0 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Charlie MacPherson wow thanks so much for those suggestions. I really appreciate them and one of those has to be around the route I take !
0 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Jim Froehlich thanks so much for your thought and very helpful response! I really appreciated it! And your right there is still a lot of thinking to go but at the end of the day I believe I will make the best decision for me!
0 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@David Mussaw thanks so much for that response. I think a clear goal is essential and I feel like I’m close to knowing it all the way!
0 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@James Murphey thanks so much for that response. Not many times have I heard a hs teacher tell someone to reconsider college. But I appreciate your transparent view and I will definitely take in all your tips! I have not read that book yet but will search it! And I am subscribed to Graham Stephan and I love his videos. I plan on buying the course when i turn 18, thanks for the suggestions!
1 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Stanley Bronstein ohh ok thanks for that input I didn’t know that
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James Galla
Attorney · Akron, OH · Member since 2016 · 535 posts · 389 votes
7y
Higher education is a great thing to get, as long as you can earn a return. I've dealt with so many real estate agents that didn't have the slightest clue as to what they were doing, but I still gave them a shot. However, that kind of charity is not ideal for the average consumer. In the end, things turn on what kinds of leads you can turn, and that depends on how you handle your clients. For instance, I'd tolerate a poor agent, but I wouldn't recommend them. Earning those recommendations and leads is critical to success. If you feel like being a car salesman, then I'd pursue a real estate sales person license. The difference is you sell houses instead of cars. If you're not interested in that kind of wheeling and dealing, I'd change the scope of education to something that could make you some money via some useful skill.
1 Reply
David Breitweiser
Rental Property Investor · Waretown, NJ · Member since 2019 · 4 posts · 6 votes
7y
@Jordan Lucas. Scanning through the responses you got here, I feel the need to be devil's advocate. Long story short when I was 19 I had one goal; Own a ton of cash flowing rental properties and be retired/a millionare by 30. I thought I had life by the neck... I was 100% certain that I was going to be top agent, do a ton of transactions, and spend all my money on investment properties. The problem was that during those years I was dead broke. I was working incredibly hard but never getting ahead enough to have the income /credit /stability to invest heavily in real estate. By the age of 24 I fell flat on my face, and decided to use the little money I had to go back to school and have a career change. I found the "cheapest" route to get a formal education.
Today, I'm 29 with an MBA and a lucrative "day job" that provides me with the opportunity to finance any deal that gets me closer to my goals. I won't sugar coat it- I hate my day job. The good news is I am thinking 12-18 months before I can leave that job, and it can't come soon enough.
I'm not saying being an agent is the wrong way to go, especially for someone like you who is clearly on the right path by interacting on a platform like this at the level you are. I'm just suggesting you shouldn't completely discount the idea of a formal education. If your end goal is cash flowing properties, there are many avenues to get there. Having a solid W2 is a huge advantage that can't be denied.
Goodluck man!
5 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Blake Walsh that is very true, thanks for the suggestion!
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Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@James Galla thanks so much for your advice I really appreciate it and the perspective to look at it as. I think I will be up for it completely in a couple years!
0 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@David Breitweiser wow thanks so much for you comment. I really appreciated your transparent view on the question and also sharing your experiences. I believe one of my end goals is to having cash flowing real estate but also wanting to be an agent to have the freedom to be my own boss. And plus RE just interest me. But I could also see myself in getting a trade job in my early days for the money then using that to finance deals then building up a re clientele
0 Reply
T B Williams
Rental Property Investor · Member since 2018 · 20 posts · 5 votes
7y
@Jordan Lucas Go for it! All things are possible. Real Estate could help you create your college fund if you decide to go later in life. Much Success!
1 Reply
Charley C.
North of Houston · Member since 2018 · 350 posts · 181 votes
7y
My God that's a lot of advice you got. Short answer: attend Texas A&M. The got the best real estate degree on earth. They also have one of the best construction science degrees (in case you want to learn how to build real estate. Don't just settle for only a license to sell residential, they are a dime a dozen. Get that grade point up as high as it will go and apply there.. good luck
2 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@T B Williams thanks so much for that and I think that could possibly be a great option!
1 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Charley C. Thanks so much for that suggestion! I’m going to write the name of the college down! And I think that’s some good advice to also look at other options and I will do that.
0 Reply
Julie N.
Real Estate Investor · Unionville, CT · Member since 2016 · 260 posts · 167 votes
7y
@Jordan Lucas get your license as soon as you can and hustle. Join a brokerage that might have a team of seasoned realtors that you can learn and gain experience from. Make a name for yourself this way until you have enough experience under your belt to be a solo agent. Good luck!
1 Reply
Simeon Miller
Fort Wayne, IN · Member since 2018 · 33 posts · 25 votes
7y
@Jordan Lucas
When I was 18 I didn’t go to college because I was running a landscaping business that was my life and passion. After about 15 years of doing that I got burned out and tired. Long story short I now have a wife and two kids, a full time job only make 66% of what I should be, going to school full time, developing and out of state buy and hold business, as well as an other side business. It would have been much easier at 18.
I am almost done with my marketing degree and the deeper I get into it and look at home listings I realize how many agents lack marketing skills. As an agent you are not only a salesperson but also a marketer and communicator.
Can you do it without a degree? Yes, you can but I would highly recommend it. You could also self educate but a degree plan is well rounded and will teach you thing you wouldn’t even think to try to learn.
1 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Julie N. Thanks so much for the advice. It seems very doable thanks!
1 Reply
Jordan Lucas
OP
Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 94 votes
7y
@Simeon Miller oh wow thanks for sharing that, I really appreciate! I think that Is a great option for me!
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