55 Ways You Could Be Making Money In Real Estate<\/span><\/h1>\n

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This post may contain affiliate links which allow us to earn a small commission on the products and services we use and recommend.<\/p>\n

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[mashshare]\n

Making money in real estate doesn\u2019t have to be difficult. Not with so many different ways to do it!<\/p>\n

In fact, we\u2019ve come up with 55 different ways you could be making money in real estate. You just need to choose your methods and commit.<\/p>\n

Quick note: with so many money-makers to cover, we\u2019re not able to do a deep-dive on each one in this post. But don\u2019t worry. Many are self-explanatory, and for those that aren\u2019t, we\u2019ll link to other resources so you can get more information.<\/p>\n

55 Ways You Could Be Making Money In Real Estate<\/h2>\n

To add some order to this giant list, we\u2019re going to divide our money-making methods into 5 categories:<\/p>\n

\n
1. Traditional Methods for Making Money in Real Estate<\/li>\n
2. Making Money in Real Estate Through Online Content<\/li>\n
3. Adding Services to Your Business<\/li>\n
4. Creating Products<\/li>\n
5. Making Money in Real Estate Through Investments<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

   Let\u2019s jump in, shall we?<\/p>\n

   Traditional Methods for Making Money in Real Estate<\/h2>\n

   We\u2019re going to start with some well-established ways of making money in real estate through traditional means. Many of these are \u201cday jobs\u201d in the real estate industry. And the rest are classic real estate side incomes.<\/p>\n

   1. Facilitating Real Estate Transactions
   \nWhen you think of making money in real estate, you think of real estate agents, right? So of course it snagged the top spot on our list.<\/p>\n

   2. Referrals to Other Agents
   \nDo you have a seller who\u2019s moving out-of-state? Refer them to another agent! Most agents pay a referral fee somewhere between 20 and 35%. That\u2019s a solid payout for taking a few minutes to connect people!<\/p>\n

   3. Residuals from Other Agents
   \nSome real estate firms offer residuals to agents who bring in other agents. If you bring another agent into your firm, you make a small cut on all the business that new agent brings to the firm. Again, you\u2019re getting paid to connect people. Even better, you\u2019re getting paid to help other agents succeed.<\/p>\n

   4. Start Your Own Brokerage
   \nWant to make a cut on all the sales from an entire office full of real estate agents? Love the business side of real estate more than the sales side? Maybe you should open your own brokerage.<\/p>\n

   5. Coaching Real Estate Agents
   \nIf you\u2019ve found ways to be uber successful as a real estate agent, you can share your knowledge with other real estate agents by becoming a real estate coach. Think Tom Ferry or Brian Buffini.<\/p>\n

   6. Specializing as a Transaction Coordinator
   \nDo you genuinely love the paperwork and the to-do list for closing the transaction? How about specializing as a transaction coordinator? Many agents want to focus on the interpersonal relationships with clients instead of the nitty-gritty transaction work. So they\u2019ll gladly pay a transaction coordinator to handle it for them.<\/p>\n

   7. Residential Property Management
   \nInstead of helping buyers find a new home, you can get paid to help renters find a new home. Property managers market rental properties, screen tenants, handle maintenance requests, and make sure rents are collected. It just takes a little organization to stay on top of your portfolio, so make sure you invest in some inexpensive, but effective, property management software.<\/p>\n

   8. Commercial Property Management
   \nSimilarly, you could enter commercial property management to do the same thing for commercial spaces like offices, retail storefronts, and even entire shopping centers.<\/p>\n

   9. Apartment Leasing
   \nIf you love the sales aspect of real estate, but struggle with the inconsistent income and evening hours, consider apartment leasing. Leasing agents typically work a standard 9-5 (although weekends are usually necessary) in large apartment communities. They focus on marketing the units, touring prospects through the community, and screening tenants.<\/p>\n

   The money can be good because there\u2019s typically a base salary plus leasing commissions. I was able to make over $70K per year leasing apartments in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

