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Only from my personal experience working with realtor in the city, I have no idea if they had a car. I always met them at the property. If your focus is in the suburbs, that may be more concerning on you getting around but for the city I wouldn't see this as a big issue.
I would not consider a realtor who can’t drive me around to see 5 or 6 properties per day, and have the flexibility to make a change on the fly. My realtor has helped me buy 6 rental properties this way. Same for the realtor who has helped me find my primary residence. A car lease is a deductible business expense. Uber not an option in my book. How serious are you about this?
Thank you for your input! I am very serious about it, but not sure if I am willing to take on the cost of a car payment/lease, car insurance, and a garage parking spot if this isn’t my full time job... trying to weight the pros/cons and see my options
When I bought my first condo in Chicago, my agent didn’t have a car and it was quite inconvenient. When scheduling multiple showings in a day we had to drive her around to the showings. It would have been nice if my SO and I could have private conversations between showings. She also had to cancel or reschedule a couple showings because of transportation - having to get family members to drive her sometimes. I think she lived in the suburbs, but I would never use a buyers agent without a car again.
When selling though, I have no idea if my agents have had a car or not. They were always punctual, professional, and a pleasure to work with.
I’d imagine you’ll probably be spending a lot on Ubers bouncing around to showings, open houses, client meetings, etc.
Congrats on planning to get your license! I don’t think it’s realistic unless you want to specialize only in a particular part of town (eg River North), which narrows your market size. Some buyers may see 12+ houses before closing, especially in this competitive market.
To be successful, you will need to offer exceptional client service regardless of your personal transportation situation. So sure, you can do it. Just gotta figure out whether the cost of a year of Uber/Lyft rides is more than a car note/lease. Depends on your geo and socioeconomic targets (some clients will ding your competence and success in their minds, if you show up in a Civic) but I suspect that getting a used car will be the cheaper, long-term option in most scenarios.
Mentor
Hey! Congrats!
Let’s get down to business. Yes, you’ll need a car. No, you won’t need to own the car. I’ve used Zip Car in the past while living in downtown Boston. I didn’t always need a zip car, however. When representing sellers, public transportation is easily relied on. With sellers you’ll be working mostly with appointments with at least a 24hour lead time. With buyers, however, you will need to have a plan. Set up all your showings on one day, if possible. Rent the Zip Car and go handle business. I urge you to make sure your buyers are serious, as your time is precious.
If Zip Car or similar services, is not an option.. you can still be an agent. You will primarily focus on servicing Sellers. OR work with a team of agents and take on a role that does not need a vehicle.
There is ALWAYS a way. Good luck!
Thank you so much! I truly appreciate your response