Start Your Real Estate Career with a Clear Plan
Getting a license is an important step, but it is not the whole plan. A strong start also requires an honest look at the work, a financial runway, a brokerage that will teach you, and a daily routine for finding and serving clients.
Think beyond the license.
Most people begin by asking which class to take. The better question is how you will move from coursework to a working business. Your plan should cover career fit, Tennessee requirements, brokerage choice, startup costs, training, relationships, daily activity, and the time it may take to earn your first commission.
Six steps from interest to active business.
Use this sequence to avoid doing the right tasks in the wrong order.
Test the fit
Learn what agents do, when clients need them, and how independent work feels.
Plan your runway
List licensing, business, association, marketing, and living costs before income starts.
Complete education
Finish Tennessee-approved pre-license education and keep every completion record.
Pass the exam
Prepare for and pass the national and state portions administered through PSI.
Choose a brokerage
Compare broker access, training, costs, systems, culture, and market fit.
Launch a routine
Build a weekly plan for learning, conversations, follow-up, appointments, and client service.
A local, family-owned brokerage since 1936.
Twelve East Tennessee offices, hands-on broker support, and a platform built for agents who want to grow where they live.
Flexibility comes with responsibility.
Real estate can offer independence and meaningful client work, but agents do not receive a guaranteed salary or a ready-made book of business. Clients may need help outside normal office hours. New agents must create opportunities, follow up, learn contracts, manage details, and stay steady when results are delayed.
Create a simple startup and runway budget.
List one-time licensing and setup costs, recurring business expenses, personal bills, and an emergency cushion. Ask each brokerage for a written explanation of fees and required expenses. Do not build your decision around an income estimate that has not been earned or a lead source that is not guaranteed.
Business costs
Education, exam, licensing, insurance, association and MLS costs, technology, marketing, mileage, and taxes.
Personal runway
Housing, food, transportation, insurance, debt, and a reserve for uneven income.
Time runway
Learning, prospecting, appointments, transactions, and the delay between a contract and a closing.
What this looks like in practice.
Choose a brokerage that will teach the work, not just hold the license
A new agent should know who answers contract questions, how training works, what systems are included, how marketing support is requested, what fees apply, and how the office helps agents build productive habits. Ask for examples, calendars, and a clear first-90-day path.
Structure for the early decisions
Wallace supports early-career agents with orientation, Agent Essentials, Foundation Academy, live and virtual learning, office workshops, technology onboarding, marketing resources, broker mentorship, The HUB, and local office connection. These resources support the work; the agent still has to use them consistently.
Common questions, clearly answered.
The answers below are honest and specific. If yours is not here, ask it through the form – a member of the Wallace team will respond personally.
Do I need a real estate license before I talk with Wallace?
How long does it take to start a real estate career in Tennessee?
Should I leave my current job before I get licensed?
What should I ask a real estate school?
What should I ask a brokerage before joining?
Does a real estate license guarantee income?
Talk through the path before making a high-cost decision.
A short conversation can help you understand the sequence, questions to ask a school, how brokerage affiliation fits the application, and what Wallace expects from new agents. You do not need to have every answer before you start asking better questions.
A real member of the Wallace team reads every message and responds directly.
You decide the pace. No pressure, no obligation, and every conversation stays confidential.
