Oohh, that's harsh. I have a lovely very small tattoo of a flower. It's a personal decision certainly but one I will never regret. It's only visible when I want it to be. My husband (of 20 years I might add, I'm certainly no tramp) thinks its sexy and fun. I'm overall a pretty conservative gal, the kind you would never "expect" to have a tattoo. Don't judge. We are all entitled to our personal opinion and freedom of expression. That's what makes this country a great one to live in.
Kelly I agree! I have a beautiful Gecko and I love it! I don't know what made him post this, how dare him tell a woman what she can do with her body. And WHAT does this have tod do with Real Estate?
Perrin: And if it does....so what! There are probably just as many people who WOULD work with you because you have a tat than wouldn't work with you for having one!
I don't have any tattoos because I've never thought that I could go the rest of my life without changing my mind on it. That said, I think that it's a personal decision for each person to make. Personally, I think that they should be discrete, but again, I think that is a personal decision.
One other thing though ladies.....if you're going for "sexy", the "tramp stamps" don't work for everyone!
So let's assume your broker tells you that from now on, he/she is only going to pay you the commissions you earn on half of your sales. You'd hit the ceiling. Call him/her dirty names. Look for a new place to work. Tell everyone you know about what an idiot he/she is. And, boy is he unfair!
But somehow you rationalize that if someone doesn't want you representing them because you have a tat it's OK because there are plenty more out there who will so your income won't be affected?
Think through that one more time.
There are things about each one of us that we can't change, but that negatively impact the way we are perceived by others. Why would we consciously add to those? Dirty cars, sloppy dress, no bath, forgot to shave. The list goes on and on.
So what's it have to do with real estate? Simple. It has to do with who much money you will make and the magnitude of your success.
I see nothing wrong with a tastefully placed tat on a lady, my only thing is are they still going to want that tattoo when they are the 60 something year old grandmother and have to explain to their grandchildren why grandma's tatoo on her back says .....well whatever it might say?
First of all...does this "discrimination" apply only to women...or are tattoos a "no-no" for men as well?
Secondly...if you met me you would never know that I have a tattoo unless I was either in a bathing suit or in my underwear...neither of which is likely to occur when conducting business!
Let's see...does grandpa have to explain his tattoo or just grandma??? Come on guys, this is 2007. Women can vote and everything! Heck, we even work outside of the home!
I feel if it is strategically placed and you have the capability to cover it up and choose to cover it up... no one has to know unless you want them to. Yes I have one and no I don't flaunt it but it has never gotten in the way of business. As a matter of fact some of the buyers & sellers who are women that I have worked with have tattoos. They have received a loans, bought homes, and sold homes too. Now putting a stud in my chin or large spacers in my ears that's a different story (for me that is)!
So you're being tried for a murder that you didn't commit.
OK? (Stick with me on this.)
And you've been assigned an attorney because you're too poor to hire one. The attorney is either a male or a female. The jury is sitting there, the judge is on the bench, and your fate is getting ready to be determined. Go free or get the lethal injection.
Your attorney arrives with his/her big brief case with his/her Harvard law degree-learning fresh in his/her head, wearing a short sleeve shirt/blouse and the two exposed arms have one or more tattoos.
Are you going to wish 1) he/she were dressed in "proper" attire and 2) that if not, could he/she have at least had the tattoos covered up now that your life is depending on what the jury thinks of him and his defense? Which do you think is going to be the most important, the Harvard degree or the tattoos?
What year it is, what others are doing, what you like and don't like yourself, or how much more sexy your husband or boyfriend thinks you are with your additions have nothing whatsoever to do with my position. And if they were sitting in that trial and your attorney showed up as I described, they'd be scared to death that you wouldn't get a fair shake. And they should.
Your prospective clients see you as they see you. My point is don't let them see a side of you that might negatively influence what they think of you. Tattoo, eyebrow pierced, orange spiked hair, black fingernail polish, cleavage down "to there" or whatever is still thought of as unconventional by a substantial part of the population. Your chance of being able to represent them might get the lethal injection.
