All businesses / Self-employed estate agent

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a self-employed estate agent: the real numbers

Selling homes on commission. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€2,000–€10,000

Hours / week

30–55

First income

~20 wks

Net margin

70%

Saturation

high

Realistic ceiling

€0–€5,500+

This ceiling is not a wall

The figure above is what this earns in the shape described — you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.

What nobody usually tells you

Commissions of €3-8k per sale mean a handful of deals makes a year. But the first six months are genuinely unpaid, it is relentlessly relationship-driven, and evenings and weekends are when clients view.

The route, in five steps

  1. Check the licensing rules — most countries require a qualification
  2. Join an existing agency before going solo
  3. Pick one neighbourhood and own its listings
  4. Budget six months of zero income
  5. Valuations win listings; listings are the business

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every self-employed estate agent pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

licence or registrationCRMphotographyportal feescar

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack