Notes from twenty years of doing this

Pre-license prep, brokerage decisions, and the first-year problems nobody warns you about. Filtered by stage below.

Pre-License

Is the real estate exam actually hard?

What the pass rates don't tell you, and the study routine that gets people through on the first try.

11 min read

Pre-License

What the classes required to get licensed actually cover

A walkthrough of the pre-license curriculum, hour by hour, so you know what you're paying for.

7 min read

Pre-License

What it really costs to get your license

Course fees, exam fees, fingerprinting, MLS dues — the full number before you start.

6 min read

Post-License

Second job: can you do real estate part-time?

The honest math on splitting your attention between a day job and your first listings.

8 min read

Post-License

Real estate commission splits, explained

Why "100% commission" brokerages rarely mean what new agents think they mean.

9 min read

Brokerages

Does the brokerage provide leads, or don't they?

Three commission models explained, and the one question that actually predicts your first year.

9 min read