"You're in real estate? You must be seeing some nice paydays!". "Oh, you are probably making that coin huh?". What is funny is for a business with such a high turnover rate, real estate agents often hear the misconception that everyone who joins the business suddenly becomes a millionaire over night. Should we blame this on shows like Million Dollar Listing? No. Those are the elite of the elite. The thing that separates those people like Ryan Serhant and everyone else is the work it takes. I learned this the hard way.
Ask any 21 year old who has little to no concept of what it takes to be successful in today's society. We see what seems like sudden over night millionaires and billionaires every single day, so why should our situation be any different? Well here is why: the hard work. Like any new business venture, real estate requires you to step outside of your comfort zone, it requires you to do the things you do not enjoy doing, and lets face it, it's hard work! In a society that labels "millennial" as being lazy, unmotivated, and entitled it seems difficult to overcome the stigma everyone may have when they decide to do business with you. Speaking from the perspective of a "millennial", half of the battle is proving that you are not like the rest of your generation. The other half is the misconception that age equals experience in real estate. That holds no weight.
During my first year in real estate I saw people in their late fifties fail and people younger than me (twenty-one) sell more homes in one year than most agents do in their entire career. There is no predictor for success when it comes to age. There is however one huge lesson I learned during my first year in real estate that differentiates you from every other agent: doing the hard work. I've mentioned this five plus times already in this blog, and yet people seem to struggle so much with this, including myself at times. I noticed when I was not making prospecting a priority and I was not doing the work necessary to generate more business, I was always broke. When I did the opposite, I reaped the rewards. We all fall guilty to laziness at some point, life can be hard and we all need a break. However, I found out that simply doing the opposite of most agents I can forge my way into a massively successful real estate career.
If you need someone to hold your hand, give you tasks, clock in-clock out, and to give you the security of a paycheck stick to the corporate world. NONE of those things are given to you in real estate. My broker has given me all the tools I need to succeed and the rest is up to me. I love real estate and sales in general because I am not limited by corporate bosses feeling the need to "cut staff hours and expenses" when their bottom line is feeling a bit light. I know if I do not get up everyday with the attitude that this day is mine and I am ultimately responsible for putting food on my table, then I do not eat. Figuratively and physically. Real estate can be difficult, but knowing my future is one hundred percent in my hands helps me sleep better at night. And it might be all those long prospecting hours that wear me down by the time night hits. Either way, if you are just starting real estate, thinking about starting real estate, or have been in real estate for some time now keep pushing forward. There are tough times just like any business, but I would rather struggle building a large future of success for myself than line the pockets of a corporate CEO while I trade hours of my life away for $12 an hour. These are a few of the major things I learned my first year in real estate and to everyone out there working on their goals and dreams, keep going!
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