Why Most Realtors Are Trained Like Employees

And Why That Keeps Them Capped

Written by Devone Richard

Most realtors don’t fail because they lack effort.
They fail because they were trained to think like employees inside a commission-based job instead of owners of a business.

That distinction matters more than any market shift.

From day one, most agents are taught how to complete tasks—not how to build leverage. They’re trained to follow processes, wait for direction, and measure success by activity instead of outcomes.

That’s not entrepreneurship.
That’s employment with unstable pay.

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The Employee Training Model

Traditional real estate training focuses on:

• Scripts instead of strategy
• Compliance instead of decision-making
• Transactions instead of systems
• Short-term closings instead of long-term growth

Agents are told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it—but rarely why. There’s no discussion of scale, ownership, or building something that survives beyond the next commission check.

Employees complete tasks.
Owners build frameworks.

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Why This Model Keeps Realtors Capped

Employee-trained agents:

• Chase every deal
• Rely on motivation instead of structure
• Stay reactive to the market
• Depend entirely on personal production

There’s no leverage. No equity. No compounding effect.

Income becomes unpredictable, stress becomes normal, and burnout is mislabeled as “the grind.”

That’s not a market problem.
That’s a training problem.

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The Cost of Not Teaching Ownership

When agents aren’t taught to think like owners, they:

• Don’t track real business metrics
• Don’t build systems
• Don’t protect their time
• Don’t create additional income streams

They stay stuck in survival mode—working harder each year for marginal gains.

Meanwhile, owner-minded realtors:

• Control inventory
• Build repeat and referral pipelines
• Delegate low-value tasks
• Design businesses that scale

Same license.
Completely different outcomes.

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Why This Matters Now More Than Ever

Markets change. Rates move. Inventory shifts.

Employee-minded agents panic when conditions tighten.
Owner-minded agents reposition.

Ownership thinking isn’t about arrogance—it’s about control. Control over time, income, strategy, and long-term direction.

That’s the difference between reacting to the market and leading within it.

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Final Thought

Most realtors were never taught how to build a business.
They were taught how to work inside one.

Until that changes, income will stay capped, stress will stay high, and careers will stay fragile.

That’s why this series exists.

Because when realtors stop thinking like employees and start thinking like owners, everything changes—from income to longevity.

This is where it starts.

—
Devone Richard, Real Estate Broker

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