As the broker/owner of EXIT Three Rivers Realty, a growing real estate company in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota and a ten year veteran in the real estate industry I have had the opportunity to share my story, listen to others share theirs and help a variety of people from all walks of life to discover the fire they have within.
My story in real estate starts much like many real estate agents across Minnesota and the US. I woke up one morning said "that is it, I want more, I want to be appreciated and darn it I want to make some real money and go places." Many family members suggested that I would be a great Realtor. My employer at the time kept praising me stressing the fact I had "moxie" (at the time had no clue what "moxie" was however knew it was "good stuff"). At what I thought at the time, I weighed heavily my options.
Kimberly's Options at 19 - as I saw it:
- Finish college and become a shrink (I really, really wanted to help people, just the college things was not a very pleasing plan...so I thought)
- Stay at the then current "career" in marketing and work 70 + hours a week (was more like slave labor)
- Realtor - how hard can it be?
Well, I think it is pretty obvious which path I went down. Now, what is scary (and hard to admit) is the conversation I had with myself that lead me to make the decision. Are you ready, here it is...
How hard can it really be, a career in real estate, I mean really? You are ambitious have moxie... still haven’t looked it up yet but have it,...I think... and look the classes are 3 weeks long Mon-Fri 8 to 5. Common it is a no brainer... college to be a shrink takes commitment to complete, you probably won't make it through the classes, and how will you make money if you are a student... real estate I can screw it up for sometime, still make money and probably will be further along in 4 yrs. then if I had become a shrink... look at the hot guy at the club he is a Realtor, makes good money seems to travel a lot, drives a nice car and boy is he hot... of course it only make sense that you would work in the same office as he does because you drive by the place all the time, the big brick building with all the Cadies, Lexus’s, Benz ... yeah Ms. Koehler you are going to strike it rich, work hard, play hard ... big money ... and I still can help people just in a different way so that is good right? .... ok, aspiring real estate agent here I come (yeah and aaa, if you fail which you hate to do you can always go back to college some other time maybe... but who needs to think like this little digression I am going to blow this thing up!)
Now, that I have amused you (and slightly embarrassed myself) with my nineteen year old, infinite wisdom, I can bet you see no flow in my thought process. Is it not crystal clear I got into real estate for all the right reasons? I mean really, between having a childish crush on Mr. McHotty (who thought I had a great smile might I add), having a convoluted idea of college in comparison to the commitment to a real estate career requires (was running from the college commitment) and lastly the eye on the big green... you mean to tell me those are not solid, right reasons?
I have always dreamed big. I obviously chose my real estate career for much of the wrong reasons however in my core I knew I didn't want to fail. I truly desired to help people and live a fuller life then what I saw was possible on the path I was on.
I see many people approach a real estate career in a similar fashion as I did. Looking back, I smile at the naivety of that young Kimberly, not only for the wrong reason she got into the business but also for the lack of understanding of what it really meant to be in the business. I wouldn't change the choice, not in a million years.
I opened the doors to EXIT Three Rivers Realty, so that I could help others discover their paths, save them from some of the mistakes and learn from the long road I had to hoe to get to this point in my journey. I have learned that sharing my experiences so others can grow, to inspire them, to lead them, to believe in them is the true wealth I desire. It brings great joy to my heart to lead Realtors to the success they desire.
A few of the points that are in "11 Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering a Real Estate Career":
- Why am I thinking about getting into the business?
- What are my motivating factors?
- Who am I as a person?
- What may I need to overcome to build the successful real estate business I dream of?
I welcome anyone who has ever thought about a career in real estate to drop me a line, give me a call or meet for a cup of coffee. This is not the career for everyone however if it is the career for you, it will change your life forever. You will never be able to go back to a "every day, run of the mill" J - O - B, again, it becomes you.
- Discovering Your Fire Within - 10 Effective Questions to Find Your Fire Within
- Harness Your Power - The Riches are in Niches
- The Failure Plan - Is this the Plan You Work?
To be the first to read these up coming blogs click here
Your comments and sharing of your stories is always appreciated please post them below.
Comments (2)Subscribe to CommentsComment