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Before you spend your time and money trying out a career in real estate think about the skills you will need and how you stack up.

1. Are you able to be your own boss? Notice I didn't say desire or want to be your own boss. As a licensed real estate agent you are an independent contractor and no matter which broker you work for you will be fairly independent. A lot of people think they like the idea of not having a boss but don't truly have the skills to manage themselves. When you are on your own it also means having to do everythin: Be self motived, plan your business, implement your plan, learn the skills needed, market yourself, handle the transaction, etc.

2. Can you market yourself and ask for the business? The biggest reason that people fail is the inability to get clients. The real estate part of being an agent isn't too hard, getting the clients and marketing yourself is extremely difficult. In Central Ohio there are over 5,000 agents and around 23,000 transactions. That is an average of just over 4 closings per year per agent. Think about your marketing and sales abilities. Ask yourself how you will get business and how you will market yourself. If you want to be involved in real estate but don't possess the abilities to attract clients then you should think about working as a team member of an established real estate agent's team. 

3. Communication is the key to our business.  For us it's all about communication and customer service. If you can put the clients best interest first, possess empathy for people, have strong communication skills then a career choice with us may be good.

Central Ohio and Columbus, Ohio real estate career as an independent contractor