The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-12-06

estate business might be Just the
thing?
But don't think for moment that
all your boy would have to do after he
got started in this line of endeavor
would be to buy and sell lots; for,
though that is an important phase Of
the business, and one, to make high
success requiring much ability, mod
ern advancement has raised the real
estate business to such Importance as
to embrace the best efforts in large
number of distinct specialties. So in
this truly comprehensive occupation
will be found such a variety of work
that, after he is started in it, your boy
ean develop his choice of several lines
OF work, each of which may lead on
to a good sized competence, perhaps q
fortune.
There is no special preliminary edu-
cation that would be of particular
value to boy taking up real estate
for his lifework, and more than all the
general learning he can acquire. Even
the schools and colleges have not seen
at to take up real estate as branch
of learning, all that is being done in
q direct educational way being few
courses taught by the Young Mems
Christian association in some Of the
large cities, and few more or less
complete correspondence courses.
So boys only chance to learn the
business is to go right at it and get a
Job with real estate firm. OF course
the larger the firm, the greater variety
OF opportunities he will have to adj
vance, and some of them are great
enough to take him to the very top
of the profession.
His first job will be that Of ordinary
office youth at salary of four or Ave
dollars week, If the candidate should
be particularly young and inexperi-
enced, or, II he has gone through high
school and can write and figure pretty
we'll, he might be put on at minor
clerkship at eight or ten dollars a
week, or even might start In as q
stenographer or typist.
Your boy, of course, will wish to get
a general knowledge of the business
before he attempts to take up any par
ticular line, and SO he will likely go
through some or all of the different
stages of fling clerk, record clerk, au-
ditor's clerk, mortgage clerk, ETC.,
being promoted from time to time, till,
after three to Ave years. he will be
getting $1S to $25. week. He can
stick to the clerical end and become
q chief clerk OF one of the depart
ments at say as much as $35 weekly.
In the meantime, however, If he de-
sires to get out Of the purely ONCE
end. he will be picking up pointers on
outside work, and, perhaps 10 learning
how to sell and buy lothrei There is
more in this than app at first
thought, for the qualiti Fellhat make
a successful book agent are not enough
10 make successful real estate sales
man
To sell lots successfuilH your boy
must know pretty muca everything
that enters into a variety of things
that don't appear on the surface. He
must, for instance, have good ac-
auaintance with the general values Of
property In the neighborhood; the cost
OF various obvious improvements that
have to be made; the price Of adjoin-
ing and nearby property; street Inn
provements and assessments; what
will be charged to make connections
with sewer and gas mains; the facili-
ties and cost of the prospective owner
getting to his place Of business; adj
vice as to the cost and difficulty Of
getting mortgage on the property,
etc, ETC. In addition, he must have
the ability of salesman; for, granted
that he can furnish all these details,
he still mas to convince the caller that
the particular piece of property under
consideration Is just the one he wants;
and then your boy has to deal with the
seller, who, may be an uncompromis-
ing individual.
A first class salesman, generally
speaking, will earn anywhere from
IS, 900 up to $4,000 or more year in
commissions Some become SO prof.
Client that they scorn all other lines Of
work and offers of salary and stick to
selling real estate until they accumu-
late the stake to retire on.
The other lines open to your boy?
We'll, almost every phase Of this busi-
mess Is a specially He must know all
the details about unimproved property
This may be suburban lots, which II is
desired to acquire In big chunks for
the purpose Of making improvements
and selling as improved property Then
he has to know how to advertise and
make opportunities to unload the prop
erty after it is improved. He must
know the cost Of building apartment
houses. and the attractive features Of
various modern improvements In such
dwellings so as to lure tenants to them.
He must be student Of the trend Of
trafic, SO as to appraise office build
ings and the value Of land adapted to
such purposes. Factory sites, trans
portation facilities. tenements, stores.
boulevards. parks, small farms Gin
cIuding the adaptability Of the soil
for agricultural purposes), the trend
OF population Of various classes, the
probability Of this particular section