CAROLE:  Thanks for commenting and your compliment on the post. Were your parents in real estate?  I don't know a lot of 9 and 10 year olds who aspire to a career in real estate (not that there is anything wrong with it, and who knows, one day I may encourage my future children to pursue this path).  If I could turn back the clock, I would have become a Realtor much sooner, though I do not regret for one moment the legal training that I have.

ADAM:  Thanks for your comments.  I do agree that the choice was more difficult.  As you know, law school is 3 years of extra school and tuition.  And the time spent there is not fun and neither is studying for and taking the bar exam.  You're right, lawyers aren't particularly loved either, but mothers do like to brag about their "lawyer son in NYC, or D.C."  It is definitely a lifestyle choice -- real estate may have its hectic times and stressful periods, but at least we're always working for ourselves (and clients) without a boss or partner breathing down your neck and the Realtor lifestyle does offer more flexibility for family time.

FRAN:  Thanks for your comments.  I've been in real estate for 6 years so I've never been without "technology" though it has certainly grown by leaps and bounds even in this short period.  I'd agree that it has made it easier to juggle family demands and work for clients.  Also managing your time well can allow you to achieve some balance in life.  It's too easy to get caught up in the nitty-gritty details of a transaction and forget what's really important.

MANA:  Being a Realtor certainly is a lifestyle and a business, not just a job.  The Realtors who treat it as a job are the ones who will not be here in 2 or 3 years.  Thanks for your comments.

RICHARD:  Thanks for coming by.  I don't think we've met before, but it's great to hear from another attorney/Realtor.  Feel free to give me a call sometime and we can swap war stories and I'd be happy to discuss in more detail my transition from law to real estate.  You might also want to read my two posts from September 11th which discuss how my real estate career was launched after that dreadful day.  Enjoy your vacation and let's chat soon after you return.

JASON:  Thanks a lot!  I was actually quite surprised to see that this post got featured this morning.  I wonder if that 5% number reflects the fact that 1/2 of the real estate licensees are NOT REALTORS.  Do you think the percentage would be higher within only the Realtor population?  But as I wrote, I doubt any of us thought to join the industry because of a prestige factor.  We need to realize that work is a means to an end and that end is to live a good life.  It is important to plan your work around your life and not vice-versa. 

CHAD: I appreciate your comments and your personal story.  I consider real estate prestigious too despite what anyone else may think.  We help people with some of the biggest decisions in their life.  We hold their hands through a very emotional process while trying not to get our emotions involved.  We help people build wealth by becoming homeowners and real estate investors.  We help our local economies and neighborhoods and create a tax base for the localities.  We educate. We hopefully inspire.  Most of the Realtors that I know love what they do.  All of the good ones are passionate about it with a capital P.

JEFF:  Thanks for forwarding this on to your coworker.  I hope that they find it interesting and helpful.  I know a few other attorneys who are now full-time Realtors including one in my brokerage.

HAROLD:  Thanks for your comments.  I haven't seen you around in a while.  While people might not perceive real estate as glamorous, I feel that the lifestyle of the entrepreneurial real estate agent is about as glamorous as it gets.  I eat almost all my meals with my wife, work many days in my home office, rarely deal with rush hour traffic and get to meets lots of wonderful people (and some real characters too).  By the way, I wrote another post a while back about seeing client's faces light up.  See my post Smile -- The Biggest Reward

DREW:  Thanks for your comment.  I agree 100%.  You can make money doing just about anything.  But if work is a drudgery, your life will be too.  The people who make the most money in any field are the ones who truly love what they do.

KAREN:  Thanks for your comments and compliments.  While my parents never insisted that I go to law school, I thought it was something that I wanted to do from quite an early age.  While in college I never really explored other options, knowing that I was on the path to law school.  I didn't know that real estate was a passion for me until I got involved in the field.  Even then, I was still hanging on to the law practice for a while, until I decided that it was too hard to "serve two masters."  You can't be great at both and keep your sanity, so I chose the real estate path and am happy with the decision.  

Sociology and Psychology are definitely useful studies for the business of real estate.  Every real estate training course I've taken deals with those fields in one form or another, and understanding human behavior is essential for negotiations.

CAROL:  Thanks for your compliments and comment.  I'm sorry you had an injury, but sometimes it is things like that which put life in perspective.  I'm glad that you made the move to real estate and that you are enjoying life and appreciating each day.

MARY ANN: Thanks for your comments.  I certainly don't envy accountants during tax season!  I've seen those bleary eyed CPAs who barely sleep during the latter part of March and throughout April!  I hope that you are selling the homes of those rude accountants who told you that you'd never make it past that glass ceiling and charging them a higher commission -- HA!  Teaching is certainly a very honorable profession, but I can understand the financial stresses and the lack of pay for performance standards in the schools.  I'm so happy that you've seen the benefits of real estate and that you are enjoying the career as a Realtor.

SALLY:  I always love to see your comments and perspective on the posts that I write. Family time is so important and I can't imagine the tradeoffs and where my family relationships would be right now if I had stuck with the path of pursuing partner at a law firm.  Even as a junior associate, there were way too many late nights, long billable hours, and missed family time, because some partner needed a brief completed by Monday.

