While not a home-based business in the traditional sense, real estate sales provide plenty of flexibility in terms of hours and locations.
Most real estate agents have their primary offices in a storefront or freestanding brokerage. It's important to have an accessible, public location because the business generates lots of walk-in traffic from people looking to buy or sell a home. Offices must also be able to accommodate scheduled client meetings, real-estate closings and other activities.
Much of a real estate agent's work, though, also involves meeting with customers at other locations, showing homes, marketing work on the telephone and Internet, and business paperwork. Some of these tasks can be handled from a well-equipped home office as easily as from a traditional office.
Real estate agents also tend to be considered independent contractors rather than employees of the agencies where they work. Typically, they earn their income through commissions on sales rather than through regular salaries.
To become an agent, you'll need to first take classes and pass a state licensing exam. Depending upon where you live, you might also need to fulfill other requirements before you can begin working.
To learn more, contact your local, county or state Realtor's association. You can also find extensive details about job outlook, requirements, duties and other resources in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, available online at http://www.bls.gov.
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