First Commission
Interested in making the leap into CRE brokerage and working on obtaining my RE license now. Really curious about hearing from brokers about their first few years. How long did it take to get your first CRE commission? What asset class? How'd you find the lead? Any other info you can provide is greatly appreciated, genuinely interested in the stories of successful (and unsuccessful) brokers! 
[{"id": "db5sgdr", "text": "I think i'm on the lower end of the spectrum honestly and I feel like in hindsight I could have done the little things more to get moving quicker and make more money my 2nd year.  (Cold Calls, hard networking events etc.). \n\nAnyways, I made no money 1st year 2nd year I made a little bit but not a lot.  Year 3 I made a little bit above what friends make in their general entry level jobs.  This next year (4) with what I have in the pipeline I should easily make 80-90k.  My goal is 6 figures though.  \n\nMost people say 2 years = No money.  I know some guys that had 1 year of no money and made livable cash year 2, just depends if you have a good broker to teach you the ropes etc. \n\nMy first lead came from a pass down from my broker who didn't want to waste his time with it (thinking it was a bad lead).  Turned out to be a good client. ", "replies": [{"id": "db5sy60", "text": "What kind of property was it? Industrial, retail, mf, etc? What part of the country do you work in? ", "replies": [{"id": "db5t54k", "text": "I work in a small-mid range city in the South so you have to really do everything.  It was mainly retail though and a little MF.  So.. my experiences are probably vastly different from a large city like LA, NY, Chicago, ATL etc. where competition is bigger, paycheck is bigger and cost of living is higher. ", "replies": [{"id": "db6a4r1", "text": "What market? ", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "db61jwz", "text": "If you are new to the business and try to \"go it alone\" you will likely fail. The most important thing is to find a successful team that you can become a part of. You will start at the bottom, doing research, taking photos, making copies, filling in data. But you will learn a ton via osmosis, just being exposed to it every day. Hearing the industry terminology, seeing how leads are generated, how deals are negotiated and as important, what causes deals to fail. Then they can start having you do showings, work smaller listings under supervision, etc.\n\nThat's what to look for.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "db75ofe", "text": "2.5 years retail leasing in a major market. Finally starting to get a good pipeline and closing deals. Still have a long ways to go before hitting six figures. \n\nIt's a grind. Cold calling if your life blood. Following up is the hardest part. Hard networking is another plus. \n\nOverall a good broker/team to learn under is required. You need to be taught the right way of doing things from the very beginning. \n\nIf I was to go back and do it all over again? Cold call more. At least 100 calls a day if you want to really get down to business and take it seriously. I also would have chosen a more solid team/broker. My broker is experienced, but is often busy working his own deals and leaves me to find my own. ", "replies": [{"id": "db9wtpe", "text": "Man I hardly cold call and I know I should more.  Any tips on who to look for in terms of calling?  What are some things you say to get a lead/listing or get a meeting?  ", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dbbsehf", "text": "I'm 11 months in, 13k cold calls deep and just made my first commission check (under $15k), have another closing coming up in 2-3 months that should net $45k or so. Have a few projects in the work and shooting for 6 figures in 2017.    \n\nJoin a good team and work under an experienced broker. I started out as an analyst for 2 years. Made shit money but learned a lot just from hanging around my coworkers every day. Made the transition to cold calls much easier than many peers.", "replies": [{"id": "dbguxz4", "text": "Investment sales analyst? What was your pay? ", "replies": [{"id": "dbh6qp4", "text": "Yeah, it was $30k annually. Enough to pay the bills &amp; learn the trade.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "dbwvywd", "text": "Hey man, could you give me some tips on cold calling?  I would love to hit 13k cold calls in 2017.  How do you target somebody for a cold call?  What do you say to keep them on the phone/ get a meeting for a listing agreement? ", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]