So...how did you get into Real Estate?

I got laid off from a corporate manufacturing job and stuck around the house for a while.  I decided all those years off travelling for 40% of my time didn't fair well on the family and I wanted something different.  I've always loved looking at homes and watching HGTV, so I thought real estate would be fun.  Plus, I'd have more time with the kids and husband.  So, here I am.  Slow start, but enjoying it.

What a great conversation. Thanks for asking, BB!

My degree is in Mass Communications with a specialty in television and radio and a minor in marketing. I worked as an assignment editor at an ABC affiliate TV station for my first career, marshaling reporters and photographers to cover daily news in St. Louis for almost a decade. For career two, I became vice president of communications for the organization that sells St. Louis as a tourism and convention destination and runs the Trans World Dome (now Edward Jones Dome) where the NFL's Rams play football. I've also owned a boutique public relations agency that specializes in tourism and non-profits.

I came to real estate when my daughter went off to college and my husband and I became empty nesters. It was time for a change so we could finally enjoy some much-needed flexibility in our lives. I'd always been a house voyeur and I love to learn new skills, so 2 plus 2 added up to real estate.

Love, love, love the freedom of working for myself and love bringing my previous career experiences to the table to help create winning real estate situations for my clients. It's all about knowledge, communication and expectation management on all sides.

(By the way, during my PR days, I never hired prospective staffers who said they "loved people" and that's why they wanted to be in PR. You don't have to love people to be in real estate either, but you do have to be tolerant of their many peculiarities.)

Now I'm looking forward to working in an improving economy and I believe that the sky's the limit for my business! I wouldn't go back to a corporate job again.

And that flexibility I thought I was getting -- I actually work more, but enjoy it more.

I started in real estate when I was in single digits, then moved on to processing throughout high school.  Ran off to college and law school and became an associate.  Then after being a practicing attorney for several years, my friends started coming to me for advice.  My husband pointed out that I was having fun, and here I am.

When John and I were married and before having a family, we thought we needed to plan for our future.  He had inherited a 16 room property from his parents and we decided to make it a 4 unit. With that project with interest of sweat equity and learning to subcontract we said "This is fun"  We enjoyed working together. We saw an ad for a real estate class in Boston (one hour away) in the evening It said be your own boss, become a real estate broker-Lee Institute.

We attended,  loved the information and knowledge we learned  and have been in the real business since 1972, by opening our own company Corbett Realty Inc. I retired from teaching secondary Art and John left his machine shop. We have been enjoying our life together all these years as working partners as well as spouses.

Bryant - You are the master conversationalist!  I went to a Century 21 seminar, responding to a mass-postcard mailing.  I was a computer programmer at the time.  I know you are laughing at me, and knew that :)

Well as Hank Williams Jr says, "it's a family tradition". What else was I gonna do? :-) I could write this really interesting comment but it's 4 in the morning, so nah. LOL

I had a choice to stay in the military as a single parent or settle in one area with my daughter. 18 years ago and needing a living that paid ALL the bills including daycare I decided on this and hardly ever missed a school function etc. Being the only parent I knew this would be important. Never sorry for my decision.  

I didn't even know what a Realtor was until my parents got ripped off by one.  I was modeling at that time and previous to that was in aviation and lots of sales jobs.

 

Bitter, I had a choice....continue to complain or make a difference.  26 years later it has been a very profitable mission to show that Realtors are good, honest and caring professionals.

 

My only regret so far is I sold so many good deals when I should have invested in some of them myself.  My focus always was and still is, A Happy and Satisfied Customer!  Joy

Congratulations on this lively post! Here's my story: Grade 7 career aspiration: Architect. First Job: Proofreader. -> HR Assistant -> HRIS User Acceptance -> Computer Programmer/Analyst -> Technical Writer for leasing and commercial property management software -> Real Estate Everything has prepared me for my forage into Real Estate: I tend to proofread like a maniac; I learn brokerage software like a whip; I plan, create and implement my own marketing programs including my web presence; and my HR skills are constantly handy! True, it'll be a long route back to Architecture but I'm taking my Real Estate practice all the way. One day I may be designing the homes that I trade!

