Why Real Estate?

How did a girl that was interested in Peace Corps and saving the world and who thought that there was something inherently wrong with amassing a lot of money... decide to become a real estate agent?

Well, here's the (long) summary, if you're interested.

There were three careers that I was considering after college - teaching high school, being a therapist, or being Mother Theresa (well, at least saving the world in a similar manner). Despite my intentions, I somehow ended up being a systems analyst with a LOT of responsibility. The years flew by and I spent a lot more time working than I should have.

At some point, I got married, and we bought a house. Well, the house turned out to be a "welcome to reality" trigger. Having a mortgage for the first time can really hurt - neither me nor my husband were money-savers. We went out to eat a lot, we saw shows and we also gave generously to charities. I now understood why a lot of people didn't donate much to charities - guess things like kids and a mortgage can really put a damper on that. I think both of us started thinking about money in a different way.

At some point, I also started thinking about what I wanted to accomplish with my life. Having attained a leadership position at work, I had a lot of confidence in my abilities and in the ability of one person to make a difference. So how could I really use my knowledge and skills to make a difference in the world? I figured I could actually make the biggest impact by being in charge of things, maybe starting a non-profit. But at the least, by having a lot of money and the decision-making power over where that money goes. How does one make a lot of money? By starting one's own business.

I wasn't too particular about what business it was as long as it didn't involve harming animals and I could afford the initial investment. After all, I was doing a business because it was a means to an end. In reality, it didn't appeal to me to do a business because it didn't seem like there was any purpose to it other than to make money. I mean, if you're programming or doing research, you're really using your brain, you're being challenged and making use of what you learned in school. I just didn't have the same level of respect for running a business. But, it was going to help me accomplish my bigger goals in life so I felt I needed to do it. Real estate was an easy choice since my parents had both had their license at some point and there was a small time and financial investment required - low-hanging fruit.

Thus began a life-changing journey. Compared to a corporate job, it is incredibly empowering to start your own business. If you slack off at your job occasionally, it doesn't really matter. But in your own business, slacking off directly lowers the amount of money you will make. Everything is up to you. This is so profound. You really have to clean up your act and work out all those personal issues that get in the way of your own productivity.

As I got more and more training in real estate and learned more about what it takes to be successful in this business, I really started to respect good agents. They go above and beyond to ease the process for their clients. I started to embrace the work. It turned out to be exactly in line with my motivation factors. You see, I love pleasing people. At work, it was always the things that someone was waiting for and really needed that I really got motivated about.

Also, since the software that I used at my job was proprietary and a bit buggy and a bit under-documented, I had learned to be very creative and to doggedly search for work arounds and solutions. I found that I loved applying this to people's home searches and seller's preferences for price and terms.

The other thing that weighed on my mind was the perception I had that real estate agents were just money-hungry, unethical folk. In the public mind, it seemed like people weren't even really clear on what real estate agents did. When I started, I had this perception as well. But over time, I started to see how I could run my business in a very ethical manner AND help people with the biggest investment of their lives.

So a year and a half after I got my license, I decided being a real estate agent was truly right for me and I quit my job. Hallelujah!

By the way, I donate a percentage of every commission to a mutually agreeable cause. 2007 is the YEAR OF THE SCHOOL - I ask my clients to choose a (preferably local) school for a donation on their behalf. This is tax-deductible for my clients.