How did you get started?

[GoGlobe]

What made you decide to become a real estate agent? What was your previous job? What kind of education did you take to prepare you for your new job?

[jamesww]

Number one I did not spam forum boards.

[minnesota-mls]

Thanks for your note Go Globe. Here in Minnesota, licensees are required to take three week long courses, and then pass a national and a state test in order to become licensed. Then you need to find a broker to hold your license. Obviously there are a ton of brokers to choose from, so depending upon your motivations, etc, you may have particular ones you gravitate towards.

On our team here in Minnesota, we have found that the real estate agents that are full time are really the ones who are succeeding. It is a business you can do part time, but it is much much harder of course.

I personally got into real estate from the investment property angle. I had bought a few homes here in Minnesota as investment property and had worked with a couple different agents. I orginally wanted to get the license just so I could earn some of the commissions on the purchase...since that time it has turned into more than a full time gig for me.

I hope this information helps out a bit.

[Jim]

I have beenin sales pretty much my whole life. Working retail while going to school to get my BA in advertising. Going on to spend 10 years selling TV advertising at a local station, 3 years selling online marketing partnerships and advertising for the online branch of a large newspaper, selling telecommunications equipment and now Real Estate.

Both my parents were Real estate Brokers growing up and we had/have rental properties that the family managed. Once the telecom industry tanked about 4 years ago I decided to look into making a move and Real Estate seemed like the perfect fit. I took classes and passed my test on the first try.

Hooked up with Coldwell Banker and have been there since. It takes a while to get established. So my advice is make sure you have a large nest egg (1year of rent/bills) or other sources of income before you start. Stay in contact with your SOI(family & friends), do floor time and host open house for other agents in your office. Learning is an ongoing process. Learn all you can from any training provided. Also you may want to look into getting on a team or having a mentor.

Don't go nuts with marketing until you have money coming in. This is a very competitive business and drop out rates are very high. So , be prepared, set realistic goals, plan a way to reach those goals and hang in there.