How to Work From Home As a Real Estate Agent

Working as a real estate agent is the ultimate flexible career. It’s also one that can easily be done, in part, from home. This has been the case for years, even before the COVID era and the steep increase in the number of Americans working from home.  

While being a remote real estate agent may look easy, there’s more to it than you might think – especially if you want to be successful. That’s every agent’s goal, right?  

Becoming a successful work-from-home real estate agent requires a strong work ethic, goal setting, and an effective daily routine. But with the right roadmap in place, you can run a booming real estate business right from home! Let’s explore how to work from home as a real estate agent. 

First, Get Licensed in Your State and Join a Brokerage 

The first thing you need to do – if you haven’t already – is get licensed as a real estate salesperson in your state. Fortunately, you can also do this from home in most states since many real estate pre-licensing courses are offered fully online (including ours!). 

Complete a Real Estate Salesperson Pre-Licensing Course 

Research your state’s real estate salesperson pre-licensing course and create a plan to complete your education. Your pre-licensing course length will vary by state. Your state’s course could be anywhere from 40 hours (New Hampshire) to 180 hours (Texas). You can complete it gradually on a part-time schedule. Or, when treated like a full-time work week, you can complete your course and get licensed in as little as a few weeks to a month. 

Join a Real Estate Brokerage 

Once you pass your real estate pre-licensing course and your state’s real estate exam, you'll need to find a real estate brokerage to join. As a licensed real estate agent, you must work for a real estate broker who will oversee all your real estate activities. When you become a member of a brokerage, you are essentially “hanging your license” at the brokerage. You will typically be classified as an independent contractor, which means you can work anywhere so long as you complete all your work and close deals. 

Keep in mind that not every brokerage operates in the same way. Smaller brokerages with just a few agents may expect you to work in the office daily for your own development as an agent and as a team member. Larger brokerages with hundreds of agents may expect you to work from home and visit the brokerage office only when needed.  

Make sure you understand the details of your contract – and where you’ll work – before joining a brokerage.  

Invest in the Right Equipment and Programs for Remote Work 

Running a real estate business from your home requires some essential equipment for your daily activities. For example, you’ll need to conduct property research, find and connect with leads, create and print contracts, organize your database, manage transactions, and more.  

You can generally do all these things using: 

• A reliable computer with fast internet service 

• A smartphone with a good data plan and camera 

• A printer, scanner, and copier 

• A good Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software 

• Real estate transaction management software 

• General office supplies (e.g., printer paper, printer ink, pens, notepads, etc.) 

• Access to your local Multiple Listings Service (MLS) for property research  

Keep these things in mind as you consider your equipment needs and budget: 

• Consider What’s Available to You Through Your Brokerage.  Some larger brokerages allow you to use their office equipment for free as part of your independent contractor agreement. You can often print and scan documents, make copies, book conference rooms for meetings, and work in a flex space when you need to. Before investing thousands of dollars in home office equipment, consider what you can do at your brokerage on a few short visits a week. 

• Your Brokerage May Provide You With Transaction Management and CRM Software.  Some brokerages will also provide you with in-house real estate transaction management and CRM software as part of your contract agreement. Vet the programs and decide if they’re right for you before investing in different systems. This can be a big money-saver! 

• You'll Already Have MLS Access.  Gaining access to your local MLS is often a condition of joining a brokerage and becoming a member of your local real estate board. You’ll likely have to purchase an annual subscription and, once you do, you’ll have access to the MLS from anywhere. 

• Why You Need a Good Smartphone.  Your mobile device should have great service, ample storage, and a good data plan. You’ll need to be able to search your local MLS app, access your brokerage’s systems, communicate with your clients and other agents, and take photos and videos on the go. Real estate is a mobile career, and it helps to be able to operate seamlessly from your laptop at home to your smart phone when you're out and about. 

Design a Dedicated Work-From-Home Space That Will Fuel Your Success 

There are many benefits to having a dedicated workspace when you’re working from home.  

