REAL ESTATE TIPS: Thinking about a career in real estate?

Real estate is an ever changing industry. It brings out all of the emotions any human can experience from happiness to tears. And I’m talking abut the feelings that the Realtors are experiencing! Many people have come to me over the years asking if real estate is right for them. For some people, it is a great fit. For others, it isn’t. With high shool and college graduates now looking for jobs and many others potentially changing their careers, I thought it would be a good time to share what being a Realtor is and what it is not.

Let’s start with the bad and get that out of the way. One of the first things that I ask a potential agent is their thoughts on money. Do they need regular income to meet their budget needs or do they need insurance. Real estate provides neither. If you must have one or both of those to survive, real estate is not the career for you.

Are you starting this career because you like to see homes? It isn’t as glamorous as what they show on TV. Yes, there are some nice homes that you see. But not all of them. I have been in homes that smelled so bad, I had to roll my windows down on the way home just to feel like I could breathe. I have been in properties and outbuildings where I was extremely cautious to avoid falling through the floor. A flashlight has been my guide at night in pitch dark homes with no electricity. There is nothing glamorous about that. Not every house has heat either. I have been in homes so cold that my toes went numb.

Are you looking forward to a flexible schedule? Real estate is not the flexible part-time schedule that you think. Don’t get me wrong, I am able to X off certain times to go on field trips with my kids or help in their classroom. But you show homes when people need you to at the hours that work for them. You work weekends and holidays and late nights. In fact, I left right at the end of the meal served after my dad’s funeral leaving my family and a few remaining guests there to go show a house because the buyer had to see it that day. She knew that I was leaving my dad’s funeral early but she was adamant that it had to be done then due to her travel schedule. So if you are expecting to work minimal hours and see only beautiful homes, you will be disappointed.

But there is a lot of good too! You get to help people in the most important purchase of their lives, guiding them each step of the way. You gain new friends and relationships from people you may not have known before you helped them start their journey. Many clients will turn into your dear friends forming relationships that will last a lifetime. You can use the talents and skills that you have been given or learned to give your sellers and buyers the experience that they deserve when it comes to buying or selling a home.

You can make a difference. And that’s the bottom line. If you come into this career looking only for big bucks, or to see fancy homes or to take long vacations on the beach, you will burn out. The big bucks can come but I have seen agents lose it just as fast. In fact, four agents I know have gone into foreclosure – all big producers at one time. You will see big fancy mansion homes but it isn’t everyday. You will have a flexible schedule but not in the way you think. It is flexible because you are available all the time. But if you can get past the hurdles of no insurance, no regular pay, and a crazy schedule, you will be a part of one of the most rewarding careers out there.

If you want to talk more about a new career, call me. Have a blessed week my friends!

Esta Ryder, Realtor
President’s Club
Ryder Realty, LLC
estaryder@gmail.com
330-317-6912