Great idea for a post! I always loved looking inside homes and did it a lot growing up with my mother. She always managed to get into somebody's home for some reason - usually to purchase something for her antique shop. Flash forward to the year the last of my two graduated high school - that was when I admitted to myself that I no longer wanted to teach high school and the idea of teaching at the college level was becoming more and more unattractive......what to do??? How about something I always enjoyed? Seeing inside everybody's home???? THAT is how I got into real estate!

Bryant,

Excellent idea for a post.  I always enjoy reading your blog.

Married 25 years and finally had my baby graduate high school; I joined a local RE office the next day.  I knew real estate was the career for me.  My husband and I purchased a few homes over the years and they had to be "fixers" as we were a one income family and couldn't afford much, I stayed home and took care of our five children.  When it was time to move on and sell our home, I had the greatest time marketing and selling it myself.  I LOVED it and still do.  I especially love handing keys to first time buyers but helping all my clients is a joy and privilege. 

Thanks for asking,

Oh wow - I need to bookmark this and take an hour to read everyone's story. SO interesting how we are all from such diverse backgrounds. For me, I've never done anything else. I was temping in college (Santa Clara Univ) and got a job at a wholesale mortgage bank in San Jose, CA. I was really fascinated with the business from the start. When that company folded I was immediately hired by a competitor down the street and I decided I wanted to be a wholesale rep so I got my license, graduated college and started down that path. Then I met my future husband, Doug who owned a small wholesale operation and I started processing and underwriting there. We had a thriving business for about 14 years and then "it" hit the fan...I am now in retail loans and he is selling real estate and loves it. I can't think of ever doing anything else - I love putting deals together!

Take days off when you want!???!  What!  

Anyway....  I worked at a title company when I was in high school.  When I turned 18 I got my real estate license.  I couldn't sell or buy anything because I still looked like I was 12 years old.  

I loved real estate and more particularly development.  I went to college thinking I would go to law school and specialize in real estate.  I started with a communication degree and the dean at my school encouraged me to go into journalism.  My teachers wrote letters of recommendations for me and I was the 1st non-Ivy League intern at CNN.  My boss was sent to Kobe Japan after the earth quake and came back the day my internship ended.  I thought I wasn't hired and had already committed to opening a 25,000 sf health club with 2 partners when they gave me my job offer.  I no longer had a place to live in Atlanta.  Everything I had went into the health club so I said good bye to CNN.

Then made it back to Key West to take care of a sick mom.  I went into the hotel business as a sales manager.  When I changed jobs and went to work for a new hotel that was the highest rated hotel on the island I got some bad news.  The owners thought I was making too much money.  After the first 3 months I had made $17,000 in bonus money that they decided I shouldn't get because it was too much money.  Unbelievably I stayed there for 4 more years before I decided to take my life and my money into my own hands.  It's been a great ride ever since!

Great post to learn about our fellow colleagues. I was in the IT business - the stress finally got to me. Couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate. I had been going to open houses just for the fun of it. I quit my job and hated the fact of going back into coporate world. My husband suggested I get my license. I did and wish I did it years earlier. Love working with people, helping them find homes or selling. Couldn't be happier.

Yo Blogging Dude...

What the hell happened to my link love? Think Blogging Etiquette. Please tell me I don't have to train you in the fine art of Social Networking :)

No link. No love. Baby :)

TLW...ROAR!

BB, Think you already know the story.

 I got into RE by accident...a car accident and was told not to lift anything over 5 pounds. Working as a ceramic artist, my box of clay weighed 50#. So I took a RE course to 'tide' me over. That was 20 years ago this month.

Margaret

I was recruited for years by my college roommate while I chased an impossible dream at a publishing company. After he caught me on the phone unpacking for my 7th relocation in 6 years I was ready to make the change. I worked as an agent with him and his father for 5 years before moving back home and eventually going out on my own. 

Well Bryant, thanks for asking! Almost 9 years ago, my wife got pregnant with our 1st child (we now have 4). We wanted her to stay home, so that meant one less income and one more mouth to feed. Uh-oh! My brilliant idea was to become a realtor on nights and weekends to create a 2nd income. Well, within just a few months my "2nd income" was about 400% more than my "main job" and so I quit to focus 100% of my time on being a realtor. The rest is history. Thanks for the chance to look back and remember how fortunate I am to be in this business!