Bill, I agree with you wholeheartedly that when dealing with the general public we should all try to be as conservative as possible in everything...not only what we wear, display, drive, etc...but also what we say. Your point is well taken. My point was that everyone should be careful not to judge others...isn't that what we are taught in school? Don't judge a book by it's cover? But I do realize that people do still judge others. Every day. Sad but true.
Kelly, you, of course, are right. I've been writing pieces for newspapers and magazines for a long time, and many of them have to do with that very thing you mentioned -- don't judge a book by its cover -- and trying to help my readers get over doing that.
For an example, my column this month in www.texasescapes.com is about Jews who came to America. How they were treated is not a good story, but there is an interesting twist regarding the blacks. If you find time, read it. It's interesting.
When first impressions are so important with respect to the friendship's/relationship's future, it makes no sense at all to be a maverick in your dress and deportment if you're in the sales bidniz.
And finally, let me add that I am totally amazed at the number of foul-mouthed sales people who don't realize that that one flaw, that one pseudo-attribute, is costing them thousands of dollars every year.
The bottom line? Don't tinker with the body God gave you and leave vulgarity for others to use. We can live without doing either.
Thanks, Miss Karen. When it's all over for me, I promise you that no one will be able to say I wasted my time here on earth. It's a way of life and a mindset I recommend to everyone.
I like your attitude! I agree, better to leave this earth smiling while everyone one else around you is crying... (something my dad instilled in me) - Have a wonderful weekend!
Why is this concept so hard to understand? It's not what you, the tattoed lady thinks. It's what your prospective clients and others think. You're a mortgage loan officer, and I'll bet you're a really good one. Here's a true story. See if this helps you to see my point.
I went to see a friend of mine one time who was a mortgage broker like you. He made multi-million dollar loans. My partners and I were building some apartments about 500, if I recall, and he heard about it and he started courting me by phone to bring him the loan. I hadn't seen him in a number of years.
When I went to his office, his bottom lip was bulging out. I thought someone had hit him or something. As we were discussing my project, he reached in his desk drawer and pulled out a small Dixie cup and spit tobacco juice into it. Then I knew what was causing the bulge in his bottom lip. And he spit in that cup for the rest of the time I was there. Then he'd pull out a tobacco-stained handkerchief and wipe off his mouth.
He saw nothing wrong with his habit, but I didn't make the loan there because I couldn't contend with having to go through this fat lip-Dixie cup routine every time I saw him. Cost him about $40,000 to chew and spit that vile stuff in front of me.
Would you have made a loan through him when there were at least ten other banks wanting your loan? I don't think you would have because while you think your "tattoos don't make you appear any less professional" you probably would think his tobacco chewing and spiting made him look unprofessional. And yet he was one whale of a smart money man. But that didn't overcome the reason for his fat lip.
And now for all of you, this is my last comment on this subject. It's been fun. Everyone who is glad I'm moving on to something else say AMEN
I agree that is VERY important to present yourself professionally. I would not want to do banking with someone who was spitting tobacco into a dixie cup... and I am in Kentucky, so it wouldn't really be THAT shocking to see. I wouldn't want to buy a house (or list one) with someone who had tattoos on their neck or face or somewhere like that. I admit this freely, even though I know it is discrimination. I know lots of people who are highly intelligent that have visible tattoos. I think it is fine if you have tattoos, especially if they are in places that are normally covered by clothing. I also think it depends on what the subject matter of the tattoo is. I would not want to list my home with someone who had a huge skull tattoo, but I wouldn't even think twice if I noticed a butterfly on the ankle of my banker. Ya know what I mean?
I do hate the way the original post singled out women though. I think it is equally obnoxious on men and women. The old-school society of military tattoos has went the way of the dinosaurs. Would it be ok if my mother (who is retired navy) had a huge anchor on her forearm with the name of her ship on it. Would you let HER sell your house? If not why is it O.K. for a man?
