Newcomers entering the real estate industry accounted for a large increase in membership of the National Association of Realtors during last year. According to a survey conducted by the association, the growth in membership parallels the historic rise in home sales. Eight percent of members are newcomers to the industry, while an additional 5 percent have been in the business for one or two years. The typical member has been in the business for 13 years, with a median of eight years for sales agents and 17 years for brokers.

"I think the face of real estate is changing. As an association, we continue to get new members and a lot of them are coming from technology," said Willi Krauss, president-elect of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. "I think overall the Realtors today are younger and more business oriented. They are being trained to do business plans and be goal oriented."

Technology seems to be one of the most popular backgrounds for many new Realtors.

"If you visit any of the real estate offices in our area, they are teaming with agents in their cubicles, many of them due to the fallout of the dot commers who lost their jobs in high tech," said Realtor John Leslie with Alain Pinel Realtors in Los Gatos. "The new face of real estate consists of hundreds of new agents with one to two years experience trying to figure out how to survive on commission. Universally, they will tell you that they were drawn by the commissions and the perception that 'I can always sell real estate.' "

The fact is that real estate does not always live up to its reputation as the "get rich quick" industry. According to the national association's study, the gross personal income of sales agents rose 15 percent between 2000 and 2002 to a median of $39,300, while the gross income of brokers declined 11 percent to $65,300. While figures might come in slightly higher in Silicon Valley due to the number of expensive homes in the area, the amount of compensation is often a surprise to new Realtors.

In addition to the dollars involved, Leslie said that every new agent will find out that the real estate industry is nothing like what they expected. "After they learn about the contracts and disclosures, they find out what they don't know yet. Typically, after they helped their family and friends buy or sell their homes, they hit the wall. The wall is the public and it is very selective. The new agents find out that the competition for listings is very expensive and the competition for buyers is often roulette—with some buying, though most don't buy with you."

The public often goes to the most visible agents to list their homes or to hire them to find their next home. Most agents learn that it's easier to pick up buyers.

"You meet lots of prospective clients at open houses and person to person. If you click, you have a client. Agents who are visible and approachable let the public size them up. The agents who advertise consistently in the media get hired. This approach costs thousands of dollars per year. The most well known agents spend tens of thousands of dollars per year to maintain their status in the high-end properties. Needless to say, the new agents don't venture there," Leslie said.

Leslie believes the public has a real challenge to sort and choose whom to hire since there are a glut of real estate agents today.

"Everyone is trying to look as glossy and high tech as possible. The neighborhood real estate agent that sold most of the homes years ago is now in competition with several new agents. The new agents are plentiful and competing with each other as well as the established agents," Leslie said.

Technology also plays a role in the competition factor with the Internet taking a bigger, broader role in the industry.

Four-out-of-five Realtors frequently use e-mail for business purposes, 50 percent use a digital camera and 70 percent have a home office. Almost half of the national association's members have a personal website, while almost 90 percent of real estate firms have a company website. More and more, Realtors are placing their listings online for clients to see.

"The bottom line in any industry will always be knowledge," said Dale Klippel of Prudential California Realty. "Knowledge within the real estate industry is a very keen quality that anyone shopping for a home or deciding to sell their home must and should take into consideration when choosing who will represent them through the process. Do they want a rookie agent or do they want someone with years of experience? After all, we are talking about someone who you are hiring to protect huge sums of money that will be either earned through the sale, or that will be used to purchase a home."

Klippel feels that most people want someone who can tell within a split second whether a home is overpriced or whether one neighborhood or the other is better suited to protect investment dollars.

"This is what your real estate professional brings to the table day in and day out," Klippel said. "Ask yourself. Do you really want to consult your neighbors about real estate values in your neighborhood, or do you think it's better to consult a professional?"