Skip the 9 to 5: Build a Real Estate Career and Life on Your Own Terms

What if the traditional 9-to-5 is not the safest path or the right one for you? In this episode, I share the message behind my book, Skip the 9 to 5, and what it really takes to build a six-figure career in real estate.

We will talk about getting started without a perfect résumé, a college degree, or a huge bank account. Success has far more to do with discipline, visibility, relationships, and consistent action than age or experience. Real estate offers freedom, but it is not easy money. You still have to work, just with a bigger purpose and a much bigger ceiling.

If you are considering real estate, questioning your current career, or ready to create a life that does not revolve around someone else’s schedule, this episode gives you an honest look at what is possible and what it will require.

AgentAuthority@robyncavallaro.com

Prep Agent- Real Estate Prep Course

Thanks for watching. Be sure to catch the video version on my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@StopChasingStartAttracting

Transcript

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So the thought of working a job in corporate America nine to five is unsettling for you. Well, I feel your pain. And that's why I wrote this book, Skip the Nine to Five: How to Build a Six Figure Career Before You Are Age of 30. This book speaks to under 30 years old. You could even be in high school and you're not sure what you want to do. You're not sure if college is the path, tech school's the path. This book is all about how real estate can be a freeing experience. You will have to work hard at it because there is no easy money in real estate. You must work hard at it, but you're your own boss. And for me, real estate gave me that opportunity because I have been in sales, I have been an entrepreneur, but I have done my cubicle time. And if I had to go back into that cubicle, I would go crazy. So just remember getting into real estate is not like what you see on HD TV or million-dollar listing. That's not realistic. This book is not just about getting your license, posting cute announcement, and waiting for the phone to ring. This is all about the business of real estate and what you need to do to get into it and to be successful so you can have that financial freedom where your income is not capped. My name is Robin Cavallero. I am an active realtor in the villages, Florida. That's my market. But I am the creator of Stop Chasing, Start Attracting. It's a podcast where realtors come to build a brand, grow their authority, and reinvent their life with real estate. Like I've done. I've been in the food business practically my whole life. But once I got into real estate, my business transformed. And just real quick about me, I had a restaurant and at 56 years old, I went to open a coffee shop and that put me in big financial difficulty and I lost everything. I moved to Florida with $10,000 to my name and now seven, almost eight years later, have built a business with the strategies, tips, and tricks that I teach in this podcast, where now I'm making well over $500,000 in income a year. But again, I do work hard at it. There are days where I'm working 17, 18 hours a day. A lot of it is computer time, but it does pay off. So the first big idea in skip the nine to five is that real estate can be a power move when you're young. But only if you understand what kind of opportunity it really is. Because in a regular job, someone typically decides your pay, your promotion, your schedule, and often your ceiling. In real estate, your income is tied much more directly to your specific effort, your skill, your relationships, and your ability to create opportunity. That is what I find exciting. It's like almost like a game. But it's also uncomfortable because there's no one coming in to hand you a paycheck just because you showed up. Your hustle is your raise, your consistency is the promotion, and your network becomes part of your future wealth. The second big idea is that getting licensed is only the starting line. Too many people drag out the license process, overthink the test, and lose momentum before they even begin. The goal is not to become a professional test taker. The goal is to get legal permission to start learning the real business. Get licensed, get moving, and line up your next steps before you pass. That means researching brokerages, which are of you in this book, asking about training and mentorships, which I also have a program, training for you, learning your market, starting to show up as the real estate person before you have your first closing, and don't wait until you feel official to start acting serious. Now, I'm gonna add this here. If you're not already licensed, I took an online class during COVID and that worked for me. I am that kind of learner, but they are also in office trainings if you need that type of support. So think about those two things. And one item that I do not believe I would have passed the Florida State exam on the first try if I had not bought Prep Agent. And I do have an affiliate link in the description box below. Prep Agent was a series of webinars that I watched and listened to in the car, learning vocabulary, learning the math, and taking tests. Once I passed my states exam, my the class exam, you have to pass that first, then you can take your state exam. So in that period of time, I gave myself three weeks and I studied every single day. In the morning, I woke up and did a test, whether it was 25 questions, 50 questions, 100 questions, whatever I had time for. If I had time in the afternoon, I did that and I did it in the evening as well. And I was still working full time in a sales position. So I would listen to the webinars in the car, learning the vocabulary. That's the thing they stress. Learn the vocabulary and you will be able to take the test. Now, this book is not about how to take the test, but I want to throw that in there because it made my life much easier. Many people fail the state exam the first time. So now let's get back to it. The third big idea is that young agents need to make smart early decisions. Your first brokerage matters, your niche matters, your brand matters, and your systems matter. Don't pick a brokerage just because the office is pretty or the name sounds impressive. Because honestly, your customers, they don't really care who you work for, but you have to pick a place that will actually train you. My beef is I think many of the brokers take a lot of your money and don't have the programs and the resources and the support in place, but you have to take it for what it's worth. Ask those questions when you're researching. I researched several brokerages before I joined one, and I can tell you, but pick the place that'll actually train you. Do not market yourself as I hip, I help buyers and I help sellers, because that's what every agent says. You need to pick a niche, you know, pick a lane where they're gonna work, whatever the market is that you're going to work in, and do not try to be everything to everyone. Now, in the beginning, you will. I did it. I ran around all over the place until I finally niched down, created all my content for my market, and my business exploded. It will take time, trust me with this. And best advice start with buyers. Don't start to chase listings. I do have another episode called Your Brokers Lying to You because so many brokers and even your colleagues will tell you, you need listings. You need listings. Well, my friends, you have no experience. You need buyers. Learn