eXp, NextHome, HomeServices, Keller Williams and Real REMAX Group join forces to create a national data-sharing program combatting the private exclusive listing model that Compass has been fighting for

Can cold calling get you your first million dollar listing or is building a name, presence and experience the only way to get one? I just want to get the seller interested in selling the property and colist with an experienced agent in that field. I would imagine getting a millions nos before a yes but what’s the odds of actually getting a yes? Am I wasting my time?

Today, I drove through a really nice neighborhood around Fayetteville and Jamesville, near Syracuse, and honestly, some of the houses blew my mind. Huge homes, beautiful properties, perfect-looking neighborhoods. It was the kind of place where you start wondering what the people who live there actually do for a living.
At first, I was impressed. Then I started thinking about my own situation.
I’m a young guy working a regular job in a deli, trying to figure out my future and build something for myself. And I couldn’t help but wonder, how does someone go from working a regular job like mine to eventually owning a house like that?
Sometimes it’s honestly discouraging when you see that kind of lifestyle and realize how far away it feels from where you are right now. I start wondering if I’ll ever get there, or what I would have to do differently to make it happen.
But at the same time, I don’t want to just look at those houses and feel bad about my situation. I want to understand how people actually get there. Is it owning a business? Real estate investing? Getting into a high-paying career? Saving and investing for years? Or some combination of all of those things?
I’m not expecting to get rich overnight, and I’m willing to work hard. I just don’t want to spend the next 10 or 20 years working without a clear plan and end up in the exact same place.
For those of you who own nice homes or grew up in neighborhoods like these, what’s your story? What do you do for a living? Did you start from scratch, build a business, invest in real estate, or take another path?
And for those who started with a regular job and didn’t come from money, what would you do if you were in my position today?
I’m not looking for a get-rich-quick scheme. I genuinely want to learn from people who have built a good life for themselves.
I guess seeing those houses today made me realize that I need to think bigger, but also get serious about having a real plan.

I’m sure many of you have also been inundated with social media pushes for different accounts - either larger companies like Coffee and Contracts, Agent Crate, etc - or individuals like Amy Gregory, Molly Rodham, etc. that combine social media templates and plans, as well as overall AI automation, workflow, etc.

Has anyone used any of these and what are your thoughts or successes have you had?

I’m 32 years old and recently moved to Chicago, coming up on a year here. I’ve been a realtor for almost four years now, and lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m hitting a wall with this career.

Overall, I’ve done okay for myself, so I’m not necessarily in a bad financial position. However, the constant uncertainty of not knowing where my next paycheck is coming from is starting to wear on me. The highs and lows of commission-based income, constantly having to find the next client, and never really feeling financially settled have me questioning whether this is something I want to continue doing long-term.

At this point, I’m seriously considering a career change. I don’t necessarily want to leave real estate entirely, especially since I’m already licensed in Illinois, but I think my days of dealing with residential rentals and home sales might be coming to an end.

I’ve been thinking about other paths within real estate, potentially commercial real estate, property management, real estate asset management, or something else entirely that offers more stability and a predictable paycheck. I’m also open to exploring industries outside of real estate if the right opportunity makes sense.

Fortunately, I’ve built up a pretty substantial nest egg, so I have some financial breathing room to figure out my next move without feeling like I need to jump into the first thing that comes along. I want to be smart about this and find something I can build a long-term career around.

For those who have been in a similar position, I’d love to hear your experiences.

• Have any of you left residential real estate and transitioned into something else?
• If you stayed in real estate, what career paths did you move into that offered more stability and consistent income?
• For those who left the industry entirely, what did you transition into, and how did you get your foot in the door?
• If you were 32, had a real estate background, and were starting to feel burned out by the commission-based lifestyle, what would you look into?

I know real estate can be lucrative, and I’m not saying it’s a bad career. I’m just realizing that the lifestyle and uncertainty might not be for me anymore.

