Thousands of real estate agents left the industry after the housing bust that followed the mid-2000s boom. Now, some newcomers are entering the business as the market recovers. Unlike agents during the boom who benefited from high demand, today's agents must work hard to drum up business and close deals over many months in a tighter market with low inventory and credit. While the total number of agents in the area has dropped by 34%, some brokerages are seeing an increase of 50-70 new agents joining each month as the recovery continues.