how to sell, how to talk to buyers. That's how you will pick up listings. You need to know your market, you need to be the expert that will come in time. And if you join me on my trainings and then you join my podcast and you listen religiously and to my YouTube channel, you will pick up those tips and tricks on how to be successful. When you try to serve everyone, no one remembers you. But a niche makes you easier to market, easier to refer, and easier to trust. The fourth big idea is visibility. Young agents have a huge advantage today because they understand online platforms faster than many of us older people. But posting randomly is not a business plan. Social media and interest media, which it is now, should position you as a useful resource in your market. You don't need to dance on TikTok. That's not bringing buyers. You might get tons of views, but I highly doubt someone's going to buy a home from you because you're dancing on TikTok. You don't need to become some fake influencer or sound like a newscaster. You need to sound like yourself. You need to answer real questions, real local knowledge, explain the process, highlight neighborhoods, share market updates, and make it easy for people to reach you. YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, Email Marketing, each platform has a job. But the goal is not to go viral. The goal is to become trusted before the first conversation. So if you look at my real estate YouTube channel, I have 17,000 subscribers. 70% of my viewers do not subscribe to my channel, but that's where I get all of my business. I have not paid for a lead since I started because I provide value content, no, like trust. They see me, they've been watching me for a long time. So they know that I am going to assist them and put them in the right direction. Watch my channel, learn from it. Because you want to be that go-to authority. And while we're talking about that in the middle, I do have a six-week live Zoom training program. It's called the Agent Authority Lab. And if you email me, you can get on the waiting list. The doors are going to open in the beginning of September. It'll be six weeks of live Zoom calls. I will be in the trainings going over everything with you. This isn't a recorded generic session. These are detailed tactics and strategies that I've used in my business. There'll be homework assignments. I have a private YouTube group for people who join the inner circle. And I think you will definitely find giving that boost that you need. Just email me at agentauthority at robincavallero.com. I do have a link in the show notes for you to send me that email and you can learn all about the program and how it'll help you advance your real estate career. The fifth big idea is real estate is bigger than commissions. So commissions are the foundation, but that should not be the only thing you build. Your license can lead you to referral fees, purchasing rental properties. Sometimes you get the inside deal. Flipping homes, if that's what you're interested in. Buying something that needs work, flipping it and selling it, or flipping it and renting it. Property management, commercial partnerships. If you get into being an influencer like myself, you make money from your YouTube videos. I now write books where I make additional income, speaking engagements, talking to groups about how to reinvent their life, and training like this in real estate. Affiliate income. Now I have an affiliate link on Amazon. I create videos, talk about products, but what I did is in my rental, everything I purchased for that property, I have in a list. It's in my influencer list. And I say to my buyers and on my YouTube channel, if they're looking at an investment property, hey, if you're looking to fit out your home, you click this link, you'll go to my influencer channel, and you will see everything that I purchased in my rental home. They're tried, true. I pick them, I like them, take a look at it, they'll deliver it right to your door. And I make a little bit of money on that. All little bits of money count. So here's the thing I want young agents to listen to carefully. Don't chase five income streams before you can close one deal. Get good at the core of your business, learn clients, learn contracts, learn the market, learn follow-up, and then let your brand and skill create the other opportunities. And lastly, the last big idea is the one that'll make or break you. Follow up and consistency. Your first year in real estate is not a waiting room, it's your launch pad. Answer your phone. Listen to me. Answer your phone. Religiously, I answer my phone because I assume every phone call is $10,000. And if I don't answer that phone, I'm gonna lose that $10,000. So think of it that way. Answer your phone, you never know who's calling you, especially if you're putting content out with your name and number. People will call. You never know when the next call's coming. Study your MLS. Know your market. When you know your market through and through, creating content becomes easy. Host open houses, get to meet people, talk with different buyers. You might not get anything immediately from it, but long term it'll be a great learning experience. Add buyers and sellers to your database, follow up within 24 hours of new contacts, track your numbers, ask for the appointment, make the call, send the email, shoot that video. Real estate rewards action, not endless preparation. Most new agents don't fail because they're not talented. They fail because they treat the business casually, spend every commission check, gotta save money for taxes, skip the follow-up. You need to build the pipeline because that's where your next sale is going to come. But I cannot stress enough, you need to know your market. You want to be that resource. And I do have one bonus you're gonna be playing it for the long game. If you start in your 20s, you have something incredibly powerful. You have time on your side because every relationship, every client, every video, every review, referral, mistake, and every lesson can compound for decades, but only if you stay in the game. People, it is a marathon. And it's not about looking successful for one season, it's about building authority over time because the market will shift, interest rates will change, deals fall apart, clients will panic, some months will be slower than others. You have to save your money for the rainy day. The agents who win are not always the flashiest, but they're the ones who keep showing up when everyone gets tired and walks away. So the message of skip the nine to five is simple. You don't have to wait until you're older to build something serious. You can start young, you can build a brand, and you can learn a market. You can create visibility, you can grow a network, you can stack income streams, you can build wealth, but you cannot skip the discipline, you cannot skip the follow-up, and you cannot skip the uncomfortable parts. You can skip the nine to five, but you cannot skip the work. So if you're young, ambitious, and wondering if real estate could be your path, grab my book, skip the nine to five, how to build a six-figure career under before you're 30. It's on Amazon, in print, on your Kindle device, or on Audible. And if you're already licensed or getting licensed and want more structure, get on the list for my group coaching program, the Agent Authority Lab, because that's where you'll really transform your business. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Stop Chasing Start Attracting. My name is Robin Cavallero. I will catch you next time.