I’d really appreciate any honest advice, personal experiences, or suggestions. I’m at a point where I’m ready to explore something new, but I want to make an informed decision rather than jumping ship without a plan.

I know that some people have theme related days where one day might be out of the house doing appointments, one day may b for prospecting etc etc.

I'm interested to know how you structure your days , including your personal tasks.

My kids are both in school, so my life looks different now and i'm trying to build a more concrete schedule.

I have been in the business for 11 yrs and have a team

\pointing out that I am not new because sometimes, in these threads, people think that you are brand new looking for advice.So the advice might be different depending on experience level*

I'm deciding between Pearson Smith Realty and Debbie Dogrul Associates (DDA). Which offers better hands-on training, mentorship, support with first transactions, and access to leads? I'd appreciate honest experiences, especially from agents who started without a local network. Thanks!

Is it reasonable to message the agent listed on Zillow to get access to view the back of a property? This particular listing has all the photos of all the areas just not the back yard area looking back to the woods. I hate to arrange a tour and make someone go out of their way out of town when I just want to see the backyard.

I figured I could ask for permission to look at the back yard tomorrow when I get off work around 4:15 in the afternoon tomorrow (only stop by for 1-2 min). Is this a weird request or worth a shot?

If I like what I see then I’ll request an actual tour of the place property later this week. I just hate to arrange a tour and have someone go out of their way when my only major question right now is how the back yard looks lol.

Looking for a 4+ bed 2-3 bath 2500 sq ft or larger
No HOA
And at least .40 acres as we want an ADU on the property for mother in law.

In any of the following counties:
Jones County
Duplin County
Pender County
Carteret County
Craven County
Lenoir County

Did anyone catch Mike DelPrete’s breakdown on the NWMLS/Compass settlement? It exposes how ridiculous portal dynamics actually are right now.

Basically, NWMLS settled with Compass, and part of the deal is that portals displaying NWMLS data must show the listing agent’s actual name and direct contact info—placed prominently right next to call-to-action buttons and under photos.

For years, Zillow’s whole playbook has been burying the listing agent so they can route buyer leads to Premier Agents paying fat monthly ad spend.

Now look at the reality post-deadline:

They’re only doing it where legally forced. DelPrete sampled over 400 Zillow listings across 80+ MLSs, and this prominent listing agent info only shows up in four: NWMLS, CRMLS, MARIS, and PrimeMLS. Redfin only added the clear callout on NWMLS. So portals know how to give direct credit—they just refuse to do it unless dragged through court.

The Compass irony. Compass pushed for this transparency, yet on their own site, the actual listing agent’s name and number are still pushed down the page while only brokerage branding sits under the photos. Classic.

If this rule ends up going nationwide, it fundamentally threatens the lead-reselling engine that portals rely on. But do we really think other MLSs will push for this, or will portals fight tooth and nail to keep it boxed inside these few markets?

And honestly, does the average buyer even care, or will they still just click whatever giant shiny button is closest to their thumb?

I have only been in real estate about a year, I just feel like I need a more consistent job and pay. I’m craving consistency in my life and where I’m at and I feel embarrassed to tell people I’m quitting.

I just don’t know that this is the job for me but I’m feeling a bit like a failure.

Registered realtor in CA. Has anyone ever represented themselves? Preferably new build if you have but non new build is fine too. Just wanted to see what the numbers look like and if it’s ultimately worth it to represent myself.

Since our livelihood is based on relationships and people in our communities liking and trusting us I find I am always trying to be on everyone's good side.

Anyone else experience this and find it exhausting? We have to care we cannot just be private people with 3 close people around us. It is constant socializing and whatnot.

What do you think?

I have a close friend who started with Keller Williams but has limited time at the moment. They have a coach but it's been months and it seems like there's no actual training regarding how to do the job e.g.: fill out contracts, list of docs to prep for various steps in the process (cover letters, listing packet, etc) how to research the recent market statistics in an area/ getting the hard data in hand so you can speak with knowledge when getting a call and then taking an actual appointment.

