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17 Comments on How did you end up in Real Estate?
A friend of mine was flipping houses in Kansas City. They wanted to expand so they gave me a call. A few months later I moved up here from Wichita after getting my license. We've been flipping houses ever since.
I graduated from school with a degree in Psychology and figured out I didn't want to work in HR in an office my whole life. Nor did I want to keep going to school for a PhD. I floundered around a bit, was bartending and met two women who sold real estate and they talked to me about it and I decided it would be a good fit for me. I could have my own business and work my own schedule. I was really young, it took me awhile to build my business and glad I took the chance.
I tried not to get into real estate but the signs were very clear that this is where I need to be. I get a natural high out of helping people with their real estate needs. I have made many friends along the way and great stories to share.
Take care.
I started out as a rock journalist + entrepreneur, and had a great time. But, as Kiss' Gene Simmons says, "If it's too loud, you're too old." So, after we sold off FansRule (we did official band fan clubs), I figured it was time to do something else. Real estate was one of the few careers that fit the way I liked to work.
Best....
Jodi Summers
Sotheby's International Realty
jodi@jodisummers.com
www.SoCalGreenRealEstateBlog.com
www.SantaMonicaLandmarks.com
**
Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as
well. -Voltaire
For a long time I knew I wanted to do something very different than sitting in an office all day long. I had a friend who had just begun classes, so on a whim I went to a class to try it out and then I was hooked. It came up kind of sudden and I'm so glad it did! I'm much happier and wish I had made the change sooner than I did.
David,
Great stories! I just decided to move to the beach from the middle of North Carolina. I had had enough of corporate America. That -you are stupid routine- I had just had enough. I was a VP of Operations for a large company there. I travelled daily throughout NC. Upon deciding to move I got my Time Share Salesmen License. I started to sell time share and decided that was not for me long term, although I did well. Then 9-11 happened and well the chance of making a career out of that was...gone. I finished my Real Estate classes and started with Coldwell Banker here in Myrtle Beach. It was just the business I needed to begin my third career. I had been successful in the other businesses. That was 6 years ago. I still like working with people either selling or finding them what they want. It's a great job!
I do estate sales and personal property appraising. Several years ago I had an estate sale in a condo. A woman walked in, looked around, said, "I like the desk in the corner, but is the condo for sale?" I handed her the graphics the real estate agent had left for us to distribute. She called the agent who ran right over. They went for a cup of coffee and when they came back a half hour later, she was under contract. Without a license, no referral fee. It took me a few years before I finally got my license, but now I can sell the house along with the contents.
I had travelled and lived in many countries throughout the world, I was a stay at home Mom and with the amount of travelling we did through my husbands work every time we got settled it was time to move on again. We had lived in Nigeria, Tunisia, Singapore, Boston, Toronto, London, Edinburgh, Texas and finally San Francisco etc. Three children later and the boys all in school it was finally my turn, but what was I going to do, I was originally a school teacher, but I wanted more flexible hours and then it hit me. I had moved so much, packed, unpacked I really knew what people were going through, that was 10 years ago and I love my life and helping my clients go through each and every move.
Funny (not at the time) true story: Purchased my first home in 1977. It was a lovely home on a river. It had everything we wanted at the price we wanted. It also had a well & septic.
In 1977 there weren't sellers disclosure laws. 2 huge naiive mistakes were made by me and my husband. We didn't taste the water, and we thought it was wonderful that the basement was so clean and dry. In 1977 there also weren't agency laws. We had no one to look out for us.
Did I forget to mention the name of the river? It was the Salt River.
The water was undrinkable (of course it was loaded with salt) and the basement looked so clean and dry because the sellers made darn sure they used a wet vac every day and repainted it just before they put it on the market.
My first home and it was a true money pit. (Someone from Hollywood should have contacted us for the movie rights to our story.)
After my sons were grown and didn't need want me around the house all the time anymore I followed my heart and became a real estate agent. Today I work primarily as a buyers agent.
In a nutshell: My first experience buying a home caused me to want to be an advocate for others purchasing their homes.
Thought provoking question David. Thanks for the trip down memory lane today :-)
My dad was a broker/owner of Deanie Owens (way back in the day) and ERA in San Antonio. He ALWAYS tells the same story of on the day I was born he was on his way to Austin to take his broker's exam - my moms calls telling him i'm on my way. So, it has always been in the our home, the topic of conversation and a part of what we do!
The rest is the rest. Kristin
David,
Before becoming a Realtor, I worked for Lucent Technologies and AT&T as a Customer Technical Support Engineer, providing Tier 3 level support to the operating companies 24/7/365. I retired in 2001 and my partner and I moved from the Chicago area to the DC area in 2003. When I was a kid, one of my dad's best friends was a real estate broker. I always admired him and what he did. I got my Real Estate license in Maryland in 2003 and my Pennsylvania license shorty afterward. I love what I do and I love this area.
ps. I am sure I have talked to your mom on here before, she is in Florida if I remenber correctly!
David - Great question and i love all of the stories that have followed. Like a few others before me have commented - I have lived EVERYWHERE! Different countries and different states. That threw me into the Hospitality industry for a while as a GM for a Marriott hotel. After a while it became really stressful and I wanted a normal job. So, I got a position as an Admin Asst with a real estate company M-F / 9-5. Thats how it started for me. Shortly after taking the position I went to school for my license and now it has been over 14 years for me as a Realtor(r). Remember that NORMAL job that I wanted? puhleeze..............
Great stories everyone. I think its fantastic that most of us ended up in real estate on a so called "whim."
David,
As did your Mother. Very nice thought provoking post! Like Mother, like son! Must be in the genes...your grandfather did well buying and selling...so I guess we're just like him...it's there...it's fun...
Very nice post Dave...Love, Mom
I was a long time business owner and had had three businesses in my life. The last one easily made the connection to real estate, even though it took me 18 years to realize that. You see I was a DJ and saw a lot of young couples get married, what I didn't realize until year 15 was that as soon as these couples got married within 3 years they were buying houses.
Now, I had an amazing amount of clients that I was just throwing away until year 15 and now I realized at age 20, I could have been a millionaire real estate agent had I put the two together then instead of waiting.
Now, DJing has changed, MP3s and even more gadgets and anyone and everyone who has an extension cord can become a DJ. When I started it was about $10,000 per set of equipment plus the cost of the music, there were only 10 of us in all of Portland. Last count I saw there was over 300!
No kidding Todd, everyone and their brother has an IPOD. Great idea DJ/realtor.
Richard,
Yes, I am in So. Fla., and we did talk, glad all is well with you...
Now, if those hurricanes would go away.