JOEY:  I appreciate your comments.  I've done just a few divorces in my day and luckily they've all been uncontested, but there is not really such a thing -- even an uncontested divorce involves bitterness on both sides.  A couple years ago, a friend of mine asked if I would help with his divorce.  My wife and I were friends with both him and his wife.  I said NO WAY and referred him to some other attorneys that I knew.  

Yes, we should all play nice -- unfortunately it is not always possible.

VIRGINIA:  Thanks so much for your compliments.  Real estate is a very rewarding profession both emotionally and financially.  There's nothing better than a happy client telling you that you've done a great job.  After each settlement, I always come home "all fired up" and eager for the next one.  It's almost like the thrill of the chase where getting to the next settlement is the "next fix."  I've had clients tell me "you don't make enough" as well and that does make me smile when the finally understand all the work and sincere efforts we put in and how much of "us" goes into each transaction.

JOHN W.:  I don't know if the numbers are that small, but maybe so.  The first year can indeed be rough and mine was too, but if you persevere and survive, things will get easier.  While I'm in my sixth year, it's not quite cakewalk yet, but some of the pressures are gone and I'm not always worrying about when the next bit of business will come.  Thanks for your comments and keep the faith!

RYAN:  Thanks for your comments.  Shh!  Let's keep our secret -- last thing we need are more Realtors!  While NAR likes to tout how membership grows, is it really best for us to have such a large inflow of new Realtor blood like we've had over the last few boom years?

STEPHEN:   I found these statistics very interesting when I read them in the ABA magazine survey.  Before choosing a profession, it is definitely wise to talk to others in the industry.  That's what I did before becoming a Realtor.  Thanks for your comments and compliments on the post.

GINGER:  Thanks for commenting.  I knew that you were passionate about real estate and Marin County.  I'm glad that I'm here too!

PATRICIA:  Thanks for chiming in.  You earn the distinction of being my "favorite liberal w/a capital L" on Active Rain.  "Even a flute player can do it" -- very funny!  It's great that all these attorneys form your client base.  I've had lots of attorneys as clients too, guess it is unavoidable in the D.C. area.  

By the way, is there anyone in D.C. that you don't know?

If you do decide to go to law school (LOL!) let me know, I'll give you some tips.

JOHN M.:  Thank you for your very well-thought out comments.  You are so right.  People disparage lawyers, but they are the first ones to call their lawyer when they get into a bind.   There are jokes about doctors but everyone needs one.  And nobody complains about their Realtor who successfully sells their home.  Every profession has its ups and downs, but I too am proud to be a Realtor.

I'm also proud of my legal education even though I don't really practice anymore.  I'm privileged to be your colleague to the South.

KAY:  Thanks for your comments.  I do use the legal background to my advantage when discussing my services with my clients.  While I don't represent them as an attorney in the transaction, they feel comfortable knowing that I have the knowledge to prevent legal problems from occurring which could prevent the deal from happening.  And yes, I do pay a lot of attention to the details of the contract.  Well, I hope I'm never sued either, but at least I know a good lawyer :)

BILL:  Yes, there are a lot of similarities in the two fields.  Many of the partners that I worked for in D.C. were on their 2nd or 3rd trophy wife and spent lots of late nights at the office or they were so busy that they didn't have time for a social life. But yes, they had some high profile cases and made tons of cash.  But so do the Realtors who help them buy and sell their large estates in the suburbs.  Thanks for your comments.

ROB:  Do you think people are kept out of the business because of the prestige rating?  I'm not too sure about that, but it may be a factor.  Though, I think many people are drawn to real estate because they think it is a way to make a quick buck, and then they quickly leave once they discover all that is involved in sustaining a successful business.

There are definitely some good things about the legal profession including the intellectual challenges of dealing with novel legal issues and the feeling of making a difference in someone's life (which is also a big benefit of real estate).  My most meaningful legal experiences were the small matters I handled as a sole practitioner before entering real estate.  Helping a woman get a temporary restraining order against an abusive ex-husband, and helping a Sudanese immigrant set up a 501(c)(3) charity to help his fellow Sudanese-Americans were very rewarding legal experiences for me.  Also helping an elderly Russian immigrant get his U.S. citizenship was something that made me feel great and very appreciated.

One of the best views I ever had was of San Francisco Bay from the upper floors of an attorney's office.

ANN: I think that all Realtors should be proud of the profession.  It really is not an exaggeration to say that we are the gateway to The American Dream.  I agree with your statements about our worth and how people who have truly experienced our services understand the value we bring to the equation.  Thanks for your comments.

PAUL: Your comments definitely ring true. We are responsible for the future reputation of ourselves and our industry.  Things are changing and we can make it happen by our behavior and our ethical and professioanl practice.  

KIRK: I don't know much about the architectural industry (except what I've read in Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead!) but imagine that your knowledge from that field must be very valuable in real estate.  I have one client right now who is an architect and his main concern with every property seems to be having a floorplan before going to see the home (which is not always available or possible to get).  Thanks for your comments.