New career...

[squid meat]

Sometime in the next few months, I'll need to find another job. I retire from the military after 20 years, and now I have to grow up !

I'am thinking of going into real estate, either selling (century 21, etc) or as an appraiser.

What do you guys know about those fields ?
Regardless of housing costs and starts, is the field to "saturated" with to many agents & employees already ? Seems like advertiments are everywhere !!

Any feedback would help, thanks.


Stinky

 

[Psychopomp]

It depends on your market. My mom has been selling real estate since I was in first grade (17 years now... she's been the president of the county board of realtors) and the market changes a lot.

It's not really how many agents there are in a certain location, as it is who has the listings and what the local economy is like. If you're in a multiple listing system (and I'm assuming most places are like that) it doesn't really matter who the listing agent is, but the listing agent is most likely to get the call from someone who's interested (their office is at least).

But if the local economy is slow and businesses are downsizing/outsourcing then the housing market takes a hit. In down times, the only people looking to move in are lower income. Those who have money are moving out and there are a lot of listings to be had, but not a lot of buyers.

It's a great thing when times are good. But it's hard when times are slow. For several years in a row in the late 80s/early 90s, my mom sold over $1,000,000 in property... given a 6 to 8% commission adds up to good money.

I say go for it. You need some people skills and compassion (it's hard to tell someone with their heart set on something that they're gonna have to settle for something less). But you can get your license and as long as you keep it up and current, real estate doesn't have to be your only job. But you're more likely to get the higher end listings if you're with a well known office.

 

[Gollnick]

Real Estate agent is highly competitive and really feast or famon.

Appraiser is good, but the license is actually hard to get. This is a field that computers will very shortly constrict. Already, all home sales are recorded in computer databases. It won't be long before the computer can compare homes with just a little bit of manual help. This is another thing that can potentially be off-shored too. So, there's risk in that.

Think about being a licensed Home Inspector. They make good money and it's gonna be a long time before they invent a computer than can climb up onto a roof and evaluate shingles. And they're not going to ship houses off to India so that cheaper inspectors can look at them and send them back. There's always going to have to be a person who goes and does this on-site.

 

[wolfmann601]

Do whatever the hell you want, you earned that priviledge sir!!!!

When I retired after 25+ years in LE I too thought I wanted to sell real estate. But it did not work out selling so I helped a buddy with Home inspections. Lots and lots of money can be had, wow!!!!

Good luck in whatever you do....

 

[Dijos]

When I saw appraiser, i read inspector. Again, a hard license to get. Selling real estate is brutal-the sucess rate is terrible for new agents. I don't know anything about appraisal.

 

[TorzJohnson]

I went through this about 5 years ago. Things worked out OK for me. Whatever you do, don't worry too much about it - you'll find a good job somewhere. Employers are quite aware that if you put in 20 or more in the service, you know how to show up on time and get the job done. Believe it or not, that's something of a rare commodity these days!

 

[silenthunterstudios]

If you have a good gift of gab, strangers like you quickly, and can sell a camel a case of bottled water, you'll make it as a real estate agent. I almost started doing this when I was 20, and I didn't know my arse from a hole in the ground when it came to houses. As long as you know the ins and outs of what you are selling, and as long as you can sell anything, you'll do fine if you're in a right area. Best of luck.

 

[squid meat]

all the replies. i doubt that real estate would be a good fit for me, I don't really see me selling anything, and chasing folks and such would be something I don't really desire.

I wonder how much school I can take on, and still have a career to look forward to ?? By that, if I spend a while getting a degree , I would graduate and be looking for work at age 42-44 !!!


Who's gonna hire a retired military dude with no experience and a new grad to boot ?

I figure that most jobs go to the younger crowd ??


Stinky

 

[Gollnick]

I wonder how much school I can take on, and still have a career to look forward to ?? By that, if I spend a while getting a degree , I would graduate and be looking for work at age 42-44 !!!


Who's gonna hire a retired military dude with no experience and a new grad to boot ? Stinky

Actually, those people are sought-after. Imagine being able to hire someone at just a little over the new grad rate but get the wisdom and maturity of a 45-year old? (New college grads are generally about 23 and they've got a lot of energy and a lot of ambition and a lot of creativity, but they are totally inexperienced and totally immature and they're going through getting married, settling into a marriage, having kids, etc.) Add the bonus of the disipline and experience of 20+ years of military service... that's very attractive in an employee.

Keep in mind that you are gonna make the new graduate rate when you graduate, the same rate, more or less, that 23-year-olds are making. When you go to your first job, your age-peers are going to be 20+ years senior to you in job functions, titles, and salaries. Your bos may very well be younger than you. But, you've got your military pension, so financially, you'll probably be on a par with your age-peers overall.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

all the replies. i doubt that real estate would be a good fit for me, I don't really see me selling anything, and chasing folks and such would be something I don't really desire.

I wonder how much school I can take on, and still have a career to look forward to ?? By that, if I spend a while getting a degree , I would graduate and be looking for work at age 42-44 !!!


Who's gonna hire a retired military dude with no experience and a new grad to boot ?

I figure that most jobs go to the younger crowd ??


Stinky

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAS TO HIRE YOU! www.usajobs.opm.gov. Now, just don't take any jobs from me .

 

[James Green Dragon]

Why don't you look into insurance adjusting? Pay is good & if you get your license you can work from home depending on the company you want to work for. Some companies would definately consider a military service record a benefit - specifically, USAA, however, there are alot of others too.

Just do me a favor and become one of the 'good guy' adjusters & try to find a way to honor a claim instead of trying to find a way to deny it. Heck, you can make a decent living and make a difference too if you try.

 

[mycroftt]

all the replies. i doubt that real estate would be a good fit for me, I don't really see me selling anything, and chasing folks and such would be something I don't really desire.

I wonder how much school I can take on, and still have a career to look forward to ?? By that, if I spend a while getting a degree , I would graduate and be looking for work at age 42-44 !!!


Who's gonna hire a retired military dude with no experience and a new grad to boot ?

I figure that most jobs go to the younger crowd ??


Stinky

Check out www.usajobs.gov. It's the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) job site. Lots and lots of government jobs, and guarantee you will be surprised how much of your military experience is considered transferrable skills. Check it out. You might also be surprised how many contractors are hiring folks with your background.

Good luck!