In Post 1, What's Your Personal Story by Kathleen Daniels, the experiences I shared in my personal life most definitely influenced my professional life especially in terms of choosing my niche. Or, shall I say, how my niche chose me because of my life experiences.
I worked in several law firms as a legal secretary, admin, and ultimately as a paralegal. I loved paralegal work. It is in my blood and DNA; I just know it. From private law corporations, I made the leap into technology.
Worked at Tandem computers as a paralegal and contract manager. Cisco was a hot company and many of us left Tandem after the acquisition and got jobs at Cisco. Still working with contracts, I was both a program and project manager in various departments. The pay and benefits were great but the blood the company took in exchange took its toll. When I heard there would be massive layoffs, I begged for it.
Thankfully, I got the layoff package. I was paid for nearly one year with medical benefits. I took some time to travel, went to Turks & Caicos for ten (10) days finally getting the R&R which escaped me during the corporate work grind.
Shortly after returning from Turks & Caicos, 9-11 happened. Nothing more needs to be said about that.
The layoff package paid for me to go to school, so I went back to school and worked on my MBA. They paid for books too. As far as I know, that was the best layoff package ever offered. Thank you, angels, in the layoff outfield!
School is done. Now what? So many of my friends told me I would be great in real estate.
A Cisco co-worker was a real estate agent. She had her license primarily to purchase and sell properties she and her husband fixed and flipped. She started working full-time in real estate after the layoff. This was back in the day when people would walk into the real estate office and boom – a client was born, and a listing agreement was signed.
I shadowed her for a few weeks. I watched what she did and how she did it. Good heavens, could it get any easier? I ran the numbers. Average sales price, average commission, etc., and determined how many transactions I would need to complete to make a good living.
Off to real estate school. The rest as they say is history.
Passing the exam. Piece of cake. The easy button, however, escaped me. The business of real estate is not easy. Working with people is not easy. It can be fun and very rewarding, but it is not easy. Running a business takes work. Yet at least I am working for myself! I am reaping the benefits and for the most part, most of what I do does not feel like work.
Early in my career, I did list probate homes however it was not until the passing of my sister, my mother, nephew, and brother-in-law, that my real estate niche in probate found me. It made sense. All of my life experiences brought me to where I am today.
Not only do I know probate, the laws, the court process, but I also bring a wealth of contract and negotiation experience to the table. I understand what people go through and the emotions they are dealing with. My compassion and understanding are among the many things my clients appreciate about me.
As to writing a book, in website form, Need Probate Help is written and I continue to add chapters.
This post is Kathleen Daniels entry in the ActiveRain February 2022 Challenge Co-Hosted by Carol Williams and Miss Anna Banana Kruchten CRS, Phoenix Broker
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