Note: This 7 part blog series is directed towards all those stay-at-home moms out there who always thought a career in real estate would have to wait until the kids were grown, and to the women Realtors out there struggling with finding the balance between their "ideal of success" versus what truly makes you happy. It's not a business model for everyone, but is something that has been on my heart to share for some time now. Take from it what you will, and know that everyone's journey in life and in real estate isn't and shouldn't be the same for it to be a SUCCESS...

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According to statistics from the National Association of Realtors:

59% of Realtors are Female.

 The median age of all Realtors: 52.

Stereotype =

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I am one of the luckiest women in the world. I get to stay at home with my 2 boys (7 and 1). My husband has a job with benefits and is in a field that is somewhat protected from layoffs (he’s a firefighter/paramedic). But I am also a working professional. I have the best job in the world. I’m a Realtor! I’m a Broker and owner of my own real estate company.

I am NOT 52.

I am 32.

Do I feel successful? Yes! But what is my definition of "successful"? Each person has their own definition.

On Success

For some Realtors, their picture of success is to be the #1 listing agent for their office, closing over 150 transactions per year, with a collection of awards and accolades hung on their office wall. They make 6 figures. Work 90 hours per week. But they are happy, and this is their definition of success.

Real estate can suck you in, causing you to adopt the same type of definition of success if you are not careful. If you are a competitive person (and many agents are), you might see the "successful" #1 agent in the office and want to top that person. You then follow their path...but that's NOT the piece that answers this puzzle.

However, for me and my family (and perhaps yours), THIS type of success does not bring happiness.

What is MY definition of success?

Success for ME is being able to close 1-3 transactions per month. It means that I get to volunteer at my son’s school. I get to attend his swim meets. I can sleep in from time to time, and go on a vacation with my family. I’m home for most dinners…and I even cook some of them!

...By doing so, I’m able to give my clients the BEST use of my time. My KIDS and HUSBAND also get the best use of my time.They also get the very best ME.

I didn’t always understand that this could be done though…

After having my first child, I knew I was doing the right thing by staying at home and raising him. I couldn’t fathom leaving him with someone else for 8-9 hours per day while THEY got to experience his firsts before I did.

However, I also felt that after all of the focus on him, I was left feeling a little depleted emotionally. You see, I am the kind of mom who NEEDS a creative, “professional” outlet in which to expend and direct some of my energy. I felt guilty about this at first, since I knew so many moms out there that JUST wanted to be stay at home moms. I was envious of them, but also guilty that I didn’t feel the same way. But I soon realized as more of friends began having babies that I was not alone.

There is a sect of moms out there, not often talked about, who want their cake, and want to eat it too. I wanted and needed this kind of balance. It was out of this desire that I began my search for the “perfect” job. Did one exist?

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The Beginning...

So it was in my days as a stay at home mom/Army wife when I came across an ad for a Century 21 Career Night in Alexandria, VA.

Real Estate? The wheels immediately began turning…

-Unlimited income potential

-Ability to create my own schedule

-Can work from HOME office

So my husband and I attended, and I knew this was it. We signed up for real estate school, got our licenses and that was my intro to real estate.

Fast forward  7 years...

...and I’ve observed a couple of things. The majority of Realtors ARE women. Most of them ARE over 50. Every single one of them got started in real estate late in life. Why?I think it has something to do with your idea of success.

I needed to figure out a way to work real estate on a “full time” basis, while at the same time being at home with my family. I didn’t want to work 90+ hours per week. I didn’t need to make 5 closings every month to survive. We could make it on my husband’s salary alone, but any income I brought in enabled us to pay off our debt. It would allow us to save. And in this economy, I KNOW there are families out there like ours. As job security becomes more and more unstable, we all need to save. We all need to become DEBT FREE.

I'm getting to my point...

So why do I believe in encouraging more young women to begin their career in real estate?

1. Buyers want an agent they can RELATE to...not another grandparent. Someone who knows exactly what they are going through at their stage in life.

2. Parents make GREAT Realtors. Jason Crouch wrote a spot-on article on the subject. READ IT!

3. MOMS are even better. We KNOW exactly how a family runs – what floorplans will work for a family and what wont, what’s going on in the schools, where the nearest grocery store is that carries gluten-free products and who has the best Karate program in town. We have kids ourselves. Moms are nurturing by nature.

4. Gen X & Gen Y WANT an agent in touch with today’s technology – texting, email, twitter updates, Facebook profiles.

5. By focusing on starting out our real estate careers with a different picture of success in mind (less transactions but more quality time at home with family), we can over time develop our clientele, educate ourselves in the profession (there’s a LOT to know) and prepare a road map to success for when we can handle MORE transactions when there’s less family at home.

I know the above reasons 1-4 to be true for a fact. About a year ago, before opening my own brokerage, I was approached by another big-name brokerage about joining their new office. This particular brokerage receives a LARGE amount of relocation business, but their clients (buyers) hadn’t been satisfied with the Realtors that were available to work with them. Why? In the words of the recruiting agent, “they were all much older than these younger relocation buyers”. The buyers were desperate for someone LIKE THEM – going through the same life stages – purchasing their first home, experiencing the birth of their first child, the “terrible 2’s” and all the fun that follows.

[Disclaimer: Hold on...I know what some of you are thinking. Does this mean that I think older agents are obsolete? HECK NO!! All I’m saying is that the average age of agents is 52, and there is a large percentage (niche) of buyers out there desiring a younger agent to represent them...and this is to whom my post is directed.]

**What I'm saying is that I believe that you don’t have to wait until your kids are all grown up in order to have a successful career in real estate.

When done the RIGHT way, you can have your cake and eat it too!

By realigning your idea of real estate “success”, by defining your professional and financial goals, you CAN have a successful real estate career and enjoy the benefits of staying at home with your kids.

How?

Without further ado, I present a different business model, a “How To” guide for women with young families who want to begin a career in real estate NOW – who want their cake, and want to eat it too. We’re busting the myth that being in real estate is only achievable once the “kids are older” and you are too… You can make your dreams come true now, while doing something for your family and yourself.

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In this Series I’ll cover:

• Forming your Dream Team – Partnering with another like-minded Mom creates the BASIS of this Business mode.

• The Basics – How to Become a Licensed Texas Realtor. What fees are involved.

• Choosing Your Brokerage – Training, Commission Splits & Corporate Culture oh MY!
  

• Breaking Down the Workload – Time Blocking! This is how you get the part of "eating your cake too".

• Free and Inexpensive ways of Marketing Your Business – with an emphasis on Blogging & Social Networking

• Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Future – When the kids are older, and when your friends just start to think about a career in real estate...you're already on your way!