new RE agent in Las Vegas
I'm currently studying to become a Real Estate agent in Las Vegas, Nevada. At first I'll be doing it part time as I have a full time job. The company that sells the training materials is a subsidiary of a Real Estate company. This RE company says that they provide additional training and they want me to sign a contract to be an agent with them. This company does not provide leads, which may be problematic for me since I don't have any significant network built up in Las Vegas. They say that RE companies that claim to provide leads really only have weak web leads that have a very low, almost zero conversion rate.
Any help or info with respect to these questions would be appreciated:
1). Is it normal for RE companies to ask prospective agents who have not even taken the Nevada exam to sign a contact? They say that the contract is at will and can be terminated at any time for any reason. Should a prospective agent who has not yet taken the exam actually sign such a contract? I assume the main purpose of the contract is to ensure that any additional training and mentoring does not turn into a waste of time and money for the RE company if the new agent is untethered and decides to leave for another RE company.
2). Is it true that RE companies that claim to provide leads really only have weak web leads that have a very low conversion rate and are essentially worthless?
3). Wouldn't it be better for a new agent with no local network to draw upon, to try to work at a new home builder where you might make less money per sale but at least you have sales and can turn customers into potential clients down the road? In Las Vegas there seems to be a huge demand for new homes now. How does one get started selling homes for a new home builder?
4). My current FT job operates with 3 shifts, 24/7/365. Sometimes they have new shift bids for day, twi or night shifts. If you're going to sell real estate part time would it be better to work normal day hours so that you have evenings / nights open? Or would it be better to work twilight / night hours so that you have the day time available? At the moment I have weekends off.
Thanks