I am writing this blog because I want to share and give hope to those who were in the shoes I once was: being a part-time agent. Back when I first started in the business, my "declaration" that I want to try getting into this business to the Office Manager of one of a brand-name real estate brokerage turned into my first ugly taste of this business. The Office Manager walked me out the door - in front of other potential candidates and said to me, "It's Full-time or no-time". She said I was going to be a waste of her time to train me because I would never make it - looking at the turnover rates of rookie agents. Yes, she said that. I was totally okay that she did not want to take me because of my "circumstance" but I was totally not okay with her embarassing me in front of other soon-would-be fellow realtor co-workers. I will remember that till the day I die. It almost felt as if she pushed me out the door.

Later, I did find an independent brokerage who accepted me as a part-time agent. Because the broker had just set up shop, I was one of his first and few agents. He was nice enough to give me one-on-one training of the business because of my limited time (after-work hours and weekends). I generated my own business and my own leads though.

You know, I am thankful to my 1st broker and my first few clients. I was new to the business and I honestly didn't know much about what I was doing - except for my own personal home buying and rental properties I have bought. They were very patient with me. They knew I was green but that was okay with them. After these few transactions, I never look at a rookie agent the same way again.

Dear Rookie Agents,

You are new to the business. A handful of people will give you a chance. Give it your all. It's your opportunity to soar like an eagle for your clients - to take them to a whole new world of customer service experience they've never encountered. With that, you have won a friend for life.

Everyone has to start fron Ground Zero. No one can truly say that "I've been XXX years in the business" without first going through the first year of business. My experience as a part-time agent has taught me to look around at seasoned agents: to mimic what they say and what they do; and apply it to my own.

Do I have any regrets not jumping into the business cold-turkey?

Nope, not one bit. In fact, if I had to do it all over again, I'd do it part-time all over again. I did this part-time for 4.5 years before turning in my resignation letter. During this time, I learnt the ropes of the business. I was patient to sock away every penny I made from my transactions so that someday I would become a full-time agent. My husband and I prepared ourselves financially - to sock away enough savings for our personal lives and for my business. As you can tell, I am very financially conservative. The lessons my father and grandparents taught me about "Making Hay while the sun shines"...... have served me well.

Today, I run my business debt-free. I have low business expenses. I will survive this "economic" downturn because I have laid low and under the radar. Business has continued to grow exponentially. It has to. I've only just begun. I think there's something to say about Financial Conservatism during troubling times, but that's when business was good, I socked as much away as I can because I know the rain will come again. Enough said about me.

Because of the grace extended to me during my first years, I will continue to extend grace to those who just started in the business. Real estate or not! However, there is a clear difference between part-time due to limited office hour availability versus part-time efforts. I do know that you can take on this business full-time, with part-time efforts: ie treating this as a HOBBY. Never getting back to phone calls or emails. Always having excuses of why things are not done. Not knowing what is going on and not staying on top of things because you relied too much on your assistant. All these and other part-time effort activities........

Give your fellow realtors and your clients the attention they deserve. It doesn't matter if you are doing this part-time or not. All people care about is how responsive and attentive you can be to their transaction. Only part-time EFFORTS hurt everyone in the transaction and definitely did not deserve it.