Examining Agent Side Gigs | The Residential Specialist

After being looked down upon for years, more agents are starting to take on side jobs for a host of reasons

By Scott Mason

As a residential real estate agent, success often hinges on the ability to adapt, diversify and maximize income streams.

While closing deals is the primary focus, the unpredictable nature of the market can make income fluctuations a common challenge. This reality has prompted many real estate professionals to explore side gigs as a viable solution. But why should you, as a dedicated real estate agent, consider taking on an additional role outside your primary profession? The answer lies in the multitude of benefits that a well-chosen side gig can offer, from financial stability to personal growth to enhanced marketability.

Side gigs can provide a reliable source of supplemental income, offering a financial cushion during slow markets or seasons. This extra revenue can ease the pressure of inconsistent commission checks and provide peace of mind, allowing you to focus more on delivering exceptional service to your clients. Moreover, engaging in diverse work experiences can broaden your skill set, making you more adaptable and resourceful in your real estate career. Whether it’s honing marketing skills through freelance writing, developing a keen eye for design through home staging or gaining financial acumen through part-time consulting, the skills acquired from side gigs can directly enhance your effectiveness as a real estate agent.

Additionally, side gigs can expand your professional network and increase your visibility within the community. Interacting with individuals in different industries creates opportunities for referrals and new business prospects. Furthermore, showcasing versatility and a strong work ethic can enhance your reputation among clients, positioning you as a well-rounded professional committed to continuous growth.

Whether you’re looking to stabilize your income, acquire new skills or simply explore a passion, embracing a side gig could be the key to unlocking new levels of success and fulfillment in your real estate career.

No shame in diversifying

Over the years, Gary Rogers, CRS, broker/owner of RE/MAX On The Charles in Waltham, Massachusetts, says he has seen and experienced firsthand a stigma associated with agents who happen to have a side gig or second career. “There’s been a lot of discrimination against agents deemed to be ‘part-time’ because they have another gig,” he says.

Rogers shares that he did very well in his first year of real estate around 1990. However, the market then took a turn for the worse, requiring him to fall back on his training as a medic in the military to take a job as a paramedic while working as a real estate agent. “I would work a 16-hour day on a Monday on an ICU transfer [vehicle], get home at midnight, be back at the firehouse at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, work a 24-hour shift, and on Wednesday at 7 a.m., go home shower and be at my weekly office meeting at 9 a.m.,” Rogers says. While his effort to successfully balance both careers was outstanding (he was a top-3 producer at his brokerage every month for eight years straight), he still heard snickering regarding this arrangement.

Rogers says the perception has improved over the past few years, mainly because the market is not booming as it was during the height of the pandemic. Even so, he stresses that agents should not be embarrassed if they decide to take on another gig. “Anything that you can do that helps take the sting off of a market cycle like this [with limited inventory] should not be looked at negatively,” he says.

Doubling down on education

Expanding into a different field or seeing your career through a fresh lens offers enhanced knowledge and increased learning opportunities. Sally Liddicoat, CRS, associate broker and team lead with Weichert, Realtors – Rattler in Phoenix, Arizona, has taken this mindset to the next level with her side gig—becoming a real estate educator.

Liddicoat jokes that her husband is why she picked up this side gig. “He really wanted to teach, and we already knew many of the acclaimed industry instructors, so we were very inspired,” she says.

Learning from the best of the best, as Liddicoat puts it, gave her perspective on some of the less valuable education offerings out there. “There’s a big need for good instructors to teach accurate information,” she says.

Recognizing this need, Liddicoat and her husband started teaching and then opened a real estate school in 2016, educating agents who want to learn from true professionals. “I’m an entrepreneur at heart,” Liddicoat says. “I started my first business when I was 17—helping individuals and small businesses with their accounting and taxes. My husband and I have owned retail flower shops and other businesses over the years. My entrepreneurial spirit has bled over to my husband’s, but he’s learned he has to keep up with me.”

Not only does she teach real estate classes and courses in the “traditional” way, but she and her husband have begun to offer educational cruises to spice up the experience for her students. “By the time we get to April 2025, we’ll have done nine continuing education cruises and three Cabo teaching trips, which is pretty cool,” she says. “The cruise trip we did in October 2023 had 64 Arizona licensees on board with us taking classes. We already have nearly 40 signed up for our next cruise in October. They’re like mini vacations for us.”

Keeping it focused

While agents have the opportunity to explore any opportunity that may fit well with their skill set, both Liddicoat and Rogers agree that a side gig with a real estate focus may play better with peers and clients.

Rogers’ current side gig involves being an expert witness in real estate-related court cases and lawsuits. “For the past five years, I’ve been an expert witness for E&O [Errors and Omissions] companies, and most of the cases deal with standard of care,” he says. “It’s an avenue for other agents who have a solid grasp and expertise of professional standards, experience with arbitration hearings and are up to date on best practices and the laws.”

Rogers says that this line of business is looked upon more favorably by others than his past paramedic job. “There’s definitely more acceptance if it’s related to the industry.”

Liddicoat’s current teaching side gig directly relates to her primary job as a real estate agent, and she has sage advice for colleagues who may be looking to branch out. “You have to commit to it, and you’ve got to work,” she says. “You also have to be very careful. If your side gig doesn’t integrate into your real estate business, it will take away from it. Other streams of income are amazing. However, if it takes away from what you can accomplish and make in real estate, is it really worth it?”