Now that i have said all that I should probably let you know that I have 3 tattoos. All of them are in areas that are easily covered by clothing. I should also mention that my husband is a tattoo artist. It is NOT his day job. He does it because he loves it. No, he doesn't have facial or neck tattoos. He does have forearm tattoos and one on his hand. He is extremely intelligent and I have never seen ANYONE shy away from working with him because of his tattoos. They are the best conversation starters I have ever seen. People ask about them all the time. But he is a brilliant artist and they are his original work. They are not what you typically see. He does have a management position. He does work directly with the public. These people do trust him with a lot (although we all know not much comes close to their home). These people don't have issues with his tattoos.
On another note, if you specialize in first time home buyers, I would say tattoos would be completely fine. Most of your customers would be younger couples, and they probably have tattoos themselves. They might even feel MORE comfortable working with you than they would with some stuffy white shirt and suit jacket. I say throw on some jeans and work it if that is what you feel comfortable with. As long as you have the right image for the type of customer you are trying to attract... more power to you. If you want to list Malibu beach houses you can probably wear sandals. If you want to sell million dollar listings to the elite, you might want to wear armani suits. If you want to sell horse farms you might wear jeans and boots. As long as you look like your customers look you will probably be successful at making a connection with them.
I'm with you, Bill. Tatoos are not becoming on ladies and many tatoos I see are not becoming on men either.
Jo (ok. if you have a little discreet bunny or rose someplace, perhaps that is sort of classy ..it's the arm ones that are right out there for all to see, that I am not really impressed with. Chacun son gout. )
Ah, Jo. My mom used to say chacun son gout. (I never knew how to spell it) Been a long time since I've heard it, and I agree with you. It's the perfect ending to this blog.
I have to say that while I've never gotten one (the reason being what someone mentioned above about not being at all sure that I could go forever without changing my mind, given all the evidence, the one exception being I've been married for 35 years and counting), one of the women I knew with the most class the best taste, and the most professional demeanor for all of the adult years that I knew her (we met when we were both 16) got, at age 50, a tiny tattoo of an African depiction of a tortoise on her ankle. It had great personal significance to her, and she pondered for quite some time before getting it. She had, and continued to have until her death not enough years later (my best friend in the world, died at exactly 54-1/2 years of age, the day before I turned 54-1/2, after a six-year-long battle with ovarian cancer - they gave her two months when she was first diagnosed), a highly responsible job with the Department of Energy, an agency not known for its lack of conservativism. She had numerous friends both there and elsewhere - not one of them ever questioned her taste or professionalism, though they might disagree strongly on various issues.
So, Bill, I'm going to have to disagree with your blanket statement. (Well, blanket for women, anyway.)
I'm glad you like the logo. It's been with me for a very long time. Of course I know the caricature is of me when I was in my early thirties, but I have no recollection of it being drawn and I don't know who drew it. And to make matters worse, no one has ever told me that he drew it. I found it one day among my stuff, and decided I would use it as my logo.
I like it primarily because the thing is sort of tilted back like you do when you laugh, and it's smiling. That's why I use it.
You sound like you have the perfect place for your business as well as to live, and it's wonderful your mom brought you up in the bidniz.
Tricia, it's your choice. That's what's good about America. Wonder if Billy Graham's wife has a tat? Naw, probably not. How bout Beverly Sills? I can't see that either.
Ok, ok, ok. It has nothing to do with ability, professional or intelligence. It has to do if you or customer will give you the opportunity. I know a man who was Pres of the Washington State Society of CPA's and widely regarded as one of the best tax men around. He would not hire someone if they wore loafers... in his opinion "if you are too lazy to tie your shoes, you are too lazy to work for me". I know all the arguments. But truth be told a young CPA NEVER GOT THE CHANCE. He went to work for a lesser firm and it cost him in money and clients and knowledge. Sure he was "who he wanted to be". And, perhaps the other guy was lesser because of it. Point is... that could be us. The ability to be who you want to be is a load of misdirected crap. You have to work for people... they may have biases and if you want to give them ample opportunity to vent their biases well you just lost a client. It effects your earnings and frankly you may miss a friend too. Tats... to me no big deal.... but then I don't wear baggy shorts and flip flops to work either. If you want a tat (or loafers) ok... just recognize the consequences. If you want to be "you" well recognize the consequences there too. But it has an effect!
