We may never see another real estate boom like we did in the early 2000’s again. The steep, fast climb in prices along with easy to get low interest mortgages made little sense but the entire nation got swept up into the frenzy - myself included! Housing prices reached their highest levels early in 2005 and then in 2006 the decline began. Today we find ourselves searching for the bottom of a market that has taken a painful turn over the past two-plus years.

So why in the world would someone even consider a career in real estate when the housing market has gone so wrong? It’s a fair question and one that’s being asked a lot lately.

Here are 3 simple reasons now may be one of the best times ever to enter the real estate profession:

1. We are at or near the bottom of the real estate market downturn. Yes, prices are way lower than they were at the peak of the “boom” (as high as 40+% in some hard hit areas) and that means that your income potential is not as high per transaction as it once was but you’ll have an opportunity to make up for much of that with volume. Even today as I write this post sales are quickly accelerating to levels we haven’t seen in what seems like ages.

2. The recovery we are just beginning to see is going to last a very long time. It’s not going to be a dramatic “boom” but we’re going to see solid and stable growth and that’s what you should be looking for in a career - something you can count on long term.  Getting into a career can be viewed like getting into an investment and wouldn’t it have been nice to have bought Walmart or Google stock at a few bucks a share? That just might be what it’s like for those starting a real estate career today.  Buy low! And speaking of buying low… the required education for getting your real estate license is inexpensive compared to just about any other career training.

3. The industry needs fresh, enthusiastic new agents! The National Association of Realtors recently announced for the first time in its history that they were actually losing members. Some of this loss is simply a natural attrition resulting from retirement but a lot of it was the result of people giving up on real estate as a career. The truth is that during the boom there were huge numbers of people getting licensed in order to make easy money. Those people didn’t last through the drought of the last couple years. People who are getting licensed today are doing so as a long term career choice - not for the quick buck. New agents are committed, well trained and in it for the long term.

If you have a passion for real estate and you’re looking for a new career you may never find a better time to get started than now.   Take an afternoon and do some research.  Call a few local brokers and get their perspective and find out if they are looking for new talent.  I have a feeling you’re going to be encouraged by what they tell you.

Best wishes on your new career!