   10. Managing Vacation Rentals for Absentee Owners
   \nManaging vacation rentals is somewhere along the same lines as property management, but it\u2019s more labor-intensive because of the high turnover. Instead of moving in a tenant for 6 months to a year, vacation rentals may only be reserved for a single night.<\/p>\n

   Airbnb owners are finding that managing the process of short-term vacation rentals takes a lot more time than they originally anticipated. So they\u2019re looking for managers to handle the reservations, turns, and general customer service.<\/p>\n

   11. Managing Flips for Out-of-Area Investors
   \nIf you have a knack for project management, maybe you could manage fix-and-flips for out-of area investors. In hot markets, you\u2019ll often have out-of-area investors looking to get a piece of the local action, but it isn\u2019t practical for them to manage a flip in person. So you can manage the project for them. Order all the materials, coordinate all the vendors, make sure everything runs on time and on budget.<\/p>\n

   You could charge a flat fee, an hourly fee, or even a percentage of the profit.<\/p>\n

   12. Executive Office Suite Management
   \nMany people are unfamiliar with the concept of executive office suites. It\u2019s basically shared office space. The executive suite company will lease an entire floor (or 2) of a high rise, and divide that floor into individual offices, which are then rented out to small businesses and solopreneurs. All the tenants on the floor share the amenities, like the conference rooms, kitchen, and a receptionist.<\/p>\n

   As the manager, you would be responsible for finding and screening office suite tenants and keeping all your tenants happy.<\/p>\n

   13. Be a Property Inspector
   \nIf you enjoy physically exploring structures, and have an eye for detail, you might make a good property inspector. It requires a certification, but you can make good money working during normal business hours.<\/p>\n

   14. Be an Appraiser
   \nAnd if you\u2019re a numbers person, who has more fun completing CMAs than showing homes, maybe appraisal would be the best way for you to make money in real estate. Certified appraisers are in demand under all market conditions. In a hot market, you\u2019ll be appraising properties for new loans, and in a recession, you\u2019ll be appraising REOs regularly.<\/p>\n

   Making Money in Real Estate Through Online Content<\/h2>\n

   The great thing about making money through online content is that you\u2019re probably already doing the hard part for free. It just takes a couple small steps to turn your hard work into income.<\/p>\n

   Here\u2019s what I mean:<\/p>\n

   As a real estate agent, you should be blogging, podcasting, and\/or broadcasting on your YouTube channel. The primary goals of creating online content are:<\/p>\n

   \n
   1. To grow your online presence so buyers and sellers can find you online. It\u2019s a killer prospecting strategy so you never have to door-knock or cold-call again!<\/li>\n
   2. Demonstrate your knowledge and authority.<\/li>\n
   3. Build a relationship with your followers so you\u2019re always top of mind for business and referrals.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      So you should be creating online content, even if only to boost your real estate transactions. Now, what if you could monetize that content? Have that content become its own passive income stream? Interested?<\/p>\n

      Here are 4 ways you could be making money in real estate through your online content.<\/p>\n

      15. Include Affiliate Links<\/b><\/h3>\n

      Affiliate links are simply links on your blog, podcast, or YouTube Channel that help your audience get to a useful product or service. Think of them as automated referrals.<\/p>\n

      Here are the basics of affiliate links work:<\/p>\n

      \n
      • You apply to be an approved affiliate marketer with multiple affiliate programs (like Amazon.com affiliates for example).<\/li>\n
      • Once approved, you can generate custom links to your affiliates\u2019 products and services.<\/li>\n
      • You insert these links into your blog where appropriate. If you\u2019re writing a post on home-staging for example, you can link to a bunch of Amazon home decor products that would help with staging.<\/li>\n
      • When a reader clicks on your link and buys a product through your affiliate, you receive a small commission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        I love affiliate links for real estate blogs because they are so flexible. Amazon is one of the easiest affiliate programs to join, and they have almost everything your audience could need or want.<\/p>\n

        Writing a post about staging a home to sell? Include links to Amazon household items that will help. Writing a post for first time homeowners? Include a link to a quality tool kit because you know they\u2019re going to need one!<\/p>\n

