To Read Myth #1, "Your Love of People Will Make you a Successful Real Estate Agent," Click Here.
Your Love of Houses Will Make You a Successful Real Estate Agent
(excerpted from Sell with Soul: The New Agent's Guide to an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate)
This is probably the number one reason people choose real estate as a career. They loved the house-shopping process when they bought their first home and thought, "Gee, I could do this all day, this is fun!"
And it is, at first. But after a year or two, the thrill is gone. You will know, from looking at a house from the street, pretty much what to expect on the inside. "Ah, a 1928 brick bungalow - narrow living room and dining room on the left, two bedrooms and a bath on the right, small kitchen in the back, stairs leading to the basement off the kitchen."
You'll get tired of struggling with jammed or frozen lockboxes. Your knees will scream in protest as you explore yet another two-story home with a finished basement. You'll despair as you realize that the owner of the home you're showing is home and intends to show you and your buyer every single closet personally.
I had a Ph.D. client (a special breed) who insisted on photographing every room of every house we looked at. Yes, even homes he had absolutely no interest in. Then he would take notes in his spiral notebook so he wouldn't forget what he'd taken pictures of. With approximate room measurements. Looking at eight homes with this guy would take far longer than the two hours I allowed.
While liking homes won't make you a success, having a working knowledge of home construction, your local architecture and a general idea of the cost of repairs just might. Your job as a real estate agent is not to Ooh and Aah over homes with your buyers, but to advise them on the issues that are important to them. Such as the cost to replace a 50-year-old furnace (the electrical may need to be upgraded and the chimney lined). Or that this particular lakefront neighborhood has a high water table, so we need to check out the sump pump. Or what to advise your buyer when a home smells like cat urine or cigarette smoke.
Maybe you'll never reach the point of buyer burnout, and if you don't, good for you. But don't go into real estate because you think you'll always enjoy a good day of house-shopping with your clients.
The 7 Myths of a Real Estate Career
Your Love of People Will Make you a Successful Real Estate Agent
Your Love of Houses Will Make You a Successful Real Estate Agent
You Have to Pester (er, Cold Call) Strangers to Build a Successful Business
Your Job Is to Drive Buyers Around and Hold Open Houses
You Will Work Every Weekend
Real Estate Is a Team Sport
You Shouldn't Ever Discount Your Fee
* due to heightened self-imposed stress due to participation in the NAR Convention, I am blogging with material from my book until the end of October (unless something absolutely brilliant strikes me that I MUST write about).
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copyright Jennifer Allan 2007
Hi Jennifer,
I agree with your post and that goes for everything, you should enjoy whatever you do.
Great post Jennifer,
You hit the nail on the head with the agent needing to know the construction aspects of a home. The buyer can see the painted walls, but knowing what may be hidden behind that drywall is where the agent can shine.
The love of houses is, in and of itself, not enough ... but it is a start. To love real estate is to love the satisfaction of working FOR your client helping them get into the best property for THEIR needs.
Thanks for the post
Stephen - isn't that funny? In ten years, you'll probably write your OWN Sell with Soul!
Allen. Poifect.
I would recommend that every agent takes a home building class as well. Learning how a home goes together will help in the selling aspect of being able to explain (doesn't have to be in detail) the bricks and sticks of a home.
I'm not sure how many times I have heard that friends tell me that they love houses - thus, they want to get their licensure because of it..... Over time, I do get tired of rambling the same tune...... Your love for houses do not make you a great business owner - that's what they fail to see.
It is truly more than just opening doors and looking at pretty houses.
You are on a roll with your blogs.... Love it!
Jennifer.
I'll be at NAR will you be having a booth there or presenting?
Monika - I'll have a booth there! #3847 which is behind one of the food courts. Come see me !
I have Expo passes if anyone needs them (saves you $35 or $40).
Loreena - What a great way to put it: "A Love of houses does not make you a great business owner." Priceless.
Hey, Jennifer!
I read Sell With Soul last night and ended up dog-earing most of the pages. I laughed, I cried.... At one point, I started to wonder if you had been stalking me during my first year! I wish I'd had the book then.
You're an excellent writer and your book gave me some creative ideas and solutions to problems I still face--thank you! I'll certainly recommend your book to other agents, too.
All the best!
Robin