Why Real Estate?

Why on Earth would someone become a REALTOR^® in the first place?

One of the big draws to this industry is the impression that you get paid a great deal of money without doing much work. From previous experience owning businesses's in other industries I can attest to the extra hours that I have spent in this business as compared to those just to get a paycheque.

You work for countless hours at all times of the day (especially on evenings and weekends).
You often have no time for friends and family.
You need to be prepared to run at a moments notice.
You work countless hours for free without a guarantee of being paid.
There are often periods of no income.

Not scared off yet?

Working with clients can be very rewarding and can be a great deal of fun as well. I have met some great people that I now consider friends. This is a business about balance and by being able to balance both a successful career with a successful personal life the possibilities are as big as you want to make them.

Here are some other thoughts to consider:

Training

Making sure that you put yourself into a strong organization with ongoing support and training is probably the biggest thing that you could do to get your career off to the right start. Make sure that you are comfortable with the people that you are going to be associated with. Do they have ongoing training and support?

Costs

Getting into Real Estate as a career can be expensive and one of the biggest mistakes that new people that come into the industry make is to assume that you will be getting a pay cheque right away or shortly after starting off. You need to be prepared to not make any income and to be able to pay for your ongoing costs and fees for several months in advance.

Required Courses and Exams Real Estate Council of Alberta Fees Calgary Real Estate Board Fees Key Annual Fee Total Costs

$ 4177.75 $ 645.00 (initial & yearly) $ 1,648.50 (initial & yearly) $ 52.50 (initial & yearly) $ $6523.75

These costs do not include the fees that you will pay for monthly office fees, stationary, advertising and a number of other fees that can easily run into the thousands. In addition there is also a mandatory requirement for additional educational credits every two years.

Family

Having the support of your family is another big aspect of being a REALTOR ®. You will be spending a great deal of time away from your family and friends and this is one of the sacrifices that often does lead to burnout and added stress. Being up front and communicating goes a long way to make the transition easier.

This is a business after all...

Careful planning and goal setting along with a budget approach to finances will help you to truly succeed in this complex and rewarding industry.

Passionate about what you do and love to help out others? Stop by for a coffee and get the facts before you start out...