Maybe you work another job, along with being a part-time real estate agent.  Maybe you are a stay-at-home parent and only want to work 20 hours per week.  Maybe you want to get into real estate after leaving a completely different career.  Whatever your reason for pursuing real estate, there are ways to approach working part-time and succeeding.

• Financial support
• Reputable broker
• Time management 
• Marketing & Networking
• Mentor or coach
  
  

Financial Support

To succeed as a part-time agent, you must have enough financial support to cover monthly fees until you make your first sale (could take up to a year).  If you have money saved, work another part-time job, or have secondary income (ex. partner) to help cover expenses, you’re in a good financial position to start your part-time real estate career.  

Calculate your monthly recurring expenses, then talk to local agents to get an idea of what they’re spending on professional expenses. If you cannot cover your recurring expenses plus common agent expenses for more than a short period of time, part-time real estate might not be a good fit right now.  

• Desk fees
• Taxes
• Marketing
• Technology
• Licensing fees

Broker

Finding a reputable broker to sponsor you is a necessary step before you can begin working as an agent.  A highly praised broker is one who is passionate about helping others succeed, uses amazing tools to nurture growth and is a great communicator.  Talk to a variety of brokers, and their agents, until you find one who offers a great training program, possible mentorship, can help you succeed in sales calls, showings, lead prospecting and management, marketing, customer relationship management, etc.  

Time Management

Time management can make or break a real estate agent.  Even before you get licensed, talk to other part-time real estate agents about how much time they commit to their business and how they manage their time.  Are they in the office every day?  Do they perform certain tasks on certain days?  Do they work in time blocks? How much time do they spend nurturing leads? How much of their time goes towards office meetings, client meetings, administrative work, etc.?  Knowing how existing agents manage their time will greatly increase your chances of becoming a successful real estate agent.

Another consideration when it comes to time management is making yourself available to your clients when they need you.  You need to be flexible with your time. For example, if you have a client who wants to look at homes after 5pm, can you accommodate or do you need to be at home to put your kids to bed?  When considering part-time work in the real estate industry, take into account your ability to be flexible with scheduling time to accommodate the needs of your clients.

Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

Marketing & Networking

When you learn how to market yourself effectively, you will find great success as a real estate agent.  Social media is probably the most popular and affordable way to market yourself.  Take advantage of your contacts in Facebook, for example, to get the word out about your new career.  Don’t be shy about asking them to share your content and invite their friends to follow you.  

You can also market via mail (yes, it still works).  Send out postcards introducing yourself to homeowners in a neighborhood you want to represent. Whether you’re hosting an open house for another agent or listing a house on your own, mailers will get your name out there. 

Networking is an important part of marketing and leads to great success in the real estate industry.  Let as many people as possible know about your new career -- neighbors, parents at your children’s school, people at businesses you frequent (grocery store, barista, car wash), previous co-workers, your partner’s friends, etc. The real estate industry is driven by making connections with people wherever you go.

Mentor or Coach

Give yourself an advantage over other agents by finding a mentor or hiring a coach.  Mentors and coaches will help you get started on the right foot, providing strategies that promote success in less time.  Talk to other agents who have used a mentor or coach, then make a plan to hire one of them or seek out well-established real estate coaching professionals online.

Conclusion

Working as a part-time real estate agent can be a very rewarding career, especially if you do a bit of homework ahead of time.  Make sure you can cover expenses for the first year, find a reputable broker, manage your time well, master marketing and networking, and consider hiring a mentor or coach.  By following the tips in this article, you’ll increase your chances of a successful career as a part-time real estate agent.  I wish you the best of luck!