Leaving the Military

[NAVYSKINSFAN]

So after seven years I am thinking of leaving the Navy. I had a good run, hell I made E-6 in six years and everything is good. I have wanted to be in real estate for a long time now, and I think I am going to finialy persue that dream.

Does anyone here currently work as a real estate agent? If so what can you tell me about it. I have a friend who got out about three years ago and did it. I'm going to meet with him next week. Let me know what u folks think.

[FRPLG]

It will be a little tougher time now than it was for your friend since the market has cooled pretty substantially. If you are thinking of being an agent then it is good to know that there are a lot of agents out there now what with the real estate boom of the last decade. Most of them just aren't very good since it didn't require a lot of quality work to make money. Now those are the ones who are going to struggle. If you work hard and do a good job you can make good money in real estate as an agent.

As an investor you just need to make good decisions. Don't get into something without knowing the market.

[That Guy]

at the re-max office where my mom works a lot of agents have quit over the last year or so cause the market's a lot softer now.

It may be different in your area, but i sorta doubt it.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by That Guy

at the re-max office where my mom works a lot of agents have quit over the last year or so cause the market's a lot softer now.

It may be different in your area, but i sorta doubt it.

My dad builds houses and his company has been letting a lot of the younger/newer people go over the past few months because of how slow the markets is in MoCo and PG County.

[724Skinsfan]

To get started off you will definitely want to bank on friends and family. Getting very active in the social scene is a good bet as well. Let everyone know who you are and what you do as often as possible. Go to church and attend your kids (if you have any) schools functions. Network, network, network!

I took the Virginia state and the national test and passd the first time. It's not hard if you have a good grasp of ethics. I chose not to take up real estate though after the onclusion of 3 or 4 interviews. A little too greasy for me but a lot of my friends have enjoyed lucrative success from it. Also, you amy want to consider getting into mortgage lending. Sort of the same thing but their reputation isn't quite as tarnished as a realtors, yet.

[onlydarksets]

What market are you considering?

[That Guy]

Originally Posted by 724Skinsfan

To get started off you will definitely want to bank on friends and family. Getting very active in the social scene is a good bet as well. Let everyone know who you are and what you do as often as possible. Go to church and attend your kids (if you have any) schools functions. Network, network, network!

I took the Virginia state and the national test and passd the first time. It's not hard if you have a good grasp of ethics. I chose not to take up real estate though after the onclusion of 3 or 4 interviews. A little too greasy for me but a lot of my friends have enjoyed lucrative success from it. Also, you amy want to consider getting into mortgage lending. Sort of the same thing but their reputation isn't quite as tarnished as a realtors, yet.

dunno why you think realtors or the buiness is slimy. I've seen nothing like that... though every now and then you will get someone who's a bit nuts.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by That Guy

dunno why you think realtors or the buiness is slimy. I've seen nothing like that... though every now and then you will get someone who's a bit nuts.

Yeah most I have dealth with have been decent. I didn't know there was a vast dislike of realtors. What about them and it is slimy?

[onlydarksets]

In my area (NoVa), it's not the slimy agents so much as it is the lazy agents. As someone else mentioned, half these people were just riding the boom and had no clue what they were doing.

[saden1]

Real estate is tough business but if you've learned some skills in the Navy you should have no problem pursuing other avenues if it doesn't work out.

I have a friend who had similar story. He was a Marine, got out after seven years, went to school and got a computer science degree, and now he heads a small group of people at the Navel Research Facility. Needless to say, he owns three homes, rents out two and occupies the other. That's as far as he dabbled into real estate.

[724Skinsfan]

Perhaps my language was a bit harsh but I'm generally a little negative towards businesses that maximizes profit through sales and not service. However, I will retract my "a little too greasy for me" statement as well as implying that a mortgage lenders reputation isn't quite as tarnished as a real estate agents.

We can continue to debate on another thread but right now we're not helping NAVYSKINSFAN.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

It will be a little tougher time now than it was for your friend since the market has cooled pretty substantially.

Not here in PA. It depends on the area. Here, especially in south-central PA where I am, everyone from NY, NJ and MD are moving here because their states' taxes are killing them. We're still booming here.

I bought a home 18 months ago when there was still a surplus of homes for sale, so prices were low and so were interest rates. I bought at the absolute perfect time because supply and demand has made prices go up a lot since then, which is GOOD for realtors. Also, interest rates have gone up about 1/2 point from the all-time lows we saw. There is a LOT of new construction, but the prices of prebuilt homes are still rising. My home's market value has risen 15-20% since I bought it! Great equity earned.

NAVYSKINSFAN - Thanks for what you've done for us with your service. Good luck with your job prospects.

[dmek25]

buster, you beat me to it. anyway, thanks again navyskinsfan for everything you have done so that people like me can enjoy the fruits of the #1 country in the world. and my wife is in the mortgage business and deals with alot of realtors. with the customers, they are generally ok. with each other, thats a different ballgame. lots of playing around, ending in divorces

[saden1]

Here in Washington state they make the seller pay both agents (your agent and the buyer's agent). That's a bunch of BS if you ask me.

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by saden1

Here in Washington state they make the seller pay both agents (your agent and the buyer's agent). That's a bunch of BS if you ask me.

I'm pretty sure that's how it works in most places.