Real estate is a well-known and highly sought-after industry. It entices career seekers with its overall stability, wide selection of job types, and the potential for considerable rewards. But achieving a successful, well-paying real estate career often takes decades and can be very expensive. So, what’s the best way to start a career in real estate? How do you break into an industry with such notoriously difficult entry-level barriers?
At AptAmigo, we created an easy way to jumpstart a career in real estate. With many much-needed upgrades, a team-based approach, and custom-built technology— AptAmigo offers a turnkey approach to a successful real estate career.
Related: How to Market Yourself as an Apartment Locator.
What Is AptAmigo?
When our co-founders Matt and Dan connected in 2015, Matt shared a painfully common renter’s story‒ he was three months into his first Chicago lease and couldn’t wait to move out. Thirty hours spent browsing listings, scheduling tours, managing multiple brokers, and desperately searching for detailed reviews failed to uncover his building’s problems. When Dan replied with a story about his own apartment woes, the two of them agreed that renters deserved better. Out of that shared struggle, AptAmigo and its mission was born.
AptAmigo has evolved many times since its 2015 inception. What started as a place for renters to leave apartment reviews became a tech-driven, white-glove service that goes far beyond what apartment search sites and traditional broker models can achieve. AptAmigo is now the easiest way for renters to find apartments and the best way to start and build a career in real estate.
In only a few years, AptAmigo has seen over 5,000% growth and has become the most-reviewed apartment locating service in Chicago, Denver, and Atlanta, its first three markets. Agents who work with AptAmigo get immediate access to the systems responsible for this success.
AptAmigo agents don’t have to cold call, schedule tours, gather invoices, or take on any of the time-consuming duties commonly performed by other real estate professionals. With full marketing, operations, and touring teams, AptAmigo agents can focus entirely on what they do best: helping clients.
Why Not Work for a Traditional Brokerage?
It is a common misconception that large, well-known real estate firms provide the highest pay. However, with so much overhead, big-name firms typically cannot budge on commission splits. Another common misconception is that larger companies can provide safety and security that a smaller option might not. At AptAmigo, we take great care to provide fair pay, safety, and security to our employees.
Additionally, you can work at AptAmigo even without a background in the industry. 100% of our hires without real estate experience have successfully placed clients within their first week!
Related: Best Entry-Level Jobs in Real Estate
What Does an Agent at AptAmigo Do?
AptAmigo agents always serve as the first point of contact for all new clients. Through a helpful and friendly initial phone call, agents learn about the client’s must-haves for their next apartment. To ensure clients reap all the benefits of our service, agents get to know a client’s lifestyle, learn why they’re moving, and vet for any potential issues that may hinder them from moving into their dream apartment.
After the agent connects with their client, they create a client profile in our system. Based on the information gathered, the agent curates a list of potential properties for the client to tour.
Once the apartment hunter picks their favorite buildings and AptAmigo schedules the tours, agents continue to communicate updates on pricing, specials, and availability. Clients often feel overwhelmed by the process of touring and selecting the right apartment, so our agents always remain just a text or phone call away to answer any questions, address concerns, and lend their expert advice.
The agent follows up with their client when the tours conclude and helps to narrow down their options, answer any remaining questions, guide them through the application process, or, if necessary, run another search. Essentially, our agents map out the whole process and usher clients through each stage, from the initial search to signing a new lease.
A Great Agent is…
People-Oriented: The best sales reps ask the most questions in order to gain the deepest possible understanding of the client’s needs.
Organized: The top-performing sales reps speak with 40-50 people a week and tour 5-10 clients. You will need to figure out proactively which organizational method works best for you as well as the most efficient way to manage your time.
Highly Motivated: The difference between 15 and 20 deals may seem small, but sales reps must find the motivation to operate at a consistently high level and surpass their initial goals.
Positive and Welcoming: Our team environment gives AptAmigo a competitive advantage over other brokerages. We promote sales reps who are not only top performers, but also fully trust and collaborate with the team, making a positive contribution to our company’s culture.
Passionate about Real Estate: AptAmigo continues to grow extremely fast, and passionate sales reps ready to keep pushing that growth because they love what they do tend to stay motivated and discover greater payoffs.
How Much Does an AptAmigo Agent Make?
At AptAmigo, we pay an uncapped commission at a higher split than anywhere else. Because this job offers some flexibility to set your own schedule, precise income levels vary, but six-figure incomes are not uncommon.
Due to our industry improvements, the support provided by the operations and touring teams alongside our custom technologies mean that our agents handle a much higher volume of clients. Sure, this job requires a lot of commitment and hard work, but you could have the opportunity to launch your own market and sales team within 12-18 months.
As an added bonus, you can work from anywhere since you’ll only need to show up in person if and when you decide to tour.
Want to Join the Team?
Our incredible success allows us to continue growing, hiring, and training talented individuals. If you want to learn the ins-and-outs of this industry, AptAmigo is the company for you. We are always looking for highly motivated people to join our team.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to advance your current real estate career, AptAmigo can help you jumpstart your success. If you currently work in real estate, but want to take your career to the next level, AptAmigo can help you convert your hard work into 2-3x the productivity of a traditional apartment locator or broker.
If you have no previous real estate experience, that’s okay! Like we mentioned above, 100% of our hires without real estate experience have successfully placed clients within their first week.
What We’re Looking for…
Passionate leadership ‒ You are excited to help build a business in an industry trying to play catch-up with you. You wake up ready to work and do your best!
Transparency ‒ We place a high value on honesty. You are always forthcoming and operate in a manner that creates trust with coworkers, clients, and partnered buildings.
Friendliness ‒ You build relationships based on empathy and trust; you always have your team’s back.
Reliability ‒ Your team can always count on you to do your best. Not only do you set goals for yourself, but you also exceed them enthusiastically whenever possible. Fellow agents and clients know you are trustworthy and that you have their best interests in mind.
Adaptability ‒ Being quick on your feet and pivoting at any given moment can make all the difference in closing a deal. Keeping up with this ever-changing industry and staying ready to come up with on-the-spot solutions is second nature.
Get Started!
If this career path sounds like your dream job, apply today! We’re always looking for talented and hardworking members who can continue our efforts to find people their dream apartments.
With a great company culture, custom technology, and access to a steady stream of warm leads, AptAmigo truly is the best way to kickstart your real estate career.
* The original version of this article was first published on June 17, 2021.
AptAmigo is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and does not discriminate based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law, in connection with any aspect of employment at AptAmigo.
