Real estate can be a great career.  For someone without a college degree, I think it’s the best career that is not a trade or the military.  It might even be better than a trade or military because you can do it at any age.  Here are 11 reasons why I think it’s a great career:

1. Freedom – You Are The Boss

It’s true that you have to work under a broker.  Generally speaking, however, you will be an independent contractor.  If you want to take Tuesday off to go to your child’s play, take Tuesday off.  If you like starting the day late and working later, rather than starting early and ending early, you can do that.  If you want to work from home, you can.  If you prefer wearing polo shirts rather than suits, you can.  If you want to take the first week of July off for vacation, you don’t need permission.  Basically, you have a lot of control of how your day and year works.

2. You Control Your Income

Not only do you control how your day works, you also have significant control over how much money you make.  There are agents I know who make $5,000 a year and they are happy with that.  That’s all they want to do.  For them, it’s more of a hobby.  I know other agents who make $50,000 and they are happy with that.  I also know agents who make $500,000.  Essentially, if you want to make more money, you don’t have to ask for a raise.  You just have to work a little harder or work a little smarter.

Even better, you get to set the price tag.  You get to decide how much to charge for your services.  Some people charge a percentage.  Some people charge a flat fee.  Some people charge a lot and offer a lot of services.  Others charge less and offer minimal services.  You get to decide.

3. Your Business Is Scalable

Maybe you don’t want to work harder.  You can work smarter instead.  Real estate is scalable.  You can hire an assistant, so you don’t have to do that work.  Eventually hire a few more agents to join your team.  Later, you can sell the team to someone else.  If you understand business, this is a business that is scalable.

4. You Can Flex Your Creativity Muscles

Because you have so much freedom, you can flex your creative muscles.  If you want to start a video advertising campaign, you can do that.  If writing is more your style, there is room for that.  I’ve even seen Florida Realtors do parody songs about their listings.  It’s your business, so you can brand it the way you want to.

5. The More You Learn, The More You Earn

Initially, real estate is difficult – there is a lot to learn.  You wonder how veteran agents get their offers written so quickly and how their CMAs are so much better.  The more you learn, the easier it gets.  That’s true in any business.  In real estate, however, the more you know, the more money you can make.  You don’t need to wait to get a promotion.  You don’t need to wait for the boss to recognize that you have learned something.  The customers will recognize it, and that’s where you make your money.

6. Low Barriers To Entry

The qualifications for this job are minimal.  In Florida, you have to be at least 18 years old, have a social security number, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and not too much criminal history.  Once you pass the class and state exam, you are as qualified as anyone else.

It will probably cost you about $2,000 to get started, about $500 to take the real estate class and get your license, and about $1,500 to start your business.  I can’t think of many businesses that you can start like that.  Most businesses require a lot of capital expenses upfront.

7. There Is Always A Need For Real Estate Agents

Real estate is never going to go out of style.  People will always want to buy.  People will always want to sell.  I can’t think of a time that I have ever heard someone say, “I don’t really need a place to live.”  That would be like saying, “I don’t really need food this week.”  There will always be a need for real estate and real estate agents.

It is true that there are people who buy and sell without a real estate agent. But there are also people who unclog their toilet without a plumber.  Most people hire a real estate agent.  That is even more true in commercial real estate than residential.  In commercial, the company doesn’t want to waste time finding a new storefront.  They just want you to do it and tell them about it.  Even large companies with real estate divisions will hire an outside agent, and happily pay you for your services.

8. You Will Learn About Good Real Estate Investments

As an agent, you will run across good deals.  You will often learn about houses before they become well known.  When you are looking at dozens of houses a week, you can’t help but come across some good deals.  When this happens, you can purchase them for yourself.  Maybe as a home, an investment property, or something to flip.  If you keep your ear to the ground, you will learn about good real estate investments.

9. Every day is interesting

Once you’ve been in the field for a while, you will get the hang of things.  You will have many transactions are fairly routine.  But things will come up that make transactions interesting.  Maybe this one was inherited by the grandkids, and 12 of the 13 owners want to sell but the last one is a hold out.  Maybe we need a suit to quiet title.  Maybe the neighbor’s fence is encroaching onto the property.

10. You Will Meet All Kinds of People

Everyone needs a home, so you will meet a little bit of everyone.  Nothing is ever the same because people are never the same.  One first-time owner will be very nervous and call you all the time.  Another one in the same position will respond differently.  You will see all types.  Because you meet so many people, you will meet some people who will become good friends.

11. You Will Learn More About People Than You Will About Houses

You will learn a lot about houses, and you will see all types of houses.  But this career is really about people.  You might have a client that is a divorcing couple.  They can’t agree on anything except that they hate the other person.  The primary goal of each of them is to hurt the other one.  You are the mediator who is supposed to get the house sold.  A different divorcing couple is so ready to sell that they are both willing to sell at half-price just to be done with each other.

You have some people who are so attached to the family home that they think we should add $100,000 for nostalgia value.  You got other people who think they know more than you do.  Others who trust you implicitly.  Basically, you will work with all kinds of people, see all types of relationships, and learn a lot about the way people work.

Real estate has been a good career for me and my family.  I expect that it will be a good career for you too.  If you are interested in learning more about a career in real estate, the first step is getting a Florida real estate license.  Call us at Demetree School of Real Estate to learn the process.

Please note that Karen Climer has no affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate.  Her father, Ron Climer, sold Climer School of Real Estate in 2014.  It has since been involved in several mergers and acquisitions and is owned by a large investment company.  Karen owns Demetree School of Real Estate in Orlando, Florida.