I was talking to someone recently about beginning a career in real estate.  This young man was almost finished with his real estate class at a different real estate school.  He said showed me an advertisement that the school had given him.  The school was offering a real estate coaching package that cost several hundred dollars.  If you registered before class ended, you got a significant discount, but it still cost several hundred dollars.  I advised him to pass up the offer.  Here’s are some of my thoughts about real estate coaching…

First, I told him that under no circumstance should he pay for real estate coaching before he even had his real estate license.  Sometimes things happen and it takes longer to get a license then you expect.  In Florida, in the last six months, we’ve had a statewide shutdown that included shutting down the testing center.  Once they opened, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) computers were hacked causing significant delay in processing applications.  You might have a personal situation such as an illness or family emergency that delays you getting your license.  So, you don’t need to pay for a coaching package before you get your license.

Second, the brokerage firm you choose may offer a training program.  (If it doesn’t, you picked the wrong company.)  That training might be sufficient, it might not be.  But give it a try before you plunk down several hundred dollars in other training.

Third, find out the qualifications of the trainer.  There are a lot of people who are good at selling houses who are terrible coaches.  Conversely, there are people who are great coaches who might not have been rock star agents.  Your coach does not need to have been the top agent in the company, but they do need to have been pretty good when they were selling.  More importantly, they also need to know why they were good. 

There will be plenty of time to hire a coach.  It’s a great investment at the right time.  There are plenty of expenses associated with getting a license and getting your career started.  Don’t buy a coaching package before you even know what those costs are.

If you are interested in getting a Florida real estate license, please check out Demetree School of Real Estate.

Please note that Karen Climer does not work for nor have any affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate.  Her father, Ron Climer, sold that school in 2014.  Since then, there have been no Climers at Climer School.  They are all proudly affiliated with Demetree School of Real Estate.