Real Estate Agent Insights

To the outside world, I often wonder what is society's perception of the working realtor lifestyle?

Do consumers simply think we sip latte coffees, go shopping, drive fancy cars, and collect hefty commission checks? Are realtors just well connected "socialites" whom seek rich friends to sell homes? Is the public aware that a real estate agent's work can be very challenging, and carries a zero dollar base salary?

I think consumers forget, that working realtors in general are a happy, fun, driven, and helpful collection of professionals. Realtors have an inner desire to be their own boss. Real Estate Agents are folks whom are instigators, and want to make things happen! Successful real estate agents are self promoters, avid workers, and posses conversational, relate-able, human people skills. To become a truly successful realtor, it requires a combination of different skills. A Real Estate Agent has the traits of a salesmen, business development guru, therapist, counselor, friend, and wise adviser, all rolled into one.

Have you, our Sample Spectrum reader ever thought of becoming a Licensed realtor? If your ideal job includes a fat base salary, then realty is not the career for you. Real Estate Agents live the HUSTLE life.

One of the constants of a career working in real estate, is the uniqueness and randomness of each day. Each morning working in real estate is a new entity unto itself. One never knows which exact neighborhood they will be trekking through, previewing, touring or showing. During the course of time, contracts come in, contracts fall off, closings go smoothly, deals peter out. Real estate is not for the weak of heart. Your emotions will be bruised. You will feel the force of rejection. Over my 10 years plus of selling and leasing real estate in Austin, Texas and New York City, one learns to stay even-keeled with their emotions. The successes, setbacks, wins, and failures, are all bound to eventually happen. To further your realtor craft, it is ideal to learn something new each day on the job.

So George, when you were a kid, what did you really want to be when you "grew-up"? Well in elementary school and as a dreamy child, I thought I wanted to be a TV Sportscaster. I still loves sports to this day. I would welcome the minor TV fame and recognition that would arise from working as a TV Sportscaster. At one point in college, I thought I wanted to be a lobbyist. Why? So I could campaign and influence government, while advocating for the companies and causes I ethically believed in. But then I went to both Washington D.C, and the Texas Capitol and loathed it. The committee meetings were so lame, tedious and uninteresting, it would put me to sleep.

What do I enjoy about life working in real estate? #1 is that I love the freedom of schedule. The ability to craft your own schedule is fantastic. I have no exact set hours. 1 week, I could work 40 to 50 hours, and the next week, I could go on vacation. #2 is the opportunity and chance to earn large, massive amounts of wealth. Real estate has an eye-popping upside in regards to income potential. Sale commissions range from 9 thousand to upwards of 60 thousand dollars or more. These large monetary commissions are earned on just 1 transaction. #3 I enjoy not being glued and stuck inside an office cubicle. While other workers are enduring the 9 to 5 culture, chained to their desk, I am outside driving, showing, previewing, breathing fresh oxygen and actually living in the world! Realtors are not defined by one specific location. Our job is to help people buy and sell all of the world, places, condos, and land!

Being a realtor is by no means the best or the worst occupation out there. Just like any occupation there are pros and cons. I think being a famous actor would be a cool profession. Actors get to travel to exotic film location sets, actors get free press in the media, and often they get the pretty girls yearning for their star attention.