I'd be happy to answer your question from first hand experience. Negotiate a little with the person you choose to work for and choose a structured day that will suit both of you. Have them pay for your licensing, cell phone, and supplies. Make sure you are VERY clear on which lead and what type of leads will be. If you pick up a listing lead by way of prospecting, or whatever the case is, and hook them up with your agent/mentor, have them pay you a 25% referral fee. If he/she wishes for you to do marketing and/or open houses for he/she, then designate an hourly wage that is appropriate. By starting with a reputable and established agent, you will learn how they do business and hopefully you will begin to take on their good habits. This can also be a great time to develop relationships with people that will drive your business when you go off on your own. On the negative side, you do not get your name out there and there is virtually no self-promotion. You may find yourself itching to unlease the creative agent inside of you with no opportunity to do so. I would say, overall, the benefits of starting out as a buyer's agent outweigh starting on your own.

Thu Jul 24 2008, 19:44

unless you are relocating, or just bad at generating your own business, go it on your own and hire a mentor, a coach or both. If you are serious about a long term career, join Keller WIlliams, we have great training, mentoring systems, and because of the profit sharing model senior agents are motivated to help you do well. We share knowledge and support one another it is not cut throat or competitive. Coaching to consider - Buffini and company; MAPS through KW (do not have to be with KW to be in MAPS). Email me with more questions...vchrisner@kw.com

Thu Jul 24 2008, 19:38

do both...get as much experience as you can- just be selective when choosing an agent and a company to work with/for.

Wed Jul 23 2008, 21:18

Hi Julia,

This is a great question. The advantage that I see to being a buyer's agent, you will not have all of the start up costs that you have as an individual agent. Would the established agent give you leads and just get you to run with them, or would you have to generate your own leads? If they are going to hand you leads and cover a great deal of your expense for getting started, you will benefit from the security of the situation.

If you can handle a couple of months or more of no income, start up costs, advertising, etc joining a good company may benefit you more in the long run! Check out several companies and find out exactly what their training and mentoring involves. Not all companies who say they provide this service actually follow up on that promise. Check and see what the turnover rate is at the company before you make a committment.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions about my answer.

Wed Jul 23 2008, 20:34

money is money, no matter how you get it. I will say that you will have better sucess listing properties because customers will call off your sign

regardless, you have a lot of work ahead


by the way, how would you get leads as a buyers agent?

Wed Jul 23 2008, 18:20

Hi Julia welcome to the profession! Being a buyer's agent and working under a seasoned agent can be a great way to get started in the business. It gives you the leads required to get started without having to spend a lot of money upfront for advertising. Be sure and choose an agent who is doing a lot of advertising in the local market and also on the internet. Be sure to ask them about the "quality" of their leads and how many leads are converted to sales. Good Luck!

Wed Jul 23 2008, 10:15

Hi Julia,
Welcome! I think you chose a great time to get into Real Estate. It sounds as if you may be considering joining as a team member of an established agent or joining a company with good training and mentoring. If this is accurate, consider what your goals are and where you want to be as a professional in the next 3-5 years? If you start as a buyer's agent for an established agent you are probably not going to get the personal exposure and promotion you would be able to get as a more independent agent with a good company and good training. You may lose your personal identity which I believe is your number one asset in Real Estate. On the other hand, you can gain some good experience and learn from the experienced agent for a couple of years and then move out on your own once you are more comfortable. If you have the time, this could work well. Personally, I chose a great company (Coldwell Banker) with a great training program and a very positive office environment with successful agents to provide the atmosphere and opportunity to grow and develop a professional business. I strongly recommend you read a book titled "Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies" by Dirk Zeller which really helped me a lot. Best of Luck and let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

Tue Jul 22 2008, 20:30

Julia: Great question. I'm not sure that there's a single answer that suits all people. My first question to you is, "What does your business plan look like?" If you don't have a business plan, that's the first thing I recommend. I've done more than my share of coaching sessions with new agents (back when I worked at a local office that you'd recognize) and would be happy to share a few insights over coffee...and perhaps help dispel a myth or two. It's a great business, and it's extremely time- and resource-intensive.

Call or email any time. I'm happy to help in any way I can.

Tue Jul 22 2008, 20:14

Welcome to the trade. Hint real estate is 24 / 7 /365 however I love it. good luck.
http://www.lynn911.com http://www.homes-for-sale-dallas.com

Tue Jul 22 2008, 18:00