I've been thinking about getting my real estate license, can I make a living being a sales associate?
Asked by serge.coudert
I am currently in college and would like to obtain my real estate license. I would like to know if it's actually possible to make money in this current market? Also, is the experience you obtain as a sales associate beneficial to a current business student?

Best Answer:
Your answer is: It depends. Most of the most successful real estate agents don’t have college degrees. The experience can help you because being a real estate agent is owning and running your own business. However, selling houses is easy. They sell themselves. The hard part is you have to go out and get your own clients. You have to sell yourself to them, and trust me its a lot harder then it sounds. You have to find people who are willing to let you sell their house and convince them that you are somehow better then the agent that’s sold every other house in their neighborhood, and who has billboards all over the city. Being well connected and having good networking skills are more important then sales skills Be prepared to pay out thousands in marketing materials, billboards, ads, signs ect without getting anything in return for a while. You can always work for a well established agent as their buyer’s agent for a while. This is probably also your best shot. Right now the real estate market is pretty bad, and agents are having a very tough time. During them boom the number of real estate agents increase nation wide by over 50%. Supply and demand have decreased but the number of agents really hasn’t, I think they are kind of in denial, but my point is that a usually competitive market is 10 time more competitive. Also being an agent does not come with company benefits like healthcare. You will have to purchase that on your own and individual policies are very expensive.
I used to Manage a Keller Williams Real Estate Branch
Answered by Erin H

Serge, Are you a people person? Do you have a long list of friends and associates? If the answer is yes to both, you may do well as a real estate agent. Be prepared for everyone to have their hand out looking for money and know that for every business trying to get your money. There is a free one available. I suggest interviewing with several real estate companies before taking your pre-license training. Yes, there is a steep learning curve so be prepared to ask lots of questions and need help once you get your license.
Answered by Gary Smith, Realtor®