Why real estate agents are mentoring college athletes — and getting referrals

What began in as a small experiment in Salt Lake City and has since grown into a national program connecting college athletes with real estate licensing and mentorship.Katy Cookston, who now directs NIL Real Estate from her Keller Williams office in Salem, Virginia, said the initiative was initially tested with athletes at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University. The program helps college athletes earn real estate licenses, then connects them with experienced agents who mentor them as they build referral business while still in school. Athletes can earn referral fees when someone they send to an agent completes a transaction, while also gaining a credential they can use after college.After the first year, organizers approached other schools around the country. “After a year, they realized that what you can do once, if it’s successful, you can do over and over again,” Cookston told HousingWire. “So, they branched out — reached out to a set number of schools across the U.S. They reached out to quite a few, and about 10 to 15 reached back out. They said, ‘Hey, we want to do this test program. We’re trying to work with student athletes. Here’s what we offer.'” Virginia Tech...