Could age hold me back?

No way..who are they to choose.

You get to CHOOSE the life you want. Go for it @Nathan Simon !!!

 

Nathan - I am a real estate agent who has trained 18 year old real estate agents.
I have no doubts whatsoever that you can sell a house. You can negotiate terms with buyer, you can put a contract together, possibly initiate or do council searches correctly and take buyer and seller through the entire process. That part is easy peasy.

What you probably can't do is generate leads and establish followers so that you have a steady stream of business coming through. This is not because of your age but because you are not experienced enough to do this. It takes time to get there.

Whether you are starting at 18 or 58 you are NON EXISTENT to the market place in the first few years and until you actually get runs on the board and establish a reputation for good work, people will not take you seriously.

At 18 you have everything on your side, most people quit before they get going. Hang in there because hard work is worth it in the long run.

 

I would rather deal with a switched on young agent than a useless old one.

Adelaide is filled with the latter and it drives me nuts

 

I know what is needed to succeed. I was a lead generator for 2 months at a small Brisbane agency and secured 5 listings in my second month. I have done my research, read 12 books in 3 months. Listened to seminars and researched the very best.

The turn over rate in Real Estate is not good, but I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I have a true passion for property!

 

Do you want to be on the selling side or the buying side? You could work for a buyer's agent, on the other side of the fence.

 

You've got the drive! By the sounds you need to move from where you currently are. Find a new boss /agent (however it works??) and work your ass off with someone that will teach you as you go! It's the best time while your young and fresh to go hard and put in the long hours!
When I started out as young engineer I was doing 60hr weeks, I was learning /doing 50% more hrs than others, so over a short period I had a lot more experience than others my age and even older. Now I have no interest in working 60hrs especially when the pay isn't there,but I learnt a heap which helped me big time so I can now use that bank of knowledge to my advantage

 

I want to be a listing agent. Selling is easy, it's getting the stock that's hard

 

That's right and I agree. I was doing 60 hours a week at my old agency. And I was bringin in results. They refused to train me and so I found a new agency who promised lots. I'm now barely averaging 38 hours as they send me home constantly and I'm not my own boss basically.
I have the drive, I work hard and have so many goals that require hard work.

 

This thread reminds me of Yoda's directions to Luke Skywalker...

Yoda: Why wish you become Jedi?
Luke: Well, mostly because of my father, I guess.
Yoda: Ahh... father. Powerful Jedi was he. Powerful Jedi.
Luke: [suspcious] Oh, come on! How can you know my father? You don't even know who I am. Oh, I don't even know what I'm doing here! We're wasting our time!
Yoda: [Looking away from Luke] I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.
Obi-Wan: [voice-over] He will learn patience.
Yoda: Much anger in him... like his father.
Obi-Wan: [voice] Was I any different when you taught me?

Back to topic: I think the drive to succeed is important and so is patience. Tricks in the trade you must learn...and learn to build a system so that when you are ready, systems go. For me, I learned the good and the bad before I came out to have my own practice. Build networks fast under your bosses. Learn to run a business. Learn to work with others regardless of age. Start saving every penny to start a business. Identify your weaknesses and strengths. Get a mentor.

 

Want to work in IT sales?

 

Don't know a thing about IT mate sorry. Real estate is when my passion is set. Thanks for the thought though

 

I am a property investor and I definitely would not dismiss and agent based on age. One of the best agents I deal with in Perth is very young. What is good is that he takes time to understand the property he is selling, so at home opens I listen to him because what he says is actually useful.

 

I would definitely consider buying a property from you. Maybe even selling ... as long as you can do as you're told ... can you? Maybe 18 is a little young to deal with but if you keep at it you'll be good in a few short years.
I noticed in another thread that you said you're honest. So as experienced agents and others have pointed out, it will take time to establish yourself as both honest and competent. You will need very good negotiation skills. That requires an understanding of what it's like on both sides of the fence and trust from both parties. You need to know when to hold your ground and when to give in to achieve the best outcome.
While you're absorbing all the knowledge and experience that you need, how 'bout developing some outside interests? Sport, movies, music ...?

 

Whilst age doesn't have to be a barrier, I think you'd potentially succeed a lot more by working ~3 or so years under someone competent so you can leverage off their longer term knowledge. You can go out on your own sure - but you will be reinventing the wheel, making the same mistakes everyone else does etc when you could be acting as a human sponge and soaking up every bit of valuable information in the meantime.

Even more importantly, you can build up your name as a brand whilst working under another agency, and then directly move into your own business with brand exposure in place.

 

Outside interests at the moment are my partner and books about investing and renovating hahah

 

Maybe I worded it wrong.
I don't wish to leave the agency, I just wish to be put out as an agent on my own under the brand. Rather than being someone's 3rd man and last resort

 

Hah, then earn the privilege!

Seriously....

 

Ah - no harm in that at all - just need to find a good mentor/employer. I've got a colleague slightly older than you who is building quite a reasonable career here in Adelaide as he found a good employer who was willing to allow him to grow. Network in the industry, keep professional and show a willingness to learn - you'll get where you need to be from there.

 

Age can hold you back but you can get around it with perseverance, professionalism and some humility.

Is there an REA in your area that you think is the bees knees? I would offer to go be his intern for free if you really want to learn and increase your experience to overcome the age barrier.

At 18 I can only presume you have been in the industry less than 12mths. It sounds like you are on your second agency and in a massive rush. Slow down a little and think about your long term goals and how you might work them backwards.

@Bran offered some excellent advice. Anyone just starting out in any profession needs to find the right system to accelerate their learning and that may be a sideways step like an intern to learn from the best. Compare yourself to people straight out of Uni - they have pretty much the same issues - these can be overcome with good networking, good mentors and faith in your ability (with a good dose of humility and humbleness though)