If you are considering starting a new career as a real estate agent you might feel a little intimidated. There are many reasons for this intimidation but the most important one is that you are no longer guaranteed a paycheck. For this reason many people decide to try their hand at real estate part time instead of full time in the very beginning and they keep their current full time job. This is the only way to find out if real estate is going to be your dream job. There are some important things that you should know before you jump into part time real estate. This article will help to explain these items to you.

It Can Be Difficult To Find A Broker

It is important to remember that brokers fail or succeed when their agents who work for them do the same. Their efforts are only as good as the agents who work for them. Brokers will supply office space as well as other resources to those agents who are producing good results. As a part time agent you will probably equal less business and therefore some brokers will not even give you a chance to produce results for them. As a part time agent you will need to find the perfect broker for your situation.

Scheduling Will Not Be Easy

As a part time real estate agent you will find that scheduling might be a large challenge for you. You will be working with your own schedule as well as the clients schedule and sometimes it can be difficult to find a time that works for both. It can be difficult if you have buyers who wish to look at homes that are brand new because then you are also working with the builder’s time schedule as well. Other areas of the job that might cause problems with a part time schedule is when you are dealing with title companies or lenders. They usually only operate during what is considered normal business hours. In order to make a part time schedule work for everyone it will take a lot of organization on your part.

Sharing Your Income

When you schedule and that of others do not work out you might need to ask another agent to step in for you and do your job. Of course when this happens you will probably have to share the amount of income that you receive from the real estate transaction. The amount to be shared can vary depending on how much work the other agent actually did for you. It is important that you and the other agent discuss this before he or she helps you so that you will know what is expected in advance.

Be Prepared For A Busy Schedule And Long Hours

If you are planning on keeping your current job and work as a real estate agent you need to be prepared to have very long days and your weekends will be busy as well. As an agent your prime time to meet with clients will be in the evenings and of course on the weekends. If you want a day off or even a vacation anytime in the near future you will find that it will be difficult to schedule it.

If being a part time real estate agent is something that you really wish to achieve please do not let this article discourage you. There are many agents who are part time and they do well with scheduling and meeting all of the challenges that are offered. If this seems like something that will work for you the only way you will find out is simply by trying.

Image via Flickr by Gary Lundin