I've been a full time Realtor® for almost 14 yrs now. It's the only job I have and it's the only job I can truly say I love...even during times when the economy stinks and people are losing their jobs left and right.
But it doesn't mean that I'm not human too. There are certianly some days when I just say to myself..."Why are you still doing this?" "Why are you constantly wasting your time with all the little stuff?" All the hours of hard work and what do you have to show for it?....$100 bucks here...$100 bucks there...$1000 here and $50 bucks there."
You know why? Because I'm making money...maybe not on the same level as it once was but it's still money. For example....If I take a listing and its a rental property for a minimal fee...I might end up with $300-$400 dollars if its a small condo in a retirement community. But I look at it this way...I have a website that I use and maintain myself...for the first two years I used it...the cost was free for their standard service. This year I was told they were starting to charge a fee. It was either a total of $120 for the entire year paid monthly or I could pay it in full for $100. One I decided on the $100...within 2 weeks I received 2 email prospects looking to rent out their condo. That was a few months ago...since then I've closed 6 of them with a new one just listed last week. If you do the math then you'll see that I probably made about $1800 dollars and since these "little leads" came from the website......I've already paid for my website for the next 18ys!
Think of it this way....if you like to have a steak dinner once and while and you want to have that nice thick steak...it could cost you about $20-$50 dollars for a enjoyable cut...and then you add in the beverages and maybe even an appetiser or two...well you could probably do all that for even under $100.....so next time you think about only making $100 on a deal...think about the steak dinner!
Remember that although we are looking for more than that to survive on...you still have expenses to pay out and I've just alleviated some with this scenario. In the mean time I can concentrate on selling my higher priced listings for sale and a few buyers and or renters that might pop up in between.
It's true that I'm not doing the numbers I was doing a few years ago and in no way am I ashamed to say so...but I've had at least 1 or more of these transactions each and every month. I've even managed to become a top Lister in my office two consecutive months and I didn't even know it until they told me....but this isn't about that...it's about taking in whatever you can.
I keep hearing from some agents that laugh at me and say..."I don't waste my time with that.....I'd rather wait for the big $20,000 commission to come in." Well its' not like I'm not waiting for that either....I just feel that instead of sitting around and sulking...why not bring in some income and also maybe help some people out a long the way...no business is too big or too small for me...don't get me wrong..there are some exceptions but 90% won't be turned down by me because it might be small now but it could turn into a bigger opportunity later.
I'm sorry but I don't have a rich spouse to support me until the ship comes in ...nor do I have a Bentley parked on my driveway that needs gas every day. That's the problem with some agents these days...they are too ashamed to take the "little deals" or it might ruin their reputation....Sorry but my head isn't that big.
I know what you're going to say.....you work twice as hard and get twice as less...that might be true but in the end I'm going home with a check and possible future business. Can you honestly tell me that you think every single deal you'll do in your career will be easy? Some are hard for no money and some are easy for lots of money and vice versa. Every deal is different and we can't predict everything that's going to happen. Heck...I've got a short sale listing that's about to finally close but it's been a year and a half of many sagas and bitching and moaning and how much time and money I've lost...but you know what? When it closes...I'm going to congratulate everyone and maybe even celebrate just having the opportunity and getting to learn more about my business and dealing with different people.
One time I had a client who had me seller them a little condo for about 100K.....not a very big pay day for me but after a few years we ended up doing 8 other transactions as well as I was referred to their relative who I did three other transactions with.
All I can say is my reputation isn't that large that I would turn down most opportunities...many people forget where they came from and that's sad.
For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom
-Realtor® /Keller Williams Properties
1625 N. Commerce Parkway,Suite 105
Weston FL 33326
(954)608-5556
The Real Deal tells it Like it is in Real Estate-copyright © 2009-All rights reserved
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