Posted by Chris Colgan on Monday, September 29th, 2025 1:07pm.
Here's the first thing they won't tell you at the real estate exam: 80% of your time should be generating business. Only 20% is actually selling houses.
I'm Chris Colgan, and I've been doing this for 18 years in Northern Virginia. Lost most of my hair to it. But I've also built a team that closed over 100 transactions this year, and I've helped dozens of brand-new agents go from zero to six figures faster than they thought possible.
This guide covers everything: how to get your Virginia real estate license, what it actually costs to work at a brokerage, and the exact math behind making $150K–$200K your first few years. No fluff. Just the system that works.
Start at The CE Shop. It's the cleanest, fastest way to knock out Virginia's 60-hour requirement. Most of it's online. You can finish in two weeks if you're motivated.
The course covers national real estate principles plus Virginia-specific rules—like the fact that Virginia is a buyer-beware state (buyers can walk away, and sellers don't have to disclose everything). You'll never use 80% of this material in the real world, but you need it to pass.
You'll take two tests: national + Virginia state. They're administered at a PSI testing center.
My advice: Don't sign up for the real exam until you've passed The CE Shop's final practice test multiple times in a row. Just keep taking it until the questions feel predictable. That's how I passed the DC exam, and I'm terrible at tests.
If you fail? No big deal. Pay the fee, book another slot, try again. Most people fail the first time.
Once you pass, you'll get fingerprinted and submit everything to the Virginia Real Estate Board. They move slow—expect a couple weeks before your license shows up.
Big mistake I see: People get their license, then spend the next three months "getting ready to get ready." They wait until the dog's trained, the boyfriend moves out, Mercury's out of retrograde. Don't do that. Once you have your license, you need to start running.
You can't operate as an independent agent in Virginia. You need to hang your license with a brokerage—companies like eXp, Samson, Pearson Smith, Remix, or Cardinal.
Here's what most people don't realize: you pay to work there. Real estate companies don't make money from agent salaries. They make it from splits, referral fees, and upselling you their title/mortgage services.
Here's the part that trips people up. Let's say you close a $10,000 commission check at eXp:
Some companies do flat fees per transaction ($700/deal). Others keep you on 80/20 forever. Do the math before you sign.
Here's what matters: Rich agents think about what they net. Poor agents obsess over splits. If you're making $300K at a 30% split, you're doing better than someone making $50K at a 90% split.
Let's talk numbers. This is the part most gurus skip because it's uncomfortable. But I'm going to show you exactly how my agents hit six figures.
If you close 2 deals a month—that's 24 deals a year—you net:
24 × $7,500 = $180,000
Minus your eXp cap ($4,000), you're at $176,000 net.
Now break it down further:
Bottom line: You need to go on 2 appointments per week. That's it. That's the whole game.
There are only 6 ways to get business in real estate. Everything else is noise.
Make a list of 200 people. Yes, 200. "But my family's in California!" Doesn't matter. "My grandma's not moving." Doesn't matter.
If your grandma doesn't see you active on social, she won't refer her friends to you. Put everyone on the list—wedding invites, high school friends, former coworkers.
We throw 4 client parties a year. Last one had Santana Moss and Austin Ekeler from the Commanders signing autographs. 350 people showed up. It's way easier to call someone and say "We're having a party with NFL players" than "Hey, you thinking about moving?"
This is the unlock most agents ignore. A guy named Cody Weitzel in Arizona—average sale price $350K—netted $1.1 million from open houses alone. Here's his system:
Nobody's going to yell at you for trying to sell their neighbor's house. And a lot of them will say yes to a free home valuation—which turns into listing appointments.
I hate cold calling. I've never been the guy to dial expired listings at 8 a.m. But some teams crush it. If you're naturally good on the phone and don't mind rejection, this can work.
On my team, we spend $1,000/month on Google Ads, run YouTube (12 million views/month), and partner with Zillow. We also have 2 full-time callers who set appointments for our agents—so you're getting about 50 qualified leads/month without lifting a finger.
30% of my business comes from Instagram and YouTube. People watch my content for months, then call ready to work with someone on my team.
The catch: You can't just work the paid leads and ignore the rest. The agents who thrive are the ones who work all 6 spokes of the wheel. The ones who quit are the ones who skipped sphere, skipped open houses, made 20 calls in a month, then said "This doesn't work."
I run a 50/50 split team at eXp under a company called Place. Here's what that means:
90% of our closings come from team leads. I'm not mad about that—it's the business model. My job is to feed you appointments. Your job is to close them and deliver great service.
I've had agents make $300K on my team. I've had showing agents on track for $120K (before a medical issue). I've also had people leave after 3 months because they didn't make a single call or attend an open house, then blamed the system.
Not really. Your broker-in-charge carries most of the liability. You also have errors & omissions insurance through the brokerage. As long as you're not lying, stealing, or hiding issues from clients, you'll be fine. My rule: Run to the problem. If something goes wrong, call the client immediately.
Yes, but it's tough. You need to be available nights and weekends when buyers want to tour homes. I have a successful agent who works 9–5 and does real estate on weekends. What I tell people: pick a number ($30K, $50K) and once you hit it, quit your day job.
No. I was in real estate for 15 years before I got my DC license. Start where you live. Don't spread yourself thin.
You can succeed if you're introverted. The problem is if you're introverted and you overthink everything. Real estate is about managing multiple clients and putting out fires. If you freeze under pressure, it'll be hard. But if you're just quiet and thoughtful? You'll be fine.
Showing agents drive buyers around and hand contracts back to the lead agent. You make less per deal (smaller split), but it's a good way to learn. One of my showing agents was on track for $120K before she had a medical issue.
Most agents get their license and immediately make one of two mistakes:
Here's reality: The average realtor in the DC area sells 3 homes a year. The average 10-year veteran sells 10–12 homes a year. Most realtors suck because they don't use a system, they're not on social media, and they're out there shooting iPhone photos of listings.
You need a launch plan. At eXp through Place, we have a 100-day launch program—1 hour/day, teaches you CRM, scripts, contracts, how to talk to clients. We also do:
You're going to get your first paycheck as fast as possible. That's the goal.
Whether you join my team or go somewhere else, I hope this guide gave you clarity. Real estate is a lead generation and people business. If you can handle that, the freedom and income potential are unmatched.
Next steps:
Let's build something.
—Chris Colgan
Northern Virginia Real Estate
eXp Realty | Place