If you’re considering a career change or looking to enter the workforce, real estate in 2025 could be your ideal path. With continuous innovation, changing market trends, and rising homeownership demand, becoming a real estate agent offers a mix of stability and growth.
In this post, we’ll discuss nine benefits of being a real estate agent in 2025, including the potential for independence, earning power, and the chance to make a difference in people’s lives.
What to Know Before Starting a Career in Real Estate
Starting a career in real estate can be both exciting and challenging. Before diving into the industry, there are some factors you should consider:
- Costs - There are upfront costs involved, such as licensing courses, state licensing exams, background checks, and joining real estate associations. As an agent, you'll face ongoing expenses like MLS access, marketing, and brokerage desk fees, so financial preparedness is crucial for your new career.
- Commissions - Real estate income is often commission-based, which can be inconsistent, especially when starting. Preparing finances in advance is beneficial, as it may be some time before closing your first deal. Commission-based real estate offers no cap on earnings, but income often correlates with dedication and hard work, making consistency in work crucial for success.
- Work-Life Balance - While scheduling is flexible, real estate often requires working evenings, weekends, or holidays to accommodate clients' availability. It's not always a 9-to-5 job. Being resilient in the real estate field is crucial, as not every lead will turn into a sale or a client will choose to work with you. Despite spending time meeting clients' needs, be aware that rejection is an unavoidable part of the industry.
Remember, building a successful real estate career takes time. The first year can be particularly challenging, but with perseverance, the rewards—both personal and financial—can be significant.
Why Real Estate Is a Good Career
Now, let’s dig into the benefits of working in the real estate industry.
1) No College Education Required
College is not for everyone. According to research.com, around 40 percent of undergraduate students leave college every year. There are many reasons why some might not find college to be the right fit, including:
- Financial pressure
- Poor social fit
- Lack of family support
- Length of time to get a degree
While college is expensive, time-consuming, and socially unappealing to some, real estate education is cost-effective, brief, and can be completed on your schedule from the comfort of your home, office, or nearby coffee shop!
2) Flexible Schedule
As an industry professional, you get to work when you want and however long you want. Your success is entirely up to you. You decide how you spend your time. You can choose to take a week-long vacation, take a day off, or work 10 hours daily to expand in your market.
Flexibility in work allows for better work-life balance, allowing for schedule adjustments for personal events, family needs, and necessary time off without significant disruption to workflow. Personalized work style allows individuals to schedule their work hours according to their preferred schedule, whether it's early mornings, late nights, or weekends.
3) Unlimited Income Potential
In real estate, your decisions directly control your annual income. Working during high-demand periods, such as evenings and weekends, can potentially increase sales opportunities and income. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top 10% of real estate brokers made over $119,590 in 2023, with a median annual salary of $56,620.
Unlike a salaried position, you are entirely in control of how much money you make. You truly can make as little or as much as you want, depending on how much work you put in and how dedicated you are to becoming successful. This makes real estate one of the best career paths for entrepreneurs and individuals with drive, focus, and a strong work ethic.
4) High Demand
While a real estate career can be unpredictable at times, one thing is always the same: people need houses. The ongoing demand for housing is directly related to the need for real estate professionals for several reasons. As people continue to buy and sell their homes, there’s a constant need for agents to help facilitate these transactions.
In any market, high demand and low supply drive the need for experienced agents with strong negotiation skills to secure sales. On the other hand, a high number of homes and low demand necessitate agents to market homes uniquely to make them stand out from the crowd.
5) Opportunities for Growth
Working as a real estate agent doesn’t mean doing the same thing for the rest of your life. A career in real estate offers numerous opportunities for growth and development. A real estate agent's specialization in a niche, such as luxury, commercial, or residential properties, can result in higher earnings and enhanced expertise. Additionally, experienced agents have the opportunity to advance by starting their own brokerage, teaching budding agents, and further building a real estate business.
6) Fulfilling Career
When it comes down to it, being an agent is all about making people’s dreams come true. Real estate agents have the privilege of assisting clients in finding their forever home or making a lucrative property investment to gain financial stability. The satisfaction of helping people achieve their real estate goals can be incredibly rewarding.
7) Meet New People
Real estate is a relationship-driven industry. Not only will you be meeting new people every day, but you’ll also learn how to cultivate a strong network among peers, potential clients, and other professionals in related fields (like mortgage brokers, inspectors, and contractors).
Joining the National Association of Realtors (NAR) or local real estate associations provides networking opportunities, additional training, and resources for realtors. Membership in real estate agencies often requires adherence to a specific code of ethics, such as maintaining honesty and integrity and prioritizing clients' interests. Long-term success and reputation depend on these standards, and membership may involve annual fees.
8) Always Learning
Real estate is a constantly evolving industry, and staying updated within the industry is a must. Complete required continuing education for license renewal, understanding market trends, real estate laws, and new marketing and sales techniques to stay updated.
With more real estate experience, you can become an expert. Being an expert gives you the stability to build a devoted clientele and perhaps mentor aspiring agents. This also provides more financial flexibility, allowing you to take vacations, leisure time, or workdays off. This can help grow and develop your real estate business while providing a sense of personal accomplishment.
9) Own Your Business
Most real estate agents are independent contractors Real estate agents do work with brokerages, businesses, or franchises, but they have the freedom to choose their own schedules and manage time and priorities. That means you set your own goals and take pleasure in the fruits of your labor.
Being your own boss involves managing yourself, including preparing and overseeing the yearly budget as well as gathering, submitting, and filing paperwork and leasing agreements. Transitioning to a real estate career allows you to manage your own business, make decisions, and grow your business with a positive attitude and strong work ethic.
How to Start Your Real Estate Career
Now that we’ve introduced all the pros of your new career, let’s go over how to get you there.
- Educational Requirements - Each U.S. state has unique educational requirements for real estate licenses. Make sure to examine local requirements and enroll in a state-approved pre-licensing course.
- Take the Licensing Exam - After completing the required education, you'll need to pass a state licensing exam. Study hard using course materials, practice tests, and exam prep courses, and schedule the exam through your state's designated testing agency.
- Choose a Brokerage - Starting a real estate career requires working under a sponsoring broker. Research brokers in your area, considering factors like reputation, commission structure, training opportunities, and support for new agents.
- Get Your License - After passing the exam and choosing a brokerage, apply for a real estate license through your state's commission. They may require a background check and licensing fee.
- Invest in Marketing and Personal Branding - Real estate agents can boost their services by investing in marketing, such as business cards, websites, and social media presence, such as Facebook Ads, to attract new clients.
Get Started With VanEd
Being a real estate agent is certainly rewarding, but it hinges on things such as your local market, abilities, and personal ambitions. Expecting to see results right away is the main reason why individuals leave real estate.
To excel in real estate, you need tenacity, hope, good people skills, and a training course. VanEd offers a comprehensive guide to help you take the first step in your real estate career. We are here to ensure you are well-prepared and ready to take action.
If you’re ready to start your new career as a real estate agent, head to our website to enroll in our convenient online pre-licensing courses. For those already established agents, we offer continuing education courses as well. Visit our catalog today!
Written and Published by: VanEd
