Be Your Own Boss: 6 Benefits of a Real Estate Agent Career

So you’re considering becoming a real estate agent? Or maybe you’re wondering what the heck you were thinking when you got your license.

What are the benefits of a career as a real estate agent?

As someone who used to sell homes for a living and owned a real estate brokerage, I think I have a decent perspective on the benefits — and the drawbacks — of a career in real estate.

Let’s focus on the positives though; we’ll skip the negatives for another article.

You’re in control

Real estate sales is one of the few professions where your income is directly proportional to the effort you put into it. The vast majority of real estate agents are independent contractors. In other words, they are their own boss. Although most are typically under the auspices of a real estate broker, and there are local, state and national regulations and laws to follow, agents work for themselves. They are entrepreneurs. With a career in real estate, you control your destiny. You make the calls, you do the work, you reap the rewards. It’s not a bad gig in that light.

You’re selling what people want and need

Yes, the real estate market is cyclical. Sometimes, it’s downright nasty. But even in the slowest market, someone is buying or selling a home. Remember back in 1985 when mortgage rates were pushing 18 percent? People still bought homes. The big crash of the early 2000s? Yep, homes we still being bought every day. You might have to step up your game in a downturn, but someone is buying — they may as well buy a home from you.

You can set your own hours

How many jobs let YOU decide when to wake up, when to go to bed, whether to work 1 hour or 10? Not many. But if you think selling real estate is easy, and can be done in a couple of hours a day while you sip cocktails on the beach, let me assure you that a real estate agent career is no easy pass to wild riches. It’s hard work. You've got to prospect, market, research and more. You can, however, work pretty much how you like. Need a day off? Take one. (Just get coverage!) Dinner date with the spouse? Go to work a little early, take off a little early. It’s rather nice being in control of your hours.

It’s all about customer service

Real estate sales is one of the few career choices where your ultimate success is strongly based on the service you provide. Yes, there are some things beyond an agent’s control, but by and large if you provide superior customer service, you will be successful. There are tenured agents whose entire business is based on the referrals of past clients. They provide the kind of great service that leaves their clients no choice but to recommend them. Word of mouth has always been one of the most effective marketing methods out there. Real estate is a business that can be based solely on word of mouth.

The barrier of entry is low

While many may lament the fact that the barrier of entry into a real estate career is low, there are times where that can be an advantage. I have always wanted to be a doctor. Medicine fascinates me, and I think I’d be a terrific doctor. Problem is I’m 53 years old and attending medical school, enduring a residency, and setting up a practice are prohibitively expensive in terms of both time and money. Not many people become a doctor as a second career. Want to sell real estate? Take a licensing course. Length varies by state but you’re looking at roughly 70–120 hours of class time. Some states have crash courses that will get you through licensing classes in days. Not years, not months, not weeks. Days. Figure $1,000 for classes, association dues, licensing fees and other various fees and you’re in — you can legally sell real estate for a living. At this point you won’t be very good at it, and you really need some savings built up before you switch careers, but it’s entirely doable. Starting a career in real estate doesn't take a lot of time or money.

Help people’s dreams come true

I am often asked if I miss selling real estate. While I love what I do now, there is something that I truly miss, something I haven’t found a replacement for. It’s that feeling you get when you hand your client the keys to their new home. You've just gone through a long, often arduous journey of a real estate transaction with someone. You hand them the keys and they are happy, excited, a little scared and grateful for everything you have done to help them. That is a terrific feeling — a feeling hard to find in any other occupation.

There you have it. Six benefits of a real estate agent career. It is tremendously rewarding, challenging, and, at times, frustrating. But every job has its frustrating moments. The many rewarding moments in real estate more than offset the frustrations. So go ahead, dive in. The water is fine!