I remember when I got into this business back in 2003, and everyone used to say "if you make it 2 years you're set for life!" Boy were they ever wrong.
That may have been the way things worked for a few years prior, but little did they know that just a few short years down the road, we would all have to become masters of Starting Over.
Even during the housing boom it was a challenge to get and retain a good client, whether it be an agent or customer, because there was always someone coming out with something new that was easier and faster and cheaper! Starting over from year to year at that point meant constantly meeting with account reps from various new companies that were continuing to enter the marketplace and finding out what Niche Mortgage Product they had to offer.
As the housing market began to change the lending market of course made adjustments as well, and then as everyone knows it took a complete U turn! Once again forcing many of us to Start Over. This time Starting Over meant that you were looking for a new company, or a new job entirely. People that had seen rediculous success in previous years were suddenly unable to make enough money to afford the new house, or the vacation home, or the high end car payment.
Starting over for those of us who still believed that we could make it through this new market meant going backwards back to basics, back to learning our craft. Learning how to be patient while dealing with Bank Owned Properties and Short sales, and learning how to keep a client happy in the process. I'll be the first to admit that it was easy to get lazy during the good times. Something that I don't think many of us will ever allow to happen again.
As I look forward to another year I always enjoy taking a quick look behind me to see where I have been over the last year. Even though many things have become harder, I am still amazed at how lucky I am to be in this business. 2010 has been my best year so far, and none of the other years were bad! So I am going into this new year ready to Start Over, and make it even better!
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