by Mark Ferguson, InvestFourMore

I love real estate and becoming a real estate agent was one of the best decisions I ever made. When you become a real estate agent, you give up a steady pay check and it takes a while to start making money in most cases. Unless you can start out as an assistant making an hourly wage, you are going to have to save money before you become a real estate agent. It could be a month, three months or six months before you sell a house and earn a commission check.

How much money can real estate agents make?

It is risky becoming a real estate agent; you do not have a steady income in most situations and it can take months before you make a sale. It can also take years before you become an established agent earning a steady income. Many people ask themselves why would anyone want to become a real estate agent under these circumstances?

The biggest reason people want to become real estate agents is you can make a lot of money. In this article I talk about exactly how much money you can make as a real estate agent. The average income for a full-time real estate agent is $54,000, but many agents make much more money. You also are able to run your own business, create your own schedule and invest in real estate easier as an agent. I talk much more about investing in real estate in my complete guide to purchasing long-term rentals.

Why does it take so long to make money as a real estate agent?

One reason it takes so long to make money as a real estate agent, is it takes a long time to close on a house. Once a house goes under contract it usually takes 30 to 40 days for that house to close. If a real estate agent is able to get a deal right after they get their license, they will not get paid until the house closes at least a month later.

It can also take a real estate agent months or longer to get their license. I talk about how hard it is for an agent to get their license here. If a potential agent decides to quit their job before they get their license, that will add a couple of months time with no money while the agent is getting their license.

It takes time to build up business as a real estate agent. When starting out, an agent’s circle of influence is the best opportunity to make sales. Friends and family are the easiest targets to make sales, but they may not be in the market to buy or sell right away. Finding buyers or sellers can take months for a new agent and then you have to wait for properties to close.

How long does it take a real estate agent to start making consistent money?

The key to being a successful real estate agent is getting leads. The more leads you get, the more people become your clients and the more sales you will have. I have seen new agents go at real estate agent with everything they have. Those agents have closed one or two deals a month in their second or third month in the business. After six months they really start to take off and have consistent sales and income every month.

I have seen other agents get stuck educating themselves and preparing to be an agent for months without going after business. It takes them a year or longer to start making consistent money and some give up before they make it. It is hard to say it will take three months or 6 months before a new agent will make enough money to support themselves, because everyone is different. I would plan on it taking at least 6 months to become an agent who can make enough money to support themselves.

Remember, there is no better way to learn the business than to start working with clients right away. The more people you talk to about being a real estate agent, the better chance you have of making sales.

How much money will you need to be a successful real estate agent?

Not only do you have to worry about working for months as a real estate agent before you start making money, you have to spend money to make money as an agent. What an agent has to pay for will depend on the agreement the agent has with their broker.

How much money do you need to save before you become a real estate agent?

I would calculate all your costs based on your realistic plan of becoming an agent. That plan should include when you will start making money and how much money you will spend on marketing and expenses. If you want a basic idea for how much you should save, I would save 6 months of living expenses plus $700 a month for expenses once you become an agent. That does not include the initial start-up costs of becoming a real estate agent like getting your license. The cost of being a real estate agent is why many people start as part-time agents, but I explain here why it is very hard to make it as a part-time real estate agent.