Q&A: Should I Hire a Part-Time Agent?

I couldn’t help but catch that you are working a part-time job on top of real estate. Should I hire a part-time real estate agent?
Terry, Delaware

Terry, that’s a great question and one that has led me to hold off on announcing that I was working part-time at Best Buy for over a month now.

But, I finally realized that the world needed to know the truth. Kind of like the entire bar’s ambitions in the classic Piano Man.

There are a lot of ways that one can define the term part-time. According to WordNet 3.0* the definition can include:

adjective

• 1. involving less than the standard or customary time for an activity; “part-time employees”; “a part-time job” [ant: full-time]

adverb

• 1. for less than the standard number of hours; “he works part-time” [syn: half-time] [ant: full-time]

I agree with both of these definitions, however I think they leave an important piece out — effort. Working “hours” can show that one is “full-time” but are they really working to their full capacity? We’ve all heard jokes about several professions and their time needed to get projects completed.

Effort. How does it translate into the world of real estate?

That’s an interesting question and one that you have to really look at. I know several “full-time” agents that are anything but “full-time”. They work a couple of hours a day and just don’t really have the desire to be more than just an average agent.

Would you rather have one of these working with you? Or an agent that’s working full-time in real estate and part-time at another job to keep the dream alive?

I don’t know how to answer that Toby. Seems to be a lot of issues in the equation.

Exactly. Can every agent work 20-30 hours per week at a part-time job and still give you the required effort to make your real estate transaction complete? No. Only those with a true fire can do it. I’m tired of being treated like a diry-diaper because I am working to make this career work. But, clients that are willing to work with me and make this work are going to be rewarded.

Am I a part-time agent? No. I consider myself a full-time real estate agent – REALTOR – with a part-time job to help out with my family finances. Just like I’m confident that any of my friends and family would do as well to support their family.

* – part-time. Dictionary.com. WordNet® 3.0. Princeton University. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/part-time (accessed: November 25, 2007).

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