With the current state of the real estate market in Arlington VA and the surrounding area, we have seen a big uptick in people interested in starting a real estate career soon. In particular, many of those are people who are either veterans of the armed services or are currently in the military.
There are a few reasons that many people transition from military to civilian life via the real estate industry. These will become apparent as you ask yourself the following 7 questions!
Does Being a Real Estate Agent Require Prior Experience?
In short: no. Which is why working in real estate is often a great option for military service people who are transitioning to civilian life!
In the current, highly competitive job market, many employers have become rather picky when it comes to hiring. When it comes to becoming a real estate agent, however, the challenges that most people are facing are a lot less daunting.
Unlike most industries — where applicants are expected to have half a decade of work experience to get a second interview — real estate agents are not required to have any experience selling homes before they start. Instead, agents are often evaluated by their personableness and ability to lead a team.
Besides, the best real estate teams will train you in everything that you need to know to start helping clients, selling homes, and making money!
What Skills Transfer Between Military and Real Estate?
It might not seem like it at first glance, but there is a lot that the military can teach you about being a real estate agent! Many of the skills that people learn in military service transfer readily to working in the world of real estate. This means that veterans have a good opportunity to start a lucrative career with a successful home-selling business without the growing pains that tend to plague newer agents!
What Real Estate Problems do Vets Deal With?
As you are likely aware, military service members face unique challenges when it comes to buying or selling a home:
- Frequent relocation
- Befuddling lending options with VA-backed Loans
- Short timelines for buying or selling
- Being required to buy and sell a house at the same time, often in different cities or states
Although civilian agents might be able to recognize these issues on paper, it can’t compare to first-hand experience. Because they have often faced these challenges first- or second-hand, veterans who start a career in real estate are far better-suited to help their military clients with their buying and selling needs.
What Connections Did You Make in the Service?
A lot of real estate agents — particularly those early in their career — focus on building their business through their sphere of influence (SOI). Your SOI is basically just a collection of the people that you have met in your past experiences, as well as the people that they might know. Because many new agents don’t know how to properly utilize marketing tools, they get almost all of their business by working with family, friends, and friends of friends.
Well, as a veteran or active-duty service member, you have access to a far more potent sphere of influence than the average agent! Here are examples of some of the powerful connections that many military members make during the duration of their service:
- Commanding Officers
- Former squadmates and platoon members
- On-base personnel
- Outside contractors
- Other veterans in support communities
As we mentioned above, a lot of these people will face special challenges when buying or selling a home. Rather than letting them have a terrible experience with an agent who can’t truly understand their needs, you have the opportunity to take care of their real estate needs faster, for a better price, and with less stress!
Does Being A Real Estate Agent Require Higher Education?
One of the most attractive aspects of the real estate industry is that it does not require any sort of specialized education beyond the licensing test. This means that you do not have to have a specific degree in order to break into the industry or excel as a real estate agent. At the Keri Shull Team, we have had agents join us from all different walks of life, both military and civilian, and with all manner of experience and educational backgrounds.
Because working as a real estate agent doesn’t require you to spend time and money attending college or vocational school to get specific qualifications, it means that you can quickly start building up your wealth and transitioning into the civilian workforce!
This leads to the next question to ask yourself…
Am I Ready to Invest in My Own Future?
With its unlimited earning potential and opportunity to make valuable connections, the real estate industry offers a great opportunity to invest in yourself and your future. Not only will you get the opportunity to make money by helping others buy and sell their home quickly, but you will also gain the skills and negotiation experience that you need to further expand your own real estate holdings. Most wealth generation in America comes from buying and selling real estate, and you will have the chance to build wealth for you and yours through the housing market!
What Do I Need To Start a Real Estate Career in 2021?
So, let’s assume that you’re on board to get your real estate career started — but what do you need to do and have before you can start selling homes and making money?
Well, there’s the catch, you see. Real estate agents may have a sky-high ceiling for earnings and work-life balance, but it can be a risky venture if you try to do it alone. Most new agents fail to create a profitable business and are out of the industry in just a few years. Others join a cutthroat “team” and have their profits taken in overly harsh commission splits or get nickel-and-dimed with fees from their leaders.
So when you are looking for the right place to start your real estate business as a military veteran, here are the 3 things that you should be keeping an eye out for:
#1: The Best Support
This is one of the biggest reasons that agents wash out. They simply don’t have the support that they need to be superstars!
At the Keri Shull Team, we have dedicated members of a full transaction support team to ensure that our full-time agents can focus on finding and selling homes!
#2: The Best Training
At most real estate companies, the level of training lies somewhere between being thrown into the deep end of a pool and being thrown directly into the ocean. Real estate agents are given minimal training — if any!
When you join the Keri Shull Team, conversely, you can expect industry-leading training. We make sure that all of our agents, both those with prior real estate experience and those that are brand new to the field, are comfortable and confident when it comes to selling homes. This is part of the reason that we are crushing records and are one of the top-selling real estate teams in the entire country; we make sure that all of our agents are home-selling experts!
#3: The Best Teammates
At our team, no one is a solo agent! We currently have 100 different team members who are all there to support you and your growth. This includes other real estate agents, transaction support specialists, digital marketing gurus, and financial experts who are all there to take care of the behind-the-scenes work so you can sell more homes, help more clients, and make more money!
So if you are an active duty or retired military service member who is looking to make the move into real estate, you’re in luck! Just click here to learn more about our newest role, the Military Affairs Specialist, and submit an application today!
If you have any questions about any of our current real estate career openings, just contact the Keri Shull Team today!
