July 15, 2021
In the first 10 minutes of my most recent New Jersey real estate school class, I asked each person, “Why do you want to get a NJ real estate license?” Their answers point to the real benefit of choosing real estate as a career.
It’s about FREEDOM.
According to national media reports, after enjoying a year of relative freedom by working from home, millions of employees are reluctant to go back to the hum-drum life of working in an office, constricted by four walls, the tedium of commuting, and having a boss constantly in the offing.
As a real estate agent, you are almost always an independent contractor. That means nobody can order you what to do, how to do it or where to go. If you want to take the afternoon to play in the park with the kids—go ahead! If Minnie wants to specialize in showing homes to buyers, Mary wants to focus on selling shore properties, and Mo wants to sell commercial real estate—they can!
It’s about YOU.
Of course, successful real estate agents know it is really about the client. But in terms of your choice of a real estate career, the choices are yours. When you work for somebody else, it is all about what the boss wants, how you need to meet his goals, or how to make her annual bonus.
One of the first things you should do—even before getting your new real estate license—is to set goals. Do you want to work fulltime or part time? Do you want to earn a little extra money to buy a car or save for college? Or do you want to earn six figures in your first year—and the sky’s the limit after that?
When you choose a real estate career, there is no boss to set your goals for you, you are the boss.
It’s about running your own business.
America is a land of entrepreneurs. People dream of owning their own business; of building their own mousetrap. TV shows like Shark Tank are so popular because Americans love the idea of seeing a person build wealth and opportunity from their own initiative and creativity.
It typically costs many thousands of dollars to start your own business. Franchise fees can cost hundreds of thousands, and many businesses require a tremendous investment to buy equipment, rent commercial space, etc.
But when you earn your New Jersey real estate license, you are starting your own business with total investment of $2,500 to $3,000 for the entire first year. You can easily earn double that with the sale of one very modest house.
It’s about UNLIMITED Earnings Potential.
I know four people in one real estate office who each earn well over a million dollars a year as Realtors®. And guess what? They are no smarter than you. God did not give them any more time in the day than He gave you. And each of them live great lives with plenty of free time to enjoy life with their families.
Make no mistake: there are thousands of people who come to real estate school, earn their real estate license, and then drop out of the business after a year or two having sold almost nothing. Some of the blame belongs to the brokers they chose who gave them no training, coaching or support. But much of the fault is theirs, because they set no goals, they took no initiative, they failed to plan—or to stick to their plan, and they gave up too easily.
But we have had thousands of agents earn their New Jersey or Pennsylvania real estate license at Garden State Real Estate Academy and make us so proud as we see them today with “sold” signs all over town, running their own teams, and building their own business that will provide significant income and fulfillment for their families for decades to come.
That is why we say a real estate license can “Open the door to a richer life.”™ Check out this quick video that makes the point: https://youtu.be/Muawpltf_eg
For information on the real estate school’s upcoming New Jersey licensing classes, click here: https://gsreacademy.com/pre-licensing-courses/
For real estate licensing classes in all other states, click here: https://gsreacademy.theceshop.com/pre-licensing
David C. Forward is a licensed real estate broker and instructor and was first licensed as a Realtor® 33 years ago. During his career, David and his business partner sold more than 500 homes in South Jersey. He is now School Director of Garden Real Estate Academy, has won numerous awards for real estate sales, is a much-requested public speaker who has addressed audiences on six continents and is the author of 19 books.