When I was 14 I wanted to be a radio announcer really badly. I'm short (5'5"). And in those days not only was I short, but I didn't weigh but about 110 pounds. But I had a deep voice, and I figured if I got behind a mike I would be whatever the listeners pictured me to be. What a deal!
So I had to figure out how to get the station owner to hire me when everyone else there was an adult. So here's what I did. I studied the owner. He liked to wear blue cord coats with white duck pants, a blue oxford shirt with a blue and white polka dot bow tie and white buck shoes. I had everything but the white buck shoes, and my friend across the street had a pair of them I could borrow.
So I called and made an appointment to see Mr. James W. Bradner, Jr., and I showed up looking like him. He hired me on the spot, and I worked as a full-time radio personality for him and other stations all the way through college, and just a few years ago I was doing on-camera features for a TV station in Houston.
If Mr. Bradner had had tattoos, I might have considered asking my daddy if I could get one ("NO!"). But he didn't and I didn't. What I did to assure his approval and to flatter him made the sale. I don't understand why this elementary concept is so difficult for some to understand and follow when the price to them for not understanding and following it will likely be enormous, as you pointed out so eloquently.
BILL CHERRY, DALLAS BROKER-REALTOR. MY 43RD YEAR SELLING TEXAS. 972 380-7347
Bill I think we ALL would have been less offended if you said a female with LOTS of EXPOSED tattoos or piercings. I would think most of us have tattoos that are not visible to any clients.
Of course, Miss Vicki. You're absolutely right. Actually, I mistakenly thought that was inferred.
It's kind of akin to this: I don't care one iota what someone does in their bedroom, but please don't think I want to hear them reveal every detail of the experience in surround sound.
Nevertheless this has been fun, and I wouldn't trade it for an ice cream cone on a sweltering Dallas night.
P.S. I remember learning in the Galveston schools in the '50s that the men we saw on the streets who had one ear pierced were seamen who had crossed the equator. Looks like there are sure a lot of overdressed seamen on the streets these days, and they've migrated inland to Dallas. Some are now Realtors.
Bill, seems to me there is always someone who's going to choose to be offended by something - some people NEED to be offended, it seems, NEED something superficial by which to judge others. (Your loafers come to mind.) So, try as we may, we're going to run off some of those kinds of people. We're going to run off some such people even, you do realize, I hope, by dressing conservatively. Is that our loss? Seems to me the answer to that question depends on whether or not we think that the entire point of business is to get ALL the customers, and ALL the money, or if working with customers who respect us for a sufficient amount of money is enough to be happy.
It'd drive me crazy to try to not ever offend anyone for fear I wouldn't get their money, or for any other reason. (I grew up as a preacher's kid; I know of what I speak here. It took several thousand dollars of dental work at age 40 caused by biting back my words to get across to me the sheer lunacy of trying to be what everyone else wanted me to be - an impossible goal in any case, and not one that serves anybody, I ultimately decided.)
Maybe some of the idealism of being a child of the Sixties remains, I don't know. I just know that having a tattoo (or not) is so far down on the list of qualities of a person that I might as well be judging them for having blue eyes or being short - or, for that matter, for the color of their skin. Yes, they choose to have a tat, but it's just not all that important to me.
If you haven't already heard the story, ask me to tell you about Clint Murchison, Sr., sometime. He had a lot to do with teaching me about the fallacy of judging a book by its cover in this regard.
My wife Patty loves horses just like you do, Trica. She rides saddle seat. She's the female Arthur Godfrey and William Schatner.