        And these links are a win, win, win. Your audience gets easy access to a useful product, you earn a commission, and the vendor makes a sale. Everyone wins!<\/p>\n

        Want more affiliate info? Check out The Top 5 Affiliate Networks for Real Estate Agents.<\/p>\n

        16. Add Ads<\/b><\/h3>\n

        Ads are another option for monetizing your blog, podcast, or YouTube channel.<\/p>\n

        We use ads on this site because we provide 99% of our content for free, and the ads generate enough money to allow us to continue providing free content.<\/p>\n

        But be careful using ads on your real estate content. If the primary goal of your content is to drive new leads, let your audience focus on that, and don\u2019t distract them with ads. But if you\u2019re posting a piece of content purely to be helpful (useful homeowner tips or information about local events, for example), an ad might be appropriate.<\/p>\n

        You could use Google Ads (the quickest and easiest way I\u2019ve found to add ads to your site), and get paid every time someone clicks on your ads. Or you can sell ad space to local businesses for a flat fee.<\/p>\n

        For more info, read How Do I Publish Ads on My Website?.<\/p>\n

        17. Publish Sponsored Content<\/b><\/h3>\n

        Sponsored content is when someone pays you to create content that promotes their brand.<\/p>\n

        You see this a lot on food blogs. In the recipe, the blogger will recommend a specific brand of BBQ sauce, orange juice, refrigerated dough, or whatever. They\u2019ll explain why that brand works better in the recipe than other brands, and they\u2019ll tell you where to buy that brand. Most likely, that brand is paying for that post (although smart bloggers will only accept sponsored content they truly believe because doing otherwise will come back to bite you!).<\/p>\n

        If you\u2019re creating a video for homeowners about how to change a light fixture, maybe your favorite electrician would like to sponsor the post. They would pay for you to say something about how \u201cSo-and-So Electrical is just a phone call away if you have any trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Prices for sponsored posts largely depend on how many viewers your posts typically get. If you\u2019re fairly new, $20 is a good starting point. Once you have a large following, you can easily command hundreds for a sponsored post. And all for a post you were going to publish just to be helpful to your viewers and grow your online presence!<\/p>\n

        18. Create Members-Only Content<\/b><\/h3>\n

        This is more involved, but can be an impressive income source when done right.<\/p>\n

        With the membership content model, your members pay a monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription fee to receive access to a library of information. This model is really popular in the health and fitness sector where readers will pay a monthly fee for fresh meal plans and workouts. It\u2019s a perfect fit for that industry.<\/p>\n

        CoStar is an example of a membership content model in the real estate industry. You pay a periodic fee for ongoing access to constantly updated commercial real estate data like sale and lease information. You\u2019ll also see this with real estate coaching sites, which charge a monthly fee for members to access templates and training materials.<\/p>\n

        Making Money in Real Estate by Adding Services to Your Real Estate Business<\/h2>\n

        Adding services to your real estate business is a smart way to diversify your income. Especially if you can master a service that is most in demand when the real estate market is slow (like property tax appeals \u2013 more on that coming up!).<\/p>\n

        The difficult thing about services is that they require time. You need to spend time providing the service.<\/p>\n

        The solution?<\/p>\n

        Think like an owner. Take on a business partner for the service expansion, or outsource it. You own the business, but you share the profits with your partner or pay someone to manage the day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n

        A word of caution: When providing real-estate related services, always be aware of potential conflicts of interest and ethical issues that could arise from providing multiple services to your brokerage clients. And there are certain services implied in your role as a real estate agent (like advice on home-staging and pre-sale repairs). Never withhold this advice or base it on your ancillary service businesses.<\/p>\n

        Having said that, here are 14 real estate related services to consider.<\/p>\n

        19. Property Tax Appeals<\/b><\/h3>\n

        Property Tax Appeals is a completely untapped agent revenue stream! And it\u2019s way easier than you\u2019d think.<\/p>\n

        Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n

        \n
        • Property taxes are usually based on the County Assessor\u2019s estimation of the value of the property. But Assessors are often wrong because they apply broad value increase formulas by submarket (they can\u2019t possibly value each property individually every year).<\/li>\n
        • If the homeowner (or their representative \u2013 that could be you!) can show the County that the actual value of the property is less than the estimated value used to calculate their taxes, the homeowner will be granted a tax reduction.<\/li>\n
        • Then you earn a commission on the amount of the tax savings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          So this really involves a simple property valuation (most states don\u2019t even require an appraisal), which you could complete as a real estate professional, and presentation of your valuation findings to the county taxing authority. Quite often the value presentation can even be presented via email or phone call!<\/p>\n

          The best part? Property tax appeals work best when values are declining (that\u2019s when counties over-assess almost every property). And a down real estate market is when real estate sales slow. So if you learn property tax appeals, you\u2019re basically recession-proofing your real estate business.<\/p>\n

          Learn more about this easy money in How to Make Money with Property Tax Appeals.<\/p>\n

          20. New Home Photo Shoots<\/b><\/h3>\n

          We have engagement photos, pregnancy photos, and new baby photos. What\u2019s missing? New home photos!<\/p>\n

          In the age of Instagram, new homeowners want to mark the milestone with a professional photo shoot of themselves in the home.<\/p>\n

          Help them do it! How to Make Money with New Home Photo Shoots.<\/p>\n

          21. Staging<\/b><\/h3>\n

          Sure, you could recommend an outside home staging company to your sellers. But wouldn\u2019t it be nice to have a pro stager on staff and share in the profits?<\/p>\n

          You get part of the staging fee plus a higher commission when the home sells for more, and your sellers net more on the sale with minimal hassle.<\/p>\n

          22. Home Repairs and Maintenance<\/b><\/h3>\n

          Why not have a general handyman or handywoman on the payroll to help your former buyers with their inevitable home maintenance issues?<\/p>\n

          Your clients get someone reliable at a fair rate, and you get a new income stream.<\/p>\n

          23. Credit Repair<\/b><\/h3>\n

          Credit repair goes hand-in-hand with getting buyers qualified for a mortgage.<\/p>\n

          If your buyers can\u2019t qualify for financing without improving their credit scores, you can either send them packing or you can charge a fee to help with the credit plus make a commission on the eventual purchase!<\/p>\n

          24. Notary Services<\/b><\/h3>\n

          Becoming a Notary is super simple. And you can make a little easy money on the side.<\/p>\n

          25. Content Writing<\/b><\/h3>\n

          Everyone in this day-and-age needs a website. Therefore, everyone needs written content for their site. If you enjoy writing, you can make good money writing content for websites and blogs.<\/p>\n

          In fact, my primary source of income at the moment is ghostwriting real estate agent blogs. I write custom content for real estate agents to publish as their own work, under their own names. I love that I\u2019m able to help busy agents keep up their online presence, and I\u2019m able to make a living doing it!<\/p>\n

          Shameless plug: if you need someone to write the content for your blog, check me out!<\/p>\n

          26. Guiding Local Experiences<\/b><\/h3>\n

          What unique experiences can you share in your city?<\/p>\n

          Consider some of these locals-only experiences:<\/p>\n

          \n
          • cooking classes featuring local ingredients and dishes unique to your region<\/li>\n
          • dance classes with local music and style<\/li>\n
          • yoga classes in the shadow of a local landmark<\/li>\n
          • outdoor art classes with local scenery as your subject<\/li>\n
          • a weekend camping trip in your state park<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Or some of these guided tours as experiences:<\/p>\n

            \n
            • hiking tours to a local landmark<\/li>\n
            • kayak tours of your local waterways<\/li>\n
            • bicycle tours through your lively neighborhoods<\/li>\n
            • walking tours of the history of your city<\/li>\n
            • photography tours of your city\u2019s most instagramable locations<\/li>\n
            • food tours of your best local cuisine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Your options are limitless! And you can easily work in the fact that you know everything about the area because you\u2019re a local real estate agent.<\/p>\n

              With platforms like Vayable and Airbnb Experiences, it\u2019s easier than ever to get started.<\/p>\n

