For those of you who considering going into new home construction sales, I wanted to pass on some things you may want to think about before making that move. I enjoy what I do, but the learning curve has been tough and I've worked hard for every penny earned. New construction sales can seem very rewarding, and it has been for me, but it can also be a whole lot of very hard work for lower pay than anticipated.

A word to the wise: find out EXACTLY what will be expected of you as a new home sales agent before you decide to make that level of commitment. For instance, how much will you have to be involved in the building process after you make a sale? If it's a presale, the building process will take anywhere from 4 months on up, depending on the weather, size and details going into the home and other variables. My builder expects the agents to be involved in each phase of the sale and construction of the homes. That means with each and every concern that comes up while the house is being built, I am the go-to person for the buyer, and the liaison between the buyer and the superintendent. That is a lot of responsibility, not to mention headaches. Months of headaches!

How much time is going to be required at the model home or subdivision? Do you only want to focus on new home sales or do you want to keep up your resale business as well? It is very hard to do both when you are expected to be on site at the subdivision or sit at a model home on a full-time basis. Make sure the money you can make is going to be worth the time invested.

Take a good hard look at the commission split. New construction sales can seem very appealing at first, a steady source of business and leads that come directly to you. I mean, how great is that? However, usually builders negotiate a pretty competitive commission structure, and once that pie is sliced a few times for the buyer's agent, co-listing agent, senior sales agent, broker, etc., your actual slice might be pretty small.

Be aware of the level of responsibility that you will be taking on. There are a lot of decisions to be made in new home sales, a lot of time spent educating the buyers on their options and choices. They will need to select brick color and type, how they want the home insulated, cabinet choices, tile choices, hardwood floor stain, lighting fixtures, and on and on. It will likely be your responsibility to help the buyers make all those decisions and coordinate them so they are happy with the results. If they are not happy with the end results, guess who they are going to be upset with first? And if a mistake is made on the selection sheet by an agent, and the wrong product is put in the home, then that agent may have to own that mistake by paying for the cost of replacement. Again, it's a lot of responsibility. Just be aware.

After saying all of this, I will say that new home construction can also be as rewarding as it is challenging. There is nothing easy about it and no quick road to success, just like in any area of real estate. What you put into it is what you will get back. But it is a great feeling to watch a new home come up and see the happy faces of the buyers when they get to move in.

Best of luck to all!

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