I live in Ontario, Canada and I am seriously considering a career change from retail to real estate and would really love the advice or opinions from people who have done the same or from existing real estate agents out there.
Is it financially rewarding?
What are some challenges faced?
Do you have down times when you earn nothing for a while?
What is the best way to train and begin?

Please give me some pointers to help seal my decision.

Thank you.

It can be financially rewarding, but there will be times when you don’t have money coming in so you have to be a good budgeter. Even when no money is coming in, money is going out – license fees, error and omissions insurance, car expenses, broker fees, advertising, office supplies.

You want to start with OREA, Ontario Real Estate Association. There you can find out the licensing requirements. It used to be 3 courses, then 3 more during your first 2 years and after that 24 continuing education every two years. All of these cost money too.

Likely you will have no insurance, so no drug or dental or disability. You will not be elegible for employment insurance.
If you want those you will have to buy them yourself.

If you are a people person this can be a fun job. I get a real thrill out of finding just the right house for someone, or helping someone get a better price than they thought they would for their house.

There are different kinds of realtors and they come from really varied backgrounds. I do mostly single family residential, but many do condos or vacation properties, investment properties, commercial, farms, there are all sorts of specialties.