What Makes Real Estate A Good Career?
Are you looking to start a new profession or pursue a side business to make money? You might be considering real estate. You're not alone — each month, around 17,000 people in the United States Google "how to become a real estate agent". And those who take the leap are among the country's roughly 2 million active real estate licensees. So, is real estate a good career?
It's considerably easier to become a real estate agent or broker than to acquire a degree in education. There are several advantages to the profession, too, including being your own boss, meeting new individuals, and assisting people through one of life's most meaningful events.
However, building a solid real estate career is more difficult than many people think. Working as a real estate agent or broker can be fulfilling and financially rewarding, but it requires generating leads, promoting yourself, handling complex paperwork, and more. Plus, real estate agents are largely paid on a commission-only basis, which means there is the potential of working without a paycheck.
Here are a few aspects of the job to help you decide if a real estate agent or broker career is right for you:
5 Reasons Why Real Estate Is A Good Career
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more and more people choose real estate careers, and it’s estimated that the industry will grow by 7 percent between 2018 and 2028. Read on for a few reasons why real estate continues to be an attractive profession.
Getting Your Real Estate License Can Be A Quick Process
When you’re thinking about switching careers, the process can feel time-consuming and overwhelming. However, real estate is much easier and takes much less time. Especially with all the online education opportunities, you can earn your license and practice real estate part-time if you like. People are drawn to this industry because it’s challenging but more flexible than a traditional office job.
You Can Earn More Money In Real Estate
In the real estate industry, you’re not limited to how much you can earn hourly. Your only real limitation is how much you can manage. It can be a lucrative business, and hard work can pay off with a huge paycheck.
The more you care about your clients, the better your potential for growing your business. If you care about helping your clients, you’ll always make a sale and earn those coveted referrals and success.
You Get To Be Your Own Boss
Many real estate agents work for themselves as independent contractors. Real estate agents have the privilege of setting their own hours and deciding for themselves how to manage their time and priorities. As a result, you can work from home, rent out an office, set your own goals, and work as much as you’d like without necessarily reporting to anyone.
Why is real estate a good career? Once you establish your business, you’ll be able to be more flexible with your hours as you gain more clients.
Real Estate Is Always Changing
If you’re one to quickly become bored in an office doing the same thing every day, then real estate might interest you. Real estate comes with change, new trends, adapting to different markets, dealing with different clients, and more. You'll love the real estate industry if you want diversity and versatility in your work environment. Working with various personality types is something many people find exciting about the job.
You Get To Become An Expert
You'll discover that you really know what you're doing and how to do it after spending time learning how to be a real estate agent and fine-tuning your skills.
Clients are looking to you for guidance on the market, and you'll know what to say to them. Real estate agents take great pleasure in being experts and having the opportunity to help others when they have no one else to turn to.
How Long Does it Take To Become a Real Estate Agent?
To acquire your real estate license, you must first pass the state's licensing exam. Each state has its own set of standards that must be met to obtain a real estate license. Therefore, your prelicensing education, which might take one day to six months depending on the required hours, is the most time-consuming part of earning your license.
For example, 135 hours of prelicensure training is required in California. If you complete an online course with scheduled lessons, it will take around a month to finish. On-demand and self-study courses might last more or less than that, depending on how much time you have available to study.
Prepare to pay numerous fees and expenses to work as a real estate agent. Professional education fees, real estate examination costs, and application and fingerprinting charges are just a few of the expenditures you'll have to plan for. In addition, you may also need to budget for marketing and business development expenses to start working.
The Bottom Line: Is Real Estate A Good Career Path For You?
If all the things we described above sound alright, and you enjoy hard work, then maybe you a career in real estate might be a great idea. Self-starters who want to make their own schedule and enjoy helping people from all walks of life will find real estate exciting and rewarding.
A real estate agent or brokerage may be both difficult and financially rewarding. However, keep in mind that the real estate sector has a lot of different unique chances open to anyone interested.
You could be an agent, appraiser, or professional investor. On the other hand, you might prefer to work only with residential properties or commercial buildings. Whatever you choose, make sure you fulfill the job requirements and are ready for whatever this industry throws at you.
Ready To Get Started?
RealEstateU can help you get your real estate license online and on your own schedule. Browse our affordable courses and feel free to reach out to our team if you have questions about our online real estate courses.