              27. Landscape Design and Maintenance<\/b><\/h3>\n

              Having in-house landscape design and maintenance is a great way to stay top of mind with homeowners who see your landscaping truck parked on the street every week while your landscapers are hard at work. And there\u2019s money to be made in landscaping, particularly in the luxury market where most homeowners don\u2019t handle their own yard work.<\/p>\n

              28. Painting<\/b><\/h3>\n

              Painting services are especially useful to your investor clients who need help re-painting between tenants.<\/p>\n

              29. Cleaning<\/b><\/h3>\n

              Same with cleaning. If your company can handle both the cleaning and the painting for your investor clients\u2019 make-readies, you\u2019re golden!<\/p>\n

              30. Roofing<\/b><\/h3>\n

              Roofing is hard work, so there\u2019s plenty of money to be made in it for the people willing to handle it!<\/p>\n

              31. Bookkeeping<\/b><\/h3>\n

              Offering bookkeeping services can make your investor clients\u2019 lives easier. They may like owning the properties, but may not be detail-oriented enough to document all the income and expenses. If you have a mind for numbers, this is quick, easy, and fun work.<\/p>\n

              32. Home Organization<\/b><\/h3>\n

              If you\u2019re super organized, offering home organization services might not make sense to you. Because you think organization comes naturally to everyone.<\/p>\n

              Let me assure you, it does not.<\/p>\n

              Lots of people pay big money to have their homes organized. Just look at the popularity of Tidying Up on Netflix!<\/p>\n

              Making Money in Real Estate by Selling Products<\/h2>\n

              Selling products provides one big benefit over providing services\u2026it\u2019s passive. You can create a product one time, and make money from that product for years to come.<\/p>\n

              Here are 5 ways to make money in real estate by selling products.<\/p>\n

              33. eBooks<\/b><\/h3>\n

              I\u2019m going to guess that you have acquired some serious real estate knowledge and insight in your time as a real estate professional. Package that knowledge in an eBook and sell it!<\/p>\n

              You can sell exclusively through your own website or get more eyes on your product by self publishing on Amazon.com.<\/p>\n

              Learn more about Making Money with eBooks.<\/p>\n

              34. Digital Products<\/b><\/h3>\n

              eBooks aren\u2019t the only digital products out there.<\/p>\n

              You could create templates, design elements, printable wall art, calendars, mailers\u2026use your imagination!<\/p>\n

              Etsy is a great place to get ideas for digital products that are selling. It\u2019s also a great platform from which to start selling your digital products once they\u2019re ready to hit the market. Transaction fees are minimal: just a $0.20 listing fee per item (which will cover the listing for 4 months) + a 5% transaction fee for each sale (that\u2019s 5% of the price + any shipping).<\/p>\n

              Here are just a few genius ideas from Etsy that would be a great fit for real estate agents:<\/p>\n

              \n
              • Landlord helpers<\/b> (lease agreement templates, renewals, move-in\/move-out inspection sheets, etc)<\/li>\n
              • Change of address printable postcards<\/b><\/li>\n
              • Kids game printables<\/b> (after all, you\u2019re an expert in keeping kids busy so parents can focus on the home, right?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                35. Courses<\/b><\/h3>\n

                Courses offer another way to package and present your knowledge. They also provide an opportunity to charge more than an eBook because they are more involved. And they allow you to support your students through the steps required to learn the material you\u2019re teaching.<\/p>\n

                You have valuable skills and knowledge worth passing along! Share it with the world and add an income stream in the process.<\/p>\n

                Learn More: How to Create Online Real Estate Courses<\/p>\n

                36. Stock Photos<\/b><\/h3>\n

                Have you ever had to select images for a website, mailer, or social media post? Someone took that photo, and they most likely make a little money every time it sells. You could do the same.<\/p>\n

                Selling stock photos online isn\u2019t a get rich quick scheme. It takes some time to build a sizable bank of images and for your photos to gain momentum. But once they do, it\u2019s basically free money.<\/p>\n

                Stock photos are highly competitive, so niche-down to find your specific audience.<\/p>\n

