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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There's power in numbers. Two heads are better than one. Two for the price of one!

There's no "I" in team. TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More.

Choose any cliche and you can apply that philosophy of teams directly to real estate.

In Part 2 of my Series on "Breaking the Stereotype", I'll lay out the basis for this particular business model in real estate. It's also the most important:

Partnering with another like-minded mom to create your "Dream Team".

If you read my introduction post to this series, you'll remember that 58% of Realtors are women, and that the average age is 52. I examined reasons as to WHY I thought this was, and it came down to your idea of a "successful" real estate career.

I'll explain: If a mom were to choose the ideology that success only came when you were earning 6 figures by working 90+ hours per week, then this series is NOT for you. I am speaking to the women who believe that success equals bringing home a good income by choosing to take on fewer clients now, by partnering with another mom, allowing you to spend more time at home with the family. Clients get a less-stressed out agent. Kids and Husband get a happier, more balanced mom that spends time at home with more cash to contribute to the family! Win-win, right?

But how can you work real estate, even if you did choose to take on fewer clients, AND juggle your kids at home?

PARTNER UP!

There are several advantages to teaming up with another mom, and it makes total sense in real estate:

• Combining Skill Sets - not everyone has the same strengths and weaknesses. Find someone that balances out your skills, and you've created a synergistic team!

• Shared Expenses - Signs, lockboxes, websites, marketing and advertising all add up! Sharing these expenses with someone else makes sense and can help ease the burden of all the start up costs involved in real estate.

• Child Care - you've got a client that HAS to look at homes on Monday? No problem - one agent does the showings and the other stays home with the kiddos! I'll go more into this in post #5 on the topic, but partnering up with another mom means you don't have to scramble to find a babysitter and PAY for one! To me, this is probably the #1 reason most moms don't start their career until later in life. Have you even looked into the cost of childcare?? The idea of paying upwards of $600 per month for childcare in a commission only job is INSANE.
  

• Freedom to Vacation! Going it alone in real estate can sometimes mean being "on call" 24/7. Knowing that your partner is going to hold down the fort while you're away is priceless!

• Offering "Two Agents for the Price of One". This ties in with #4. You get to offer your clients TWICE the availability. This is great for buyers who need to look at homes days/nights/weekends/holidays AND great for sellers - you can tell them that if someone calls and wants to see their home right away, you've got 2 agents and good chances that ONE of them will be available to help that interested buyer on the spot!

I am absolutely 100% blessed to be able to work with my sister, Laura (that's us in the photo having fun at our grand opening in March). Working with family is not for everyone, but for us it couldn't be better. We are a yin and yang situation - we balance each other out almost perfectly.

Choosing someone to go into business with is perhaps the most important decision you will make in this business model. Pick the wrong person, and your ship sinks too. Pick the right person and the sky is the limit!

Here are a few things to keep in mind and ask yourself when deciding who to partner up with:

1. Does this person have a similar work ethic?
2. Are this person's goals in line with my own?
   
3. Are they financially responsible?
4. Would I want to have this person represent ME in a real estate transaction?
5. What skills does this person bring to the table?
6. Do I get along well with this person socially?
7. Can I see myself taking turns watching this person's children?

Oh, there's a million other questions, but you get my drift...

As women we all have pretty good intuition. You know who you could and couldn't do business with. When you find the right partner, it just feels right! Of course, the best advice I could give is to pray about it, make a list of your pro's and cons, and get a business agreement IN WRITING!

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In this Series I’ll cover:

• Introduction - Why you should begin a career in real estate before the age of 50. Why you should BREAK the stereotype!
  

• 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!