Her friend Carla has a barn, big enclosed arena and stuff and she makes her living boarding horses, giving lessons and such. Patty used to board her horse there. She doesn't anymore.
Patty says Carla's a wonderful teacher and she's kind and loves horses probably more than she loves her husband. He loves Carla so much that he takes her that way. And Patty loves being Carla's friend. They do a lot of non-horse related stuff together. But Patty's horse hasn't been boarded there in at least five years.
Carla is always moments away from going under, and she doesn't understand why. Her customers and friends do, but they can't bring themselves to tell her. Keeping the barn and arena clean and the pasture mowed are not a priority to Carla. (It stinks to high heaven out there, and you can never look anywhere but toward the ground as you walk.) Unfortunately for Carla how she keeps her place is an issue with many who want/wanted to do business with her. A big enough issue that they don't.
Whether you judge books by their covers isn't the issue. The issue is whether a majority of those who you want to do business with you judge books by their covers. Somehow, I suppose, one has to at least evaluate himself through the eyes of others, and decide if he's just weird enough to be interesting or if he's so weird he's weird.
It seems there are many preacher's kids, like you were, who had a hard time being that, and it's surely understandable. Fortunately for Victoria, Joel Osteen doesn't seem to have been one of them,
Your comments and your reasons were good for not agreeing with me, as were those of all of the others who posted. I was thinking about writing a blog about my political opinion. I'm going to pass on that one.
Ah, but the condition of the barn and grounds where the horses will be is specifically relevant to Carla's business, which is boarding horses, after all. It would be more equivalent to a real estate agent being judged on how well they write the offers and how well they negotiate for their clients than with how they dress.
As for difficulty with being a preacher's kid, no, it wasn't that that I had problems with so much as the unrealistic expectations of certain kinds of parishioners (having read the Bible several times first word t last, the only way my father suggested I do so so as not to make the common mistake of pulling things out of context to prove my own point - well, I could skip the begats after the first time - I'm pretty darned sure Christ would care less if someone had a tattoo).
But I see that we're not going to agree on this one. Very interesting blog that stirred up really interesting discussion, nonetheless. Thanks for posting it.
I think it is a personal decision. As a person well into my sixties, I have to say that I am not offended by tattoos. Do I have one? No. I watched one being applied back in 1961 and decided I did not need that kind of self torture. While it is certainly nice to make as much money as possible, money is not the end all and be all of life. If I had a choice to work for someone, for more money, who cared that I was wearing loafers, or someone, for less money, who cared what kind of person I was, I would always opt for the latter. If that CPA was that rigid about shoes, he would probably be a bear to work for.
That is just silly. There are a lot of fish to fry. If you find a client that doesn't mesh will with you or your tattoos you can refer them to someone else and find another client that you blend better with.
I am a stay-at-home-mom as well as a Realtor. Some people don't like that, and it's fine.
Noticed I could never understand one of the carhops at Dallas' legendary Keller's Drive-In on Northwest Highway...Patty's and my very favorite place for a hamburger. Lovely girl but what a speech impediment! So we started parking just a bit to the left of her station so someone else would wait on us -- someone I could understand when she was taking our order. I don't hear all that well as it is.
Then one day I saw the first lovely girl in an aisle at the grocery. We spoke and that's when I realized she had a silver ball riding on top of her tongue. I said, "How long have you had that lovely tongue piercing?" She said, "About seven years now." "How long you been working at Keller's?" "A little over eight years." "You must like it a lot?" "It's OK. I've been looking for another job but I haven't had any luck." "See ya!"
I guess losing Patty and me as customers didn't hurt her a bit. Lots of people still parking in the slots at her station. And the carhop may eventually move on to a new job.
your dumb, that guy wasnt saying what a woman should or should not put on her body, he was stating a personal opinion just like everyone else on this site. obvioulsy he has morals because he doesnt go for trampy woman. and obviously it had nothing to do with real estate but he is from a real estate and thats how he signs things. i am 15 years old and deciding what kind of tattoo i want when im 16 in a couple weeks and i realized what he was saying and not taking it to offense, come on now woman be smart and think before you speak.