                Have some photos to sell? Get started today on these platforms (sign up with multiple platforms to reach a greater audience).<\/p>\n

                \n
                • Dreamstime<\/li>\n
                • Shutterstock<\/li>\n
                • 123rf<\/li>\n
                • Adobe<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Learn more: How to Make Money Selling Stock Photos Online<\/b><\/p>\n

                  37. Equipment Rental<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  If you\u2019ve worked with first time homeowners, you know they usually buy a starter home requiring some fixes, and they don\u2019t have the money (or need, really) to buy expensive DIY equipment, so they head to Home Depot and rent it.<\/p>\n

                  Why not offer to rent your tools and equipment to them? In my experience, the rentals at Home Depot are often in poor condition, too expensive, and sometimes not even available for weeks at a time. You can provide a better rental experience!<\/p>\n

                  I suppose equipment rental could be considered a service or a product. It\u2019s not as passive as the other products we\u2019ve discussed, but you have the added benefit of earning money on the same piece of equipment over and over.<\/p>\n

                  Just for the love of God, make sure you get their credit card on file for a healthy deposit in case they somehow destroy your equipment.<\/p>\n

                  Learn more: How to Make Money Renting Out Tools and Equipment.<\/b><\/p>\n

                  Making Money in Real Estate through Investments<\/h2>\n

                  We just published an epic post on real estate investing: 18 Different Ways to Invest in Real Estate. Instead of going into that level of detail all over again, I\u2019m just going to list the ways to invest in this post. If you want to learn more about any (or all!) of these methods, just check out that original post.<\/p>\n

                  Buying Rental Properties<\/b><\/p>\n

                  38. Single-Family Homes<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  39. Vacation Rentals<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  40. Multi-family Residential<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  41. Commercial<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  42. Industrial<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  43. Vacant Land<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  Flipping Properties<\/b><\/p>\n

                  44. Fix and flip any property type<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  45. Wholesaling<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  Investing Without Actually Buying a Property<\/b><\/p>\n

                  46. Real Estate Investment Groups and Crowdfunding<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  47. REITs<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  48. Mutual Funds<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  49. ETFs<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  50. Real Estate Notes<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  51. Hard Money Loans<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  52. Tax Liens and Tax Deeds<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  Renting Out Your Existing Space<\/b><\/p>\n

                  53. A Room<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  54. Parking<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  55. Storage<\/b><\/h3>\n

                  Where to Start Making Money in Real Estate<\/p>\n

                  \nWith so many options, it\u2019s easy to get overwhelmed. Don\u2019t make the mistake of trying to tackle 5 new income streams at once. Focus your efforts on just 1 or 2. Once those are trucking along on auto-pilot, you can add another.<\/p>\n

                  Start with an income stream that:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                  • Compliments your existing real estate business<\/li>\n
                  • Truly serves your clients and prospects; start with their needs<\/li>\n
                  • Diversifies your income so you have some protection against changes in the real estate market<\/li>\n
                  • Doesn\u2019t take an unreasonable amount of time to start (though of course, they will all require some investment of time)<\/li>\n
                  • Is fairly inexpensive to test and to start<\/li>\n
                  • Can be managed relatively easily<\/li>\n
                  • You can get excited about!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    If you\u2019re having a hard time choosing, I would start with online content. It ticks all the boxes, and since you should be creating content to promote your primary business anyway, it\u2019s simple to implement.<\/p>\n

                    And we have lots of free resources to help you start, or improve, your real estate blog<\/b> (including tips for your website if you\u2019re starting from scratch!) so you can quickly and easily add content income to your business.<\/p>\n

                    All the best to you and your business!<\/p>\n

                    Additional Resources
                    \nThe Millionaire Real Estate Agent<\/b> by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, and Jay Papasan<\/p>\n

                    The Millionaire Real Estate Investor<\/b> also by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, and Jay Papasan<\/p>\n

                    Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days<\/b> by Chris Guillebeau<\/p>\n

                    What Did We Miss?<\/h2>\n

                    Do you know of other ways we could be making money in real estate? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n

                    [mashshare]\n

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