10 Reasons You Should Become a Realtor
You’ve been weighing your career options for a while. Maybe you’re tired of the corporate job. Maybe you’re still going through that “I’m not sure what I want to do for a living” phase.
And while all of that is going on in the background, you’re torn. You want a line of work that can provide a decent living. But you also don’t want to hate your job, the people you work with, and your entire industry to boot.
If any of that sounds familiar, you may be surprised to learn that if you become a realtor, it may be possible to have it all both personally and professionally. Does that sound interesting?
We’ve put together a list of 10 reasons why a career in real estate might be the solution you’ve been looking for. Just keep reading.
1. You Get to Be Your Own Boss
There are a lot of things that people like about being traditionally employed. You get a stable paycheck, set and defined responsibilities, and a steady job that you can clock in and out of.
But if you’re the type of person who isn’t into office politics and quarterly reviews, there’s a point where the 9 to 5 grind starts to feel like, well, a grind. And if you’re a more entrepreneurial person, that can wear on you after a while.
When you’re working as a real estate agent, you get to work on your own terms. There’s no micromanaging boss looking over your shoulder. You get to run your business to your liking and the buck stops with you.
2. You Don’t Need a College Degree
Most professions that pay a decent salary these days require you to have some form of post-secondary training. And once you start looking at higher-stakes professions, education requirements tend to only go up from there.
The cool thing about being a real estate professional is that it doesn’t matter what you studied. You could have a Physics degree and multiple PhDs or you could have no post-secondary education at all.
To be clear, you’ll still need to learn realty and you will have to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in the industry. But a standard, 4-year Bachelor of Arts in Real Estate isn’t required to get licensed.
3. Your Earnings Have No Ceiling
In a traditional 9 to 5, you get paid what your boss thinks you deserve. And in some cases, if you want to get paid more, you need a promotion, a new job, a side hustle, or a combination of all three.
When you’re a real estate agent, you can just find more homes to sell. Plus, if you’re really ambitious, you can specialize in areas like luxury homes or commercial property where commissions can easily hit five figures or more.
In other words, if you have a college fund you’re trying to start or a tropical island vacation you want to work toward, all you have to do is simply scale your business up a little more. That’s not something that everyone can say.
4. You Can Ditch the Office Cubicle
For some people, the standard office lifestyle with its static views and its standard scenery can be dreary after a while. Part of the fun of working as a real estate agent is that your “office” looks different every day. You’ll be working with a multiple listing service (MLS), such as the Bright MLS, and have volumes of real estate information at your finger tips no matter where you are.
One week you could be showing a seven-figure home with an outdoor pool. The next month you could be trying to sell a cozy cottage property. If you like being out and about, it just doesn’t get any more varied than that.
5. Real Estate Is a Forever Market
In many industries, your ability to work may depend on a number of factors you don’t control. As a result, the economy, changing consumer tastes, and stubborn bosses can all impact your career in unexpected ways.
In 2020, the real estate market wasn’t just hot. It was “I don’t even have enough inventory to sell to all the buyers who keep calling me.” hot.
But even in years where the real estate market isn’t hitting 2020-level highs, there is one thing that every agent can count on. And that’s the fact that housing never goes out of style.
Sure, some years may be better than others. But at the end of the day, there will always be buyers every year. And that counts for a lot in terms of job security.
6. You Can Dress the Way You Want
Lawyers are always getting dressed up for court. Doctors and nurses have to wear scrubs when they’re working in hospitals. Heck, Goldman Sachs made news in 2019 when it finally opted for a flexible dress code.
One of the biggest perks of being a business owner and realtor is that you don’t have to consult a dress code to decide what to wear to work. Ever.
Sure, you may not want to wear an outfit that screams “Ready for the beach!” if you’re selling an office building to a bunch of investment bankers. But nobody is going to blow up your inbox for wearing jeans over it.
And whether your style leans towards jeans and a t-shirt or corporate casual, you can wear what makes you feel comfortable when you work in real estate. That in turn makes the job a little more fun on a day-to-day basis.
7. There Are Lots of Ways You Can Study
In a lot of professions, your path to qualification is largely set in stone. Maybe you have to go to a university and learn in-person. Maybe there are internships or residencies that are needed in order to become qualified.
But it all boils down to the same thing. Your way forward depends on you acquiring the licenses and education that have been laid out by other people or other regulatory boards.
If your goal is to be a real estate expert, however, you can study online and in your own time. Whether you want a study guide for real estate or just a general overview, there’s no shortage of resources for aspiring realtors.
8. You Can Set Your Own Hours
Some employers may be offering flexible hours and post-pandemic work-from-home opportunities. But none of that compares with the freedom of not having to check in with someone whenever you need to take time off.
If you like the certainty and consistency of being able to work during standard business hours, you can do that. But if you’re working another job, going back to school, or simply wanting to work part-time, you can do that too.
That level of flexibility that isn’t always there for working professionals in other fields. But it’s par for the course if you’re a realtor.
9. You Get to Flex Your Interior Design Muscles
Are you the type of person who always has an opinion on that new couch or rug? Do your friends call you for advice when they’re not sure how to decorate?
You’re in luck if you go into real estate. Real estate agents are always figuring out how to stage properties in a way that gives potential buyers “Oh my gosh I love this!” vibes.
Staging isn’t always easy to do. But if Extreme Makeover is one of your favorite shows and you also happen to pride yourself on your eye for décor, working as a realtor could be right up your alley.
10. You Get to Meet Tons of Different People
Another fun aspect of being a realtor is that you get to see a wide range of interesting people over the course of your day. Brokers, other agents, and leads are talking to you all the time.
And then there’s the clients. One week you may be helping a nice, newly-landed family find a place to stay. And the next week, you could be helping a couple find the home of their dreams.
In certain jobs, sometimes it can feel like the work you do is removed from the real-world impact that it has. As a realtor, you get a front-row seat to helping people find homes as they enter major new chapters in their lives.
Here’s Why You Should Become a Realtor
Very few people can say “I’m my own boss and I love my job!”. But when you become a realtor, that’s the feeling that you can wake up to every day. If that sounds good, consider looking up realtor requirements in your state.
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