I run into people quite frequently who want to keep their full time job and sell houses on the side. This is a nice idea on paper, but I have never known anyone who made it work.  Likewise, I have never met a weekend workout warrior who looked like a body builder.  If you want to do anything exceedingly well, you have to do it full-time.  Real estate is no exception.

You won’t be selling many houses if you are trying it on a part-time basis. To succeed in real estate, you have to hustle full time.

“But Karen, doesn’t everyone want to see the houses on nights and weekends?” Yes.  In residential real estate, most of your customer interaction will be on the weekend.  But here are some things to consider…

  1. If I am going to hire a real estate agent to help me buy or sell a house, am I going to hire a weekend warrior or someone who has made a profession of it? For me personally, I want a professional.
  2. If you are working 40-hours a week at your day job and an additional 30-hours a week at your extra real estate job, when are you going to relax? Many people can pull off a 70-80 hour week occasionally, but sustaining it is a whole different story.
  3. A commissioned sales job takes discipline and drive. If your livelihood depends on it, that’s a huge motivator. If it is what you are doing for extra money, are you going to be motivated enough to serve your customers?

I’ve been in real estate a long time and talked to a lot of real estate licensees. I have never know anyone who used their license on a part-time basis and made real money at it.  I say jump in the water with both feet or stay on the shore.

Having said that, you can definitely get your real estate sales associate license at nights or on the weekends while you keep your day job. Then once you get your license, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.  When you get to that point, give me a call, and I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

Please note that neither I, nor anyone in the Climer family, have any affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate.  My father, Ron Climer, sold Climer School of Real Estate in 2014.  You can find me at Demetree School of Real Estate.