Anyone do real estate for a living?

[Joyfullyblessed]

Hello,

 

I was just wondering if there are any realtors out there? Either yourself or your husband? I am asking because now that my husband has been laid off, we are looking at all kinds of possibilities.

 

We have always talked about getting our real estate licenses and doing real estate as a couple. However, there has never been a real opportunity or should I say time to see if this would actually work.

 

My husband is now thinking about stepping out a bit and getting his real estate license since he has been laid off from his job of 22 years recently. He is not sure about getting back into the corporate world.

 

Also, we are now both in our early 40's and think it might be time to see if this is a real possibility for our lives or not. He has a six month severance package which gives him some time to maybe explore.

 

I do in home childcare right now, but I would love to be out of this job by the time I am 45. Yes, that is the goal I have set for myself at this time. I am about to turn 41 in August, so it gives me a little time.

 

Our thoughts are that he could get the ball rolling on everything and then I could get my license a little later on once we see how things are going. I would still keep my childcare business for now of course, but eventually we would move to doing the real estate business full time.

 

We know that this could be risky and may not work, but we also have seen other friends who have been laid off and take the opportunity to step out in faith to see what happened. Fortunately, many of our friends have been incredibly successful and they are so glad that they took the risk.

 

Getting good health insurance, etc... might be tough, but I know that we can do that.

 

Anyway, I would love to hear thoughts on all this and especially would love to hear from anyone in the real estate field. Again, we are just thinking right now, nothing is set in stone.

 

Oh, and IF he were to try this and see that it is not working out, he would definitely go back to working in the corporate world if needed. That is not even a question in either of our minds.

 

Thanks and have a great day! :)

[Wildcat]

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Edited January 6, 2023 by Wildcat

[jamajo]

I was in the industry from 2001-2008 but I live in the DC Metro area which is a very lucrative market because of a stronger job market than most areas in the country (fed gov't, military installations, etc).

 

I started with a company that offered a lot of training and support. They also allowed me to "put on account" marketing materials and pay it back once my first check came. This helped me out tremendously so that I didn't have to spend money upfront on (marketing cards, etc.).

 

There are upfront fees (lockbox keys, association dues, business cards, etc.) I remember fixed costs being around $1000/year.

 

I did 3 deals in my first 6-8 months. One was a relative, one was a person I met in an exercise class, another a stranger from phone duty at the office.

 

I think real estate is the best job for a person that doesn't have to make "x" amount of dollars every year. Someone in the home has to make a steady income for it to be worth the effort. I was a stay at home mom and my 8 year career turned so successful, I had to question my "stay at home" status. My husband & I even opened our own office for 2 years right before things slowed down tremendously during the economic downturn:001_huh: I don't regret one single moment it was a great ride. I would do it again in a minute or perhaps when I finish homeschooling.

 

I say go for it - after speaking with agents in your area to see how active your market is. Are there mainly first time buyers, move up buyers, military buyers/renters, how long are properties sitting on market before selling, etc.

[ChristyB in TN]

My husband and I own a real estate company and we are both realtors. We don't list both our names and have a picture of the two of us on the sign, that is sort of creepy. :) we have 16 agents so I primarily run the office because it is a busy place. We manage property for ourselves and for our Clint's, also. Real estate is fantastic because we have freedom. I home school our son in our office! The down side is the schedule. Dh took his first day off in a month on Sunday. We work 7 days a week. Our phones start ringing at 7 ish, even on Sunday. Yes, insurance is expensive.

I recommend working as a buyers agent for a busy, successful realtor in the beginning. You learn the ropes while benefitting from their experience, get your name established and get paid! Let me know if you need any advice, I love my job. We solve problems for people and it doesn't get old. :001_smile: