Part-Time Agents and the Hidden Risks to Consumers
In 2015, the National Association of Realtors® released The DANGER Report, a sobering assessment of threats to the real estate industry. Among its most striking conclusions was this:
“The real estate industry is saddled with a large number of part-time, untrained, unethical, and/or incompetent agents. This knowledge gap threatens the credibility of the industry.”
Let that sink in. This statement isn’t coming from a critic on the outside—it comes directly from my own professional trade organization.
The Part-Time Problem
One of the biggest concerns—yet rarely discussed publicly—is the acceptance and normalization of part-time real estate agents. Frankly, I’ve always found it astonishing that our industry tolerates it so openly. It’s one of the “dirty little secrets” of our business. I firmly believe you can’t become an expert at anything if you only do it part time.
Daymond John from ABC’s Shark Tank put it well in an interview with Inc. magazine:
“There’s an easy way to tell how serious someone is about a startup: Does that person have another job? That’s a huge red flag to me. It shows the person isn’t totally in the game and is clinging to a safety net.”
The same principle applies to real estate. A part-time agent typically struggles to meet even the most basic expectations of their clients—whether it’s availability, communication, or up-to-date market knowledge.
Herman Chan, a real estate broker in San Francisco, once posted in a private Facebook group for Realtors®:
“Part-time agents are the worst. I always know when I’m dealing with one—they only return calls at noon or after 5:00 p.m.”
Why? Because they’re working their full-time job during the rest of the day.
How can someone like that possibly manage the complexities of a real estate transaction—negotiations, inspections, financing, and deadlines—if they’re tied up in another job for most of the day?
The Numbers Don’t Lie
In the greater Kansas City area alone, there are over 10,000 licensed real estate agents. Yet, only about 50% of them sold even one home in the past 12 months. That’s right—half of the licensed agents in our market didn’t close a single transaction last year. So why do they keep their licenses?
For many, it’s a fallback plan. After investing significant time and money into getting licensed, they realize how difficult it is to make a living in real estate. Rather than leaving the profession entirely, they hold onto their license “just in case”—hoping that a friend, family member, or co-worker might throw them a bone sometime in the future. But ask yourself: Is that the kind of person you want representing you in one of the largest financial transactions of your life?
Can someone who hasn’t sold a home in a year be expected to:
- Navigate complex negotiations?
- Create and execute high-level marketing strategies?
- Understand evolving contracts and real estate laws?
Would you hire a part-time doctor? A part-time attorney? A part-time accountant or financial advisor?
Ask the Right Question
Here’s a simple but powerful question that every homebuyer or seller should ask when interviewing a real estate agent:
“Is real estate your full-time job?”
The answer may tell you everything you need to know.