Re: ‘Rookie Realtor: Newbie releases tax return‘ (April 26)
Dear Rookie:
Sorry to tell you that almost any other career would have cost you, what…a college degree? Consider real estate a bargain!
Yeah, there are expenses in starting up as a Realtor…sorry to welcome you to the real world of business. You have to spend money to make money…
This is probably the only career you can pursue where a degree is not required and someone as green as you can start out! My advice to you is: pay your dues (literally), then pay your dues doing deals. Once that’s done, re-evaluate whether it’s worth it. Those recurring membership and dues fees will getcha if you’re not earning. But by the end of your first year, you should be up there. If you’re not…you’re with the wrong company or you’re not working!
Sonja Boatman
ERA Jack Gaughen
Chambersburg, Pa.
Dear Rookie:
Starting a business is expensive, but a Realtor business is very expensive because, as you mentioned: (lack of) income. My first year is quickly coming to an end. I’ve even considered changing brokers, but the other broker belongs to a different MLS/Local Association, which means additional transfer costs, then re-buying all that marketing, etc., etc., you know the works…And still the income is $0…
Don’t you just love it?
Judy Mackey
Dear Rookie:
I know that life is tough, and I know life isn’t fair.
I feel it is very hard to objectify what makes people successful in real estate. I know that a winning attitude, strong communication skills and well-developed sales techniques lend themselves to success, though they don’t assure them. The older I get the more I see how successful adults grow and change, most noticeably through association (the people you hang with) and intake (the books they read). Complaining, sarcastic remarks do not objectify goals, they only deplete energy…both yours and the people in close proximity to you. (That phenomenon goes for both clients and associates.)
So make sure you are in the right industry. Make sure you are doing something that is consistent with what you value. Adopt an attitude of gratitude and courage, then do what you have to do to succeed. Now that you paid the money to your Realtor associations, treat it like an investment in your chosen profession and go to work. Make it valuable. The changes that are in store for you in the future will overwhelm you if you can’t get through this. So figure it out and move forward with resolve and conviction…either in real estate or not.
Cathlyne Scharetg
Prudential California Realty
San Francisco
