“Why did you get into real estate?” 

I get this question all…..the….time.  Sometimes I don’t know what to say because the truth is, I was looking for something ‘easy’ to do while being able to stay home with my kids. Now that doesn’t sound very professional but, there I said it.  I mean, filling out forms and seeing houses all the time…no big deal right? How hard can it really be? Now, a lot of you agents reading this are probably laughing so hard right now, you peed a little. For those of you that are not agents, let me explain…

As someone who has been on the other side, in your shoes with no real estate agent experience, I get it.  It doesn’t look hard, complicated, or stressful. I mean, you take some people out show them a few houses, they pick one, and in about 30 days everyone is laughing and smiling. Or if someone wants to sell their house they simply call, you show up to put a sign in the front yard, they sign on the dotted line, bada-bing bada-boom. Easy peasy. 

Boy was I so WRONG!

Now, don’t let me scare you off here. Yes, it’s hard at times, but that is just like any other job you get. Being a real estate agent requires patience, creativity, attention to detail, organization and sometimes intuition. Yes, I said intuition.

Now, another thing that doesn’t get talked about enough is finding the right mentor and brokerage that suits your needs and personality.  Many of us out there know someone who’s an agent—a friend, aunt, or 4th cousin twice removed, over the river and through the woods.  However, you have to ask yourself, do you really want to work with that person? Picking the right mentor comes down to what your goals in real estate are. How you want to get clients.  What do you want to specialize in—buyers, sellers, or both? You also have to think about the brokerage—and does it align with your goals and needs?

Once you have a mentor you feel confident in and a brokerage you’re happy with, comes the fun part, getting clients and working on those deals. Yeah baby! Right now you’re probably thinking, pft, can’t be that hard Jana. Getting the client is the toughest part. **Heavy sigh** is all I can say right here.

Let’s say you’ve done the hard work and you have a client. Woo-hoo! If you have a first-time home buyer, or any other type of client for that matter, as a newbie, you’re going to need a lot of guidance. And that’s fine—that’s why you have a mentor…I hope! Please be open to it, and welcome it. Remember, it’s better to ask questions than to do things incorrectly.  Now where was I? Ah, yes, you have your client. 

If you have a buyer you’ll be working with a lender, showing houses, putting in an offer, deal is done—bam!  If you have a listing you put up a sign, put up a lockbox, add the listing to the local listing service, and watch the offers roll in.  Just kidding, it’s not that easy.

Things you might deal with both buyers and seller:

• an unknowledgeable lender that hasn’t vetted your client and therefore may not qualify for that loan.
  
• Unresponsive clients that don’t answer your texts or calls
  
• Unresponsive agents that don’t answer your texts or calls
  
• Clients that aren’t fully sure what they are looking for or aren’t really ready to buy
  
• Things wrong with a house that no one was expecting and no one wants to pay to repair

This is when your mentor and broker are key! Your first few deals are worked with your mentor to ensure you are doing the process correctly and they can help you with questions that come up. Sometimes unique situations arise that require you to speak with your broker as well as your mentor. Don’t worry, we all lean on our brokers no matter how many years we have been doing this.

But in the end, when the deal is done and your clients are happy, you decide to get on that crazy rollercoaster and do it all over again.  Because although things might not always go smoothly, you do have some flexibility with your time, you get to meet new people and hopefully become friends, which then turn into referrals! Plus, it’s fun to walk through other people’s homes, like a creeper. 

So, if you’re interested in becoming an agent, just make sure you do your due diligence and research—online, talk to agents, talk to real estate schools, or brokerages.  You can also reach out to me 🙂