What can real estate agents and loan officers do when the housing market slows?

Robust Roofing Careers · Updated October 2026

When the housing market slows, real estate agents and loan officers can wait it out, take a salaried role in the same industry, or move into a field where demand does not depend on home sales. Storm restoration is one of the best fits for that third option: hail and wind damage roofs whether or not anyone is buying, and homeowners need someone they trust to guide them from inspection to a finished roof. Robust Roofing's full-time Roofing Project Manager role in Johns Creek comes with a $75,000 per year base and also a true 50/50 split with nothing taken off the top, the strongest roofing sales pay structure in Georgia.

What can real estate agents do when the housing market slows?

Agents in a slow market usually choose between working their sphere harder, shifting toward leasing, taking a salaried housing job, or switching to a field with its own demand. Storm restoration roofing is in the last group and uses almost every skill an agent already has.

When mortgage rates rise or inventory tightens, fewer homes change hands, and commission income from closings can fall quickly. The options usually look like this:

The table describes general options, not any named company. For a broader comparison of the two careers, see roofing sales vs real estate.

Is roofing a good move for mortgage loan officers?

Yes, for loan officers who like people more than spreadsheets. Loan officers already guide families through a large, paperwork-heavy decision while a third party makes the final call, which is very close to how a storm roofing project works with an insurance company.

For context, the median annual wage for loan officers in the Atlanta metro was $76,340 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, though commission-based loan officer income moves with loan volume. Roofing's appeal for a loan officer is that its demand is not tied to interest rates. Hail does not check the Federal Reserve's calendar.

The skills line up closely: collecting and organizing documents, explaining terms clearly, meeting deadlines a third party sets, and keeping a customer calm while a decision is pending. In storm restoration, the documents are photos, a damage report and a repair scope, and the third party is the insurance company's adjuster. Approval is always the insurance company's decision under the policy, just as underwriting is the lender's.

Which housing skills carry over to a roofing project manager role?

Managing a transaction with many parties, knowing local neighborhoods, building trust with homeowners and keeping meticulous files all carry over directly. Agents also already understand how much a roof matters to a home's value and to its insurability.

One difference matters. Agents and loan officers are used to negotiating. In Georgia, a roofing contractor may not negotiate an insurance claim on a homeowner's behalf, so the Project Manager's job is documentation: inspecting, photographing, writing the scope, meeting the adjuster at the house and submitting supplements for missed items. Robust Roofing's licensed Property and Casualty adjuster on staff works beside you on that documentation, and the company provides training toward HAAG certification. See insurance restoration roofing jobs for more on that side of the work.

Can you do roofing on the side while you sell homes?

Not at Robust Roofing. The Project Manager role is full-time, because a homeowner with storm damage needs one dependable point of contact from the first inspection through the adjuster meeting, the build and the final walkthrough.

A side gig does not fit storm restoration well. Inspections, adjuster meetings and builds run on timelines set by the weather and the insurance company, and a homeowner who cannot reach their project manager loses trust quickly. If you are ready to make roofing your main work, Robust Roofing trains you on all of it. If you only want extra income between closings, this is not the right role.

How is the Robust Roofing role paid?

Robust Roofing pays its Project Managers a true 50/50 split of job profit with nothing taken off the top, not a 10/50/50, and no cap, and the role also comes with a $75,000 per year base. How the two work together is covered in the interview.

Agents understand split math better than most. A 10/50/50, common in roofing sales, takes 10 percent off the top first, often 10 percent of the contract price, so the 50/50 is figured on a smaller number. Robust Roofing makes no 10% deduction on your pay: no overhead percentage, office fee, appointment fee or material markup comes out ahead of the split. Its 50% share is more than double the 20% of profit most common among roofing companies that pay on profit, according to the JobNimbus Peak Performance report. That is why the plan is unusually generous by roofing standards.

The $75,000 per year base is well above the $51,170 median annual wage for all occupations in the Atlanta metro (BLS, May 2025), and it matters in a field where about one in three roofing companies pay their sales teams commission only and nearly half of insurance-focused ones do. Top performers can make upwards of $400,000 a year. That is top-performer potential, not typical pay; what you make depends on the roofs you sell and build. Read true 50/50 vs 10/50/50 and roofing companies that pay a base salary.

How do you apply?

If you are ready to make storm restoration your full-time work, send a short application at chooserobust.com/careers, complete a short questionnaire and pick your interview time. The role is based around Johns Creek in the North Atlanta metro and covers 39 North Georgia cities, many of them markets you may already know. Read the Roofing Project Manager job description for the full details, or call or text (470) 887-6637.

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