Sometmes people get so wrapped up in the infrastructure that they forget to do the work.

Paul,

I suppose there are always some who try it.  Newbies should be mentored by successful agents in exchange for assistant work, and a salary,  just like they do in commercial real estate.  You rarely have nincompoops in that arena (I am speaking for West Los Angeles), and if one shows up, the word goes out in the community in a nanosecond.  Everyone we ever worked with were a delight.  A

LOL Bill Dandridge 

I don't know anyone who does, and I never even considered it.

It is possible, some people ride the wave of luck.

Is he still in business?

Paul Henderson there will be someone in every business.

Some get lucky and other's car gets towed!

You can fake it for a short time and then after that you had better dig in and know your business, work hard and long hours, know where to go for the answers and learn from your mistakes and don't be afraid to say you don't know something but will find out.

Hi Paul Henderson, This is a very interesting question - depends on what they might be faking... You can't fake statistics or market knowledge.  These come from experience and learning.  Any sales job requires confidence and guts.  But I know that many people are not overly confident so they may fake being comfortable in a situation they're anxious in... In these types of situations, you may be able to fake some to make it someday... Thanks for the post. 

You MUST do so emotionally. 

You MUST NOT do so materially.

If you are faking the mechanics, someone very likely will pay a high price.

Only if you have an unlimited amount in your savings account.