My Journey into Real Estate

 Who I was and what I have been doing

I grew up fairly quiet and introverted. I was a deep-thinker, follower and observer. I was smart and (fairly) well-behaved and went down the path that my parents encouraged me to. I was lucky to have found close relationships during my teen years with a couple of people who have been instrumental in my life – who in the years following would (and still will) constantly challenge me to stand up for myself; to put myself out there. I didn’t really have any great aspirations for my future at the time, so I went along with what my left-brain told me I would be suited to. I went to university for business and found work in office management, accounting and then finally freelance bookkeeping. I was good at it – great in fact. I had enough experience and confidence by that point to develop a good business on my own with great clients and a lightweight, flexible schedule. As nice as this was for a while, I started to feel deep-down that it no longer provided enough in the way of stimulation or fulfillment.

What happened when I got bored and challenged myself

At some point I found I had reached a plateau where my business wasn’t growing anymore and I wasn’t increasing my income. It wasn’t that I couldn’t grow my business more, but that I realized I didn’t have the ambition to. I knew my work and felt competent. It was comfortable working from home. But I started to feel like I needed something more – at first I really didn’t know what.

I honestly have no recollection of why I started thinking about real estate. I do know, though, that it started out as just a fleeting thought; then, a hypothetical dream; an ‘in-another-life’ scenario. In this other life I would be ‘the type of person’ that (I thought) real estate requires. I thought that meant a super-confident, ‘in-your-face’, stereotypical, ‘car-salesman’-type personality. When I casually mentioned this imagined but ‘obviously’ unrealistic career, my husband told me he could see me doing it. I was sure he must have been kidding. He was the A-personality ‘sales-y’ type. I was the quiet, cautious, conservative, left-brained type. “Oh no….I could never….” I would say. “That’s totally not me. I’m not someone who could ever be a ‘salesperson’”.

For some reason, though, I kept coming back to envisioning myself in this career. I found myself drawn to the possibilities it could open up for me, in both my personal and working life. ‘Could I? Nooo’. ‘Wait - should I? Perhaps…just maybe…’. I started to take a hard look at myself from all different aspects. I looked at my strengths and weaknesses; considered what I would have to overcome, but also what traits and abilities I might already possess to help get me there. I discovered there were quite a few! The idea started to seem a little less far-fetched. I researched the courses and costs required. Then I did the most sensible thing I could have – I went and spoke to a personal friend who was a broker/manager. I asked all sorts of questions about the career and asked her if she could see me doing it. “Definitely”. It felt good. The spark that was igniting was exciting.

I felt like I really didn’t have the extra time for the courses, but I decided I couldn’t ignore this longing. It must mean something, right? I had never felt something ‘calling me’ like this before. I had always done what I was good at; what felt easy and natural. But it hadn’t been overly stimulating. The transition would be hard, but I would sacrifice what I had to upfront. For this could be a life-changer.

I spent my spring and summer in my books and travelling for courses and exams (still while keeping up with my bookkeeping business). I fast-tracked every course and exam I could – I was now on a serious mission! That’s what happens when I become determined and set on something. It takes over. This, especially, was a huge step in my life. I could see new potential in myself and the possibilities it could lead to. I just wanted to be in the business already; to live it and succeed in it.

Where I am now

It’s been just over a year now from the time I decided to toss the idea around with my broker-friend and then apply to the real estate college. I completed the courses and got licensed in five months. Since then I have spent (and continue to spend) part of every day, evening and weekend learning, practicing, building, developing, brainstorming and dreaming. It has been a whirlwind of a year, but I know it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Working toward this career has been challenging, to say the least, and it will continue to be challenging. But that is the point. For the first time ever, I have been okay with things being tough on me. It doesn’t always feel good, but I’ve realized that this is the only way to become the better person you strive to be. You take the bad with the good and you stampede through it and grow from it. I’ve realized that things aren’t always as hard or scary as they seem. I didn’t give myself enough credit in the past. I’ve learned to appreciate and make good use of the natural abilities that I do have that will help me succeed in this career. And I know I WILL succeed in this career – because I have the drive and determination, the brains and skills, and the discipline and self-worth to succeed. And I have already started to taste all types of rewards.

On the surface it appears as though I have only just begun to grow my real estate business, and this is true in terms of experience and statistics. But I know personally I have already grown by leaps and bounds over the past year. The education component is obviously essential. However, I take pride in the fact that I have dived in head first and immersed myself completely. I am a sponge in soaking up information and education. I am making use of brokerage sales rallies, mentors, fellow agents, seminars, online information-sharing and coaching groups and reading (sometimes even listening to audiobooks in the car because I don’t have any more hours in the day for reading books)! I have been exposing myself in the community more than ever before. I have been relying on myself alone to do this – and knowing that I have what it takes to do it. I have been exploring my creative, entrepreneurial side and my people skills. And it’s invigorating! Of course, it’s not just about money as an end-result. It’s about feeling all the emotions of a well-rounded personality and experiences. It’s about meeting so many new people, whether for friendship or networking for business. It’s about being a huge part of peoples’ major life events – a weighty responsibility but also a cherished honour.

I pondered, only once, whether I thought I had wasted time with my earlier career. Did I wish I had done this sooner? The answer was an easy ‘no’. Sure, in ‘that other life’, I might have had the guts to do it young and brave, and I might have made a killing at it. But in reality, in my life, with my personality and experiences, this was when it became right and no sooner. I would not have been ready to tackle it any earlier. I was still too busy labelling myself as shy or quiet to realize I wasn’t really those things anymore. It was the growing up, life experiences, hardships, marriage, children, jobs, and health issues that toughened me up and made me into the person that could ‘handle’ sales – if you can even call it that. It quickly became clear that ‘selling a house’ is only one aspect of the job. And if you are educated and prepared, then you can be confident; and if you are confident, then you can sell anything you believe in. However, the real estate lifestyle, as I call it (it’s really an all-consuming 24/7 career), is so much more. It’s a constant building of relationships, becoming an integral part of peoples’ life transitions, coordinating partnerships among different industries, learning and developing, and keeping up-to-date on related legal, ethical, financial and market information. It’s a roller coaster of constantly-varied days and events and I love it. I can’t wait to see where it takes me. ~ Laura