Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha! That is fricking funny mud!!!
My wife and I bought/sold many homes before I became a Realtor; then one day I came home and said to my wife...... "I'm gonna get my RE license and become a Realtor." She was shocked and immediately said back to me, "well the only thing that would make less sense than that is if you told me you were gonna become a cop."
You see, I never really liked Realtors all that well; especially at that time where we'd paid out some commissions in the $50,000 range! Those hurt and you never forget them!
What changed my mind....... I saw my personal Realtors T4 (tax) slip. True story.
Now I R one.
As for buddies being Realtors, I have tons of buds that I feed info too, but NOTHING can compare to actually having your hand on the wheel. Realtors get some of the best info on properties and it can make you alot of money. I've been a Realtor now for 3 years and I have no regrets. For the few pieces of hate mail I get, the million in commissions earned has far made up for it
Good luck mud!