There always seems to be a boundary when people's opinions are concerned... I'm no acception, but I choose to hold my tongue with strangers. I find I learn much more about them by doing so. It's sad that there is still stigma associated with tats and piercings, age, color of skin, etc.
For the same reason that older generations may choose to color their hair or put on a bit more make-up to cover blemishes, the younger generations choose to mark themselves with their own significance.
I would not go out of the house without make-up. What is the difference between that and permanent ink? (In fact, I know of several older women who have tattoo-ed make-up on).
On the same professional level, I would not push my political or spiritual agendas on strangers by putting bumper stickers on my car when meeting clients, etc.
With such opinions, I would imagine that you would treat buyers/sellers by the same standards (?).
That's a good and thoughtful comment, Sara. Thanks for sharing it with us all. My personal thoughts and comments on this subject have to do with the importance of how we are perceived by those whose personal prejudices influence our ability to earn a living.
Sara, it has to do with our need to line up the stars. If you're in any kind of sales, your success is solely dependent on how well you line up the stars. You aren't lining up the stars for yourself, you're lining up the stars for the public. And this is indisputable. You can't wish it away, and you can't intellectually dismiss it from the minds of those who hold the prejudice.
You want as many people as possible to approve of you. Why else would you wear the make-up you reminded us that you don't "go out of the house without it?" Make-up is expensive, time consuming to put on, conceals the real you, etc. (I had to wear that stuff when I was on TV, and I dreaded putting it on because it made my eyes water and ended up on my clothes. But the station required me to put it on so that more people might like the way I looked. Again, their requirement that I do my best to line up the stars.)
I frankly don't care whether you have a tattoo or a thousand of them. But I will guarantee you tattoos are more likely to negatively influence a person's overall income than going without make-up. But why would you want to do either? Why not wear make-up and leave off the visible tattoos?
And why would a real estate sales person think picking up a client in a dirty car with garbage in the backseat and two pizza boxes on the floor in the front would be a good thing to do? All a mystery to me, because I know, and you should, too, that it interferes with the lineup of the stars....the lineup thats so important if you are to make a living.
(A recent study found that 1 in 3 people of your generation has at least one tattoo. Wonder why the other 2 in 3 don't?)
Steven, I find it especially sad when a very homely girl (or boy) adds tattoos to be hip. It doesn't ameliorate the issue. Now they are a homely girl (or boy) with a tattoos. I almost want to cry, I feel so badly for them.
I just wish I was back in TEXAS!! BUT NO living here in Colorado.. Not Tattoo yet, but a girly girl who does ride a bike! And I could live on my motorcycle and travel the world. Now my one son would agree with you completly but the other NOT! As for me tasteful is the best way to go because you might regret it someday. If you want amo, somewhere in the Bible you are NOT to tattoo your body at all. but i do agree with your last long comment.
I can just see these barbed wire fence tattoos that are wrapped around these young girls arms when the muscle underneath them goes to flab. Gross!
You can't do much about the drooping skin, the untoned muscles and the wrinkles that come with age. That's the way it is. But you can keep from having an untaught quivery and loose barbed wire fence tattoo from looking like a roller coaster track running around that flabby arm.
You look very pretty in your photo with James. Don't mess up a good thing.
BY THE WAY. 32,265 PEOPLE HAVE READ THIS BLOG ON TATTOOS SO FAR.
Do you remember this silly post? Well 32,265 people have now read it. Maybe we should devote oour attention to tattoos and piercings now that the home market is a bit thin.
This is a place where the ins and outs of real estate and home ownership are discussed.
All in the light of my 45 Years as a licensed Texas Real Estate Broker.
I've represented several thousand clients. That experience can be yours, too, and it doesn't cost a dime more.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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