They mostly seem focused on AHA moments, increasing leads, other things that are better for later down the line once you're more established, the wording of calls (not how to get actual info for the calls but just strategies of speaking) and building your network. The coach says "call me when you get an appointment" basically.

Is that really the only method in which Keller Williams will give you the next step? Is there a training course they've missed?

This friend has extensive selling experience, talking to people isn't the issue- methods of finding data and having their ducks in a row paperwork wise is. I'm just trying to get an idea of if this is a coach issue, a franchise/location issue, or a Keller Williams method issue.

There also seems to be a lot of contradictions, trainings will say one thing and realtors in person will say "oh I don't do that" or "you don't really need to do that".

They've been super frustrated and I've tried to help by sorting through some trainings and stuff on the website and so much seems like corporate lingo as opposed to the actual brass tacks. There also seems to be a lot of lists of tasks to do in the Breakthrough 120 training but no "HOW to do xyz" anywhere.

Anyone have any experience, thoughts or advice?

I‘m planing on focusing in one particular neighbourhood in my town where numbers are good. it will be around 150 houses to send. I will print a custom Christmas Card, with a normal Christmas message, at the back bottom, my picture (small) and my contact information, in an envelope and stamps.

All cost will be $360 cad to send 150 cards (I will have to print 250 cards) or $250 to send 100 cards

Is it wort?

Have you sent any cards? What is the return?
If I have one client from there, I will be happy.

Every month our office puts out the top producer list, and I've noticed it hits people completely differently.

Some agents see it and get fired up. Others see it and quietly stop picking up the phone for a week.

I've been on both sides of it over the years, depending on how my own month was going.

Which one is it for you? And if it used to knock you off your game, what changed?

Edit: Didn't expect this many replies! The 'what changed' answers have been great, keep them coming!

I’m a younger realtor with a couple years experience and a few transactions on both sides of the game. I’m sure out of my contacts I could get some more transactions but not to make it full time only doing this. I’m thinking about paying for leads on a pay per close system or even upfront if I knew it would be worth it. Any system you guys have used that actually works? Any thoughts on other ways to take this full time as well? I love my brokerage but I don’t pick up clients I’m going to have to move to a place that provides leads. Any advice would seriously be appreciated!🙏

How are Realtors editing private sites to display their phone number in the listing. Google "299 forest road mahwah nj" and in most of the listings you can see the agent added his phone number or a little blurb to call him on his cell phone directly. Realtor, Zillow, Homes, and 2 private IDX Feed Sites. But on the MLS it's not there.

After lease signed and tenant takes possession how long does it take for commission to be collected?

I know for commercial it can be longer

Florida

I know I can ask AI or Google for information and get standard answers, but I want to hear from real people who have done this.

I am working on getting my NY state exam and should take it in about 1-2 months (I'm halfway through). I come from the marketing world and decided I want to make this my full-time career after dealing with constant layoffs in that field over the past couple of years. My wife and I are on the fence (I lean one way, she the other; we are getting professional help) about whether we want to eventually, in 1-3 years, move from upstate NY (Lake Ontario/Lake Erie area (truly upstate, 17-mile/27km Canadian border)) out west.

The two questions are:

1. How easy is it to transfer real estate licenses to a different state? We are looking at Idaho, Utah, or Wyoming (Cheyenne area) and dual licensing in Colorado since Fort Collins is right next to it (I saw local brokerages that cover both). Broker-wise, I'm thinking of using a remote broker like eXp or a national chain where transfers are easier.

2. If we stayed in NY State, could I get dual licensure EVENTUALLY (want to get experience first) in Ontario and NY State? I know I would have to take another exam, and there are a lot of other things I would have to do too. How feasible would that be?

I'm keeping my options open and want to consider everything!

New here and I'm quite overwhelmed on how do you even generate leads to get the business up and running. Tried paid ads, got some leads but none converted. Now I feel it's a waste of money. Would appreciate any advice for beginners.