I read an interesting post written by Greg Nino, a real estate agent
from Houston. He outlined his advice to people who want to get their real
estate license. Sure wish he had written it before I opted to go into this
latest (ad)venture.
No, it wouldn't have stopped me at all. I just maybe would
have had my eyes opened just a tad wider.
The post was interesting to me
because I'm less than a year into this latest (ad)venture of mine.
It was
interesting to me because I did have a few "AHA" moments, followed by
some "Why in the Sam Hill didn't someone tell me this when I was asking a
gajillion folks at the very start of my (ad)venture?!?!"
And, it was
interesting to me because, I also had a few "Well, duh?!" moments
just like a seasoned veteran.
After Mr. Nino lists 42 reasons why
someone shouldn't go into real estate, he does manage to end on a positive
note. His 42 reason rant on why you shouldn't become a
realtor wouldn't have and really doesn't deter me.
After all, I
taught high school for 27 years for crying out loud. It takes more than 42
reasons to stop me from doing something. You try keeping 30 or so kiddos with
raging hormones entertained for 55 minutes--all while educating them with stuff
that half of them don't care about or want to know, and let's see how that
little gig works out for you.
This real estate thing? A mere walk down the hall
during passing period with a hall fight thrown in. I'm battle ready. You
don't scare me, Mr. Nino. So let's review just three of the 42 points he
made and my little spin on them…
•Passing the exam is easy but creating a
business with real income is a different story. Here I agree. At first, I
guess I never really viewed my latest (ad)venture as being its own little
business. I don't know why I didn't realize that. I should have realized that.
Perhaps a more prudent person would have realized that. Instead, I guess I
viewed it as more or less structured like a school. Each agent (teacher)
working out of their own classroom (home office) but under one umbrella (the
school and district in charge). It's that last part I got wrong. Now I
know, I really am the boss of me.
Mr. Nino claims the exam is easy, and I
admit I really didn't struggle with it, but as a former educator, I did
have one big issue with that exam. Whomever makes up those convoluted test
questions obviously was never a teacher nor a test maker. The goal of all good
test writers is to actually test knowledge, not to write difficult to read or
tricky questions. I spent more time trying to figure out exactly WHAT the
questions were asking me than actually answering the question. Jeepers.
•Now
that you have your license, be prepared to lose friends and get your feelings
hurt. I really wish someone had told me this one, but it really blindsided
me. Everyone tells you to work your "sphere of influence"–friends,
family and former co-workers. So naturally I just expected them to use me for
their real estate needs. Instead, there were at least four people who didn't.
If someone had told me from the get-go, I would have been less,
shocked and angry.
•Almost nobody will respect your time. Almost
everyone thinks you are overpaid. Just as with any profession, I think if
you allow people to not respect you or your time, that's what you get. If you
allow people to walk all over you, they will. If everyone thinks you are
overpaid and you don't educate or explain your fees, well their perception
becomes their reality. If you set boundaries and expectations, most will
stay within those limits. I figure if it works with teenagers in classroom, it
most definitely will work in this line of work.
So, the big question then,
is why did I go into real estate since there apparently are so many reasons not
to?
Well, I enjoy being the boss of me. I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy the
hunt. I enjoy matching people to their dreams.
And who knows? Hopefully as an
added bonus, Mr. Nino might actually be right, and the money might turn out to
be good.
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