When my husband decided to start a career as a Realtor I had no idea how much it would affect me. The overall assumption about Realtors is that they make a lot of money and don't have to do much work for it. I have learned that this is most definitely not the case. I have compiled a number of things resulting from being the wife of a Realtor.
First of all, I have learned that creating a budget is nearly impossible. I have come to accept the fact the there are going to be many ups and downs for my husband's business. There may be a month were there are a number of sales made, and then there may be months with few or no sales. This ebb and flow in income has been an adjustment, but it just means that we need to plan ahead for the months where less is coming in and save up for items rather than buying them on credit.
Secondly, I have learned that just because you get an accepted offer, or you have a buyer, it doesn't mean you get a sale. In fact I have learned not to get excited about a sale until the papers are all signed. Yes it is exciting that a deal has been made, but don't get too excited! Who knew that home inspections and mortgage financing could make everything fall apart? But now let's say the sale is complete! The home closes and you now have this large sum of money. Not so fast, 30-40% of a Realtor's commission goes towards taxes, another 10-20% gets eaten up in business expenses and marketing, not to mention the initial 10% for tithing. Also, the cost of health insurance and saving for retirement for the self-employed is outrageous.
Another aspect to being a Realtor's wife is the way your free time is spent. No longer do you get to enjoy a quiet night at home. There is a constant barrage of phone calls...prospective clients, other Realtors, and expired listings. When an unknown caller shows up on the caller ID, it is necessary to pick up because, who knows? It may be a new client. Also, when driving around the neighborhood, many detours are made in order to get numbers of "for sale by owner" homes. Now, when I go running I carry a pen and paper to take down numbers and addresses. I have also learned that when we go out there is rarely an occasion where the housing market it not brought up. There is always talk of, "how is your business? The market looks so bad!" Saturdays are spent at open houses or showing homes rather than at the beach or sleeping in.
Although there are some challenges to being the wife of a Realtor, I fully support and encourage my husband in his business. Even though there may not be a steady paycheck and schedules are varied, I know that this is where my husband is being called. He works long hours six days a week, but he loves it. He enjoys finding the right home for a family and selling a home to the right buyers. He takes pride in conducting his business with integrity. My husband also puts family as a priority. I know that although his business is important, God and family come first. This doesn't mean that he doesn't return phone calls at night or show homes when we could be having dinner. But I do know that if I need him home, he will adjust his schedule accordingly. My husband has also decided that he will not work on Sundays. He has decided to take that day and use it to worship God, rest, and spend time with family. Putting God and family before his career may cost my husband some business, but in the end it has allowed for him to grow in his faith and for our marriage to succeed.
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