Why Be A Real Estate Agent Now?

Great question! I ask myself that question periodically, although not nearly as often as my colleagues. Why would I want to invest my time and effort in an industry that the experts describe as "tanked", "dismal", or at best "almost at the bottom." So here goes: (1) I schedule my career around my family, not the other way around. I don't have to tell my boss I need to take time off to take my kids to the park, my mom to a movie, or get my hair done. I simply tell my clients when I am available and we go from there. (2) I meet interesting people and learn about their lives. Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone loves to tell it! From meeting Elvis to delivering a baby in a taxicab, I find people like to share their lives. And their lives are usually more interesting than mine. (3) I solve people's problems and they appreciate it. Spending a few years finding lost socks and Hot Wheels™ cars has given me much needed experience in problem solving. I have come to enjoy identifying needs and finding solutions to satisfy my buyers and sellers. (4) I learn something new every day. When I stayed home with the kids all day, I could go through my day on auto-pilot. But now it's a whole different story! I am researching information via the internet, industry contacts, and handouts from training seminars. No day is the same-and I love it! (5) I work with some of my favorite people. My husband is a Realtor®, 2 of my closest friends are an escrow agent and a home inspector. And another close friend is a lender-how great is that? So when people say, "Oh, you're a Realtor®? In this market? How do you do it?" I just smile and say, "Because I have the best career in the world!" And I really mean it.