It establishes a healthy work-life balance, helps you stay focused, fuels your productivity, and increases your satisfaction as a work-from home agent. 

These benefits are why it’s important to design a dedicated work-from-home space. Think about where a workspace makes sense in your home. Consider if you plan to meet with clients in your space and design it with your meeting needs in mind. Think about where in your home you’ll feel most productive and motivated to work on getting clients. Plus, consider how you can eliminate distractions around your home that might keep you from your focus. 

Remember, a home office doesn’t always have to be a dedicated room. It can instead be an office nook or the corner of a spare bedroom if it’s designed with your needs in mind. 

Build and Maintain a Strong Lead Generation Strategy 

Lead generation is the bread and butter of success as a real estate agent. You must generate leads to find clients, get listings, help buyers, close deals, and get paid.  

If you’re just starting out as an agent, research the most effective strategies for real estate lead generation, test them out, and see what brings you the most success over time.  Gradually, as you gain experience, you can design a lead generation routine that will be successful for you. 

Consider these lead-generation strategies that could become part of your daily routine: 

• Cold calling your database 

• Door knocking in neighborhoods 

• Email marketing 

• Social media marketing 

• Professional networking within your community 

• Hosting open houses for both clients and other agents 

• Hosting seminars or webinars to help buyers, sellers, and investors learn about the real estate process (and your services) 

• Sponsoring community events that you feel passionate about 

• Direct mail campaigns 

• Getting referrals from other agents 

• Engaging with FSBOs (For-Sale-By-Owner homes) to see if your services can help 

• Contacting owners of expired listings and offering your services 

Lead generation activities should be a regular part of your workday, whether you work in a brokerage office or at home. 

Time-Block Your Day to Minimize Distractions and Maintain Productivity 

When you work from home in any job, distractions can be everywhere. Time-blocking is a helpful strategy to minimize distractions and maintain your focus on the tasks you need to get done on any given day. 

For a real estate agent, time-blocking involves scheduling your entire day into time slots dedicated to one task at a time. It’s a method of controlling your time so it doesn’t get away from you. For example, your time-blocked day might look like this: 

• 8-10 AM – Lead generation time 

• 10-11 AM – Property research for a buyer client 

• 11-12 PM – Attend a networking event where you can generate leads 

• 12-1 PM – Attend a colleague's open house to preview a property (and get a free lunch!) 

• 1-2 PM – Prepare a listing contract for a seller client 

• 2-3:30 PM – Return phone calls and emails  

• 3:30 – 5 PM – Administrative and marketing tasks 

This is just an example of how you might use time-blocking (your hours of operation may look a little different). The important takeaway is to maintain control and focus on doing the activities that will ultimately bring you a client and lead to a closed deal.  

Continue to Put in Face Time at the Office 

Working from home as a real estate agent still involves visiting your brokerage office regularly. You may even be there weekly, or a few times a week – and willingly!  

For example, your brokerage may hold regular office meetings that keep you informed about updated policies, procedures, real estate trends, and agent activity. Your office may hold free training classes to help you build your expertise in various areas of real estate. You may want to meet clients at the office to give listing presentations, do consultations, and sign contracts. You might set aside time to have coffee with fellow agents (who are potentially valuable referral sources). Or you may just want to put in face time around the halls of your brokerage to build better connections. 

There’s still a lot of value in visiting your brokerage office regularly while working remote. 

Is Working from Home a Viable Option for Real Estate Agents in the Long-Term? 

Yes! Working from home as a real estate agent will continue to be a viable option for years to come. Millions of agents were already working remotely as independent contractors before the pandemic and continue to do so today. 

The key is to develop discipline and routine – and prioritize the activities you need to get clients and close deals. Often, these activities can be done anywhere, from a coffee shop to your car to wherever you call home.  

While your traditional in-person agent activities will continue, you can still build a successful real estate business from home—and do it your way.