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How did you get into real estate? Is it possible to do so without connections beforehand? How did you start your own firm?
I am a senior in high school. I want to start a couple small businesses before I go off to college. One day I would love to get into real estate because I want to work on my own time and have freedom to spend time with my family.
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Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Isaac !
Your ambition and thoughts about business and Real Estate are admirable and even though I am not in Real Estate, as a general advisor I would like to provide some information and advice for you.
You didn't say what you would be Majoring in at college. Before you make a commitment to opening "a couple of businesses" before college, take a step back and and learn what you need to do step by step. It's better right now to think about how you will finance college and leave the couple of businesses for when you have enough money to invest in them. College is a big financial and time investment and commitment.
In order to become a Real Estate Broker in Michigan, you will need to have 90 hours of approved real estate broker education from an accredited provider. The subjects that you need to know are real estate law, brokerage management, finance, contracts, ethics, fair housing, and property management which should be covered in the real estate program you take. Nine hours of the real estate program must focus on civil rights law and fair housing. You then apply for your Real Estate License. In Michigan, they want you to have 3 years experience working in real estate. You take the Michigan Real Estate Broker Exam. Then you maintain your License with continued education. You may want to do this path before enrolling in college or after you graduate college. You didn't mention if you're going for an Associates Degree, a Bachelors degree or what you'd be Majoring in.
Try not to just jump into business without knowing how to do so. You will need to be able to pay for rent for an office and need programs and supplies and maybe staff. It's best to get the training and education first before trying to do too much at once before you are certain as to how to do it. A Real Estate Program and College will prepare you for your career.
In many cases, a Real Estate Broker does not work in their own time because they want to do other things. Many careers are like this. You will have to be available for travel and be there for your clients. Careers are not based on how much free time you can have. They are spontaneous, require focus and public relations, attending community events to network and have the community know you exist, require as much time as it takes. If you're thinking about selling residential homes, each sale takes a different amount of time. If you go through a Real Estate Program you will get a clear idea of what this filed is like. But don't worry - I don't know one person in any career that didn't have free time. Try not to project into the future things that you may not be able to control. All careers go differently, so be open minded and go into real estate because you really love it.
So for now, you'll need to figure out if you want to do the Real Estate Program and get Licensed before college or after college. Find colleges that have a strong department and program for whatever you'll be majoring in. Opportunities and knowledge are gained through your time at college, so it's okay to wait and learn the best steps to take for your chosen career.
There are no pre-college Real Estate Internships in Grand Rapids, but once you are in college, you can do internships at the Summer 2026 Urban Planning Intern at Progressive AE, the Marketing/Asset Management Internship at Magnus Capital Partners, or the Real Estate Management Internship at Trinity Property Consultants. Many times, Internships are for students in their Junior and Senior year at college, but you can find that out from these companies by contacting them.
Your best bet for right now would be to Shadow at a real estate office so you can become familiar with the operations. The shadowing could possibly turn into a Volunteer position, Visit some real estate offices in your city and ask if you can Shadow for a few days and or Volunteer until you start college.
I think that if you follow the steps I've discussed, you will have a smooth go of it. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
Your ambition and thoughts about business and Real Estate are admirable and even though I am not in Real Estate, as a general advisor I would like to provide some information and advice for you.
You didn't say what you would be Majoring in at college. Before you make a commitment to opening "a couple of businesses" before college, take a step back and and learn what you need to do step by step. It's better right now to think about how you will finance college and leave the couple of businesses for when you have enough money to invest in them. College is a big financial and time investment and commitment.
In order to become a Real Estate Broker in Michigan, you will need to have 90 hours of approved real estate broker education from an accredited provider. The subjects that you need to know are real estate law, brokerage management, finance, contracts, ethics, fair housing, and property management which should be covered in the real estate program you take. Nine hours of the real estate program must focus on civil rights law and fair housing. You then apply for your Real Estate License. In Michigan, they want you to have 3 years experience working in real estate. You take the Michigan Real Estate Broker Exam. Then you maintain your License with continued education. You may want to do this path before enrolling in college or after you graduate college. You didn't mention if you're going for an Associates Degree, a Bachelors degree or what you'd be Majoring in.
Try not to just jump into business without knowing how to do so. You will need to be able to pay for rent for an office and need programs and supplies and maybe staff. It's best to get the training and education first before trying to do too much at once before you are certain as to how to do it. A Real Estate Program and College will prepare you for your career.
In many cases, a Real Estate Broker does not work in their own time because they want to do other things. Many careers are like this. You will have to be available for travel and be there for your clients. Careers are not based on how much free time you can have. They are spontaneous, require focus and public relations, attending community events to network and have the community know you exist, require as much time as it takes. If you're thinking about selling residential homes, each sale takes a different amount of time. If you go through a Real Estate Program you will get a clear idea of what this filed is like. But don't worry - I don't know one person in any career that didn't have free time. Try not to project into the future things that you may not be able to control. All careers go differently, so be open minded and go into real estate because you really love it.
So for now, you'll need to figure out if you want to do the Real Estate Program and get Licensed before college or after college. Find colleges that have a strong department and program for whatever you'll be majoring in. Opportunities and knowledge are gained through your time at college, so it's okay to wait and learn the best steps to take for your chosen career.
There are no pre-college Real Estate Internships in Grand Rapids, but once you are in college, you can do internships at the Summer 2026 Urban Planning Intern at Progressive AE, the Marketing/Asset Management Internship at Magnus Capital Partners, or the Real Estate Management Internship at Trinity Property Consultants. Many times, Internships are for students in their Junior and Senior year at college, but you can find that out from these companies by contacting them.
Your best bet for right now would be to Shadow at a real estate office so you can become familiar with the operations. The shadowing could possibly turn into a Volunteer position, Visit some real estate offices in your city and ask if you can Shadow for a few days and or Volunteer until you start college.
I think that if you follow the steps I've discussed, you will have a smooth go of it. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
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