Another blogger here on Active Rain, Mike Mueller came up with the great idea for us to write about what we love about our jobs. I'm not sure if I can put how I feel into words, but here goes.

I think the best way to explain how I feel about selling real estate is to share how I got here. My previous job was at a manufactured home sales company in Port Orange. I was there for 6 years; in management in their DeLand office for the final 2 years. (I learned many things there, that led me to where I am today.) I thoroughly enjoyed managing my office and working alongside my agents. I led by example and I was good at it.

Unfortunately, I was feeling very limited by only being able to sell homes in mobile and manufactured home parks and I felt I had reached the pinnacle of what I could learn in that industry. I really wanted to expand my horizons.

The office I was managing in DeLand had previously had a real estate division which had been neglected for several years before I took over. (There was a separate real estate division in Port Orange.) So I went into partnership with the owner of the company (who had now become a friend), got my real estate license, hired a broker (who I met when I sold her a mobile home for her son), joined the Mid Florida Regional MLS, and opened a new real estate division. I was finally fulfilling my own vision for the future of the company.

But the office I had transferred from before I went into management (Port Orange), was in desperate need of a new manager, so after quite a bit of pressure from the owner of the company, I transferred back to that office, with plans to manage both Port Orange and DeLand, plus operate our new DeLand real estate division.

I was able to get a few real estate sales under my belt during that time, but I quickly burnt out from the pressure of having too much on my plate and not being able to dedicate my full attention to my new real estate brokerage, which was where my heart was. My vision was to grow the real estate side of the DeLand office I had passionately begun.

So that journey ended with my manufactured home boss/real estate brokerage partner/FRIEND buying me out of my portion of the DeLand real estate division, and wishing me well with my decision to make a move into full-time real estate sales at a brokerage where that was the primary goal. So I then hung my license with Prudential Transact Realty in Port Orange.

• I loved the corporate stability of a world-wide company, the endless possibilities, the freedom to set my own work hours, the constant learning curve, the challenge to succeed, the friendly competition between agents, the advertising, the meeting of new people, having no limitations, and of course helping buyers and sellers fulfill their real estate dreams.

I know I already stated this, but there are endless possibilities in the real estate industry. I was born and raised in the Daytona Beach area, so I have a large sphere of influence to tap into. It didn't take long for me to build my own referral network and obtain repeat clients. I no longer needed the large corporate name, but I had developed close friendships in that office. I was doing well, I won awards, I went to national conventions, I had a beautiful private office, and felt no need to move. But as always happens in life, things change. That's what happened in the atmosphere there. It was nothing major; just a slow, subtle shift that was moving farther from what I had grown to love at that company.

• I usually have a clear, personal vision for where I'm heading in my business. I guess it's no surprise that I eventually find myself ready to make a move, when my personal vision grows past the vision or boundaries of the company where I'm working.

So a few months ago, I finally transferred to Adams Cameron & Company. Adams Cameron is a local brokerage with 8 offices across Volusia County. It was started by Helen Adams in 1967 (the year I was born). Ironically, Adams Cameron also has a manufactured home division. So I now have the opportunity to sell ALL types of housing. (The photo of the manufactured home listed above is one of my current listings.) Adams Cameron has been the leading real estate brokerage in Volusia County for many years. This move has opened more doors for me than I could have ever foreseen, and brought me even more freedom and opportunities for growth.

I guess my post on this subject is quite different than most of the others, but I find it easier to convey my feelings by telling a story than by just making statements about my reasoning. We have bloggers here on Active Rain that seem to never write a bad post. Sally Cheeseman is the first to come to mind. She wrote an incredible post about Why she loves the real estate industry. And I don't think he's written a post on this subject, but Broker Bryant Tutas always writes with insightful creativity.

My reasons for why I chose this profession have never changed. It's the perfect career for my talents and personality. It taps into many different abilities that other jobs would not utilize. Where else can we help people fulfill their real estate dreams, continually learn and grow, make friends with people who are our immediate competition and not let that interfere with that friendship, and always better ourselves, while being challenged to succeed, even in the face of opposition and negative input on all sides? 

We are REALTORS® and we are strong! And these are things for which we should be proud!