I never thought that being a real estate agent would be my career. I was supposed to graduate in 1984, but going to school was a challenge for me. I decided to accept a different challenge, got my GED and went in the Army. After boot camp I went to diesel mechanic school, working for several companies, and completed my obligation. In 1991, I was called to active duty for Desert Storm. At that time I had two young children and worked as a manager at a department store. It was difficult to leave home, but Desert Storm was short and I returned three months later.
Fast forward to when I decided to become a real estate appraiser. I ran into a friend and he told me how great it was to be a self employed appraiser. That convinced me! I got my license to do appraisals. After doing hundreds of appraisals across Massachusetts I was told that I would be a good mortgage person. I’m always open to a good opportunity so I decided to go to school and learn the mortgage business in 2000. I worked for companies like GMAC, Citi, and New Fed Mortgage. I also worked as an in house loan officer for Carlson Real Estate and Century21. My favorite mortgage company is Mortgage Financial and the best loan officer I have ever worked with is Stacey Snowdon. More about that later.
In 2004 it seemed the logical next best thing to do was to get my real estate license. In late 2007 the real estate market started to crash and the mortgage industry was falling to pieces. Mortgage companies were closing their doors as quick as they could. Foreclosures and short sales were becoming the normal buzz word. My first short sale went under agreement for $325,000 and the bank never responded to our requests to accept the offer. Three months later the bank foreclosed on the home, gave it to another agent who sold the home for $125,000. That's how things went for a while until I was able to figure things out. Surviving in the real estate world at that time wasn't going to be easy. There were several times when quitting was my only thought about real estate. Something happened in 2005 that completly changed my real estate career and saved me from quitting the Real Estate business all together. Jumping from mortgage company to mortgage company was pretty normal back then. One day we went to a mortgage party in Maine. While there I ran into Arthur, the guy that taught me the mortgage business. He had opened his own mortgage company and convinced me to go to work with him.
What happened next changed my life forever. Before I could go to work for Arthur I had to do something with my real estate license so he referred me to Keller Williams Realty. Off I went to meet with Gail, the team leader. Her job was to recruit agents. She kept talking about the “Red Book” and how great it was and further that it would be the One Thing that would change my real estate career. She promised me a copy as soon as our meeting was over. At that time I needed something to get me on the right track and this sounded like the right thing. When our meeting ended, as promised, Gail handed me the book. So off to read this book I went. Putting the book down wasn't even an option. There were things in that book that opened my mind like never before. Things like “think big/aim high” and “take action” - loved that one. The one concept that resonated with me the most was about breaking through the ceiling. It says that we have a natural ability to achieve a certain amount of success and at some point we need to decide to break through that ceiling and become an expert at something. At that moment I decided to go into real estate full time and become a professional.
Keller Williams offers a program called BOLD. BOLD is like The Red Book on steroids. Talk about being emotionally moved to take action in a positive way to change your life forever! The BOLD program is 8 weeks long and you meet one day a week with like minded real estate professionals. I'm not sure how to put all this into words so let’s start with what BOLD stands for, Business-Objectives-Life by Design. Short, simple yet more powerful than you will ever know. Since then I've taken BOLD 5 times and I'm getting ready to take it again. Gary Keller says when agents ask him what they should do to help their business, he says take BOLD at least ten times. He is absolutely right. You learn something new every time you take BOLD and you see something you missed the last time you took the course. You get refreshed with the material that already motivated you. I highly recommend all agents take BOLD. It's one of the best things you can do to kick start your business.
Enough about all that, let’s fast forward to the present. The real estate market is better than it's ever been for me. Because of the Red Book and BOLD, I'm listing and selling houses on a regular basis. My kids are growing up and attaining their own successes. Chris, my middle child, has since got his real estate license and has been selling for three years full time, and there are now two grand children in my life. I can honestly say with real estate as my career, my life is worth living and my future is brighter than ever. So if you ever want to get into real estate reach out and call me or send me an email and let’s talk. Real estate isn't for everyone, but it might be for you!
Ron Dobrosielski
(that's doe-bro-shell-ski)
Keller Williams Realty
978-766-9862
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