Re: ‘Rookie Realtor plagued by advice to quit‘ (June 30)
Dear Rookie:
I suggest you quit spending so much time writing and get to work selling. You discuss your failures so much that you have no room for success.
I don’t hire part time agents…be a salesperson or be a writer….you really don’t have time to be both.
Debra K Leisek
Broker
Bay Realty
Alaska
Dear Rookie:
If it’s any consolation, I’ve ordered your Rookie Toolkit for $14.95. I hope you receive some money out of that, and it will help you hang in there and get established in the business–the same thing I’m trying to do.
Robert Gatsoff
bobgatsoff@earthlink.net
Dear Rookie:
Athough you are a rookie yourself, you have a lot more experience than I do because I am still trying to decide if I want to change careers and become a real estate agent. I am a decorative painter (faux finishes), and the labor involved is starting to wear me down. I love decorating, houses, etc., and think I would enjoy selling houses to buyers.
Now that you have made the decision to continue and have survived the first few months, do you have any advice for me?
Mary Anne
brushstrokes-ga@comcast.net
Dear Rookie:
I didn’t participate in the recent poll regarding whether you should stay or leave real estate, but I have been following your story along and I wanted to say a couple of things. First of all, thank you for being so honest and telling your story to the rest of the Realtor population. We are so used to the standard lie agent’s tell each other and their clients when asked about how things are going, which, as you know by now is, “Oh, yes business is great!” It is refreshing to hear the real story. I wish I had heard it a few years ago.
I still have my foot in the industry but have decided (after too long in my case) to find another full-time job I can rely on and do some real estate on the side for friends, family and people I want to work with. So far I think I have made the right choice.
I think you are taking the poll a little bit personal, however. To say people are judging you–I can understand how you can feel that way, especially since you did not ask anyone’s opinion!–I think people are giving their opinion based on the progress you are making, not you personally. What you really need to consider more than anything else is your financial position. No matter how badly you want to make it work, you can only go as far as your savings (and relationship) will allow. That’s what I found out after going into major credit card debt and almost becoming homeless.
I say hold on as long as you feel you can, but don’t feel like a failure if you have to let it go. Don’t wait too long either. There are other possibilities out there for you to explore besides sales. Consider a profession related to the field for which you may now have some insight because of your real estate experience. I am working for a commercial real estate broker in the loan department, a job I got only because of my experience in real estate. Life does go on!
Marlena Hurtado
mhurtado@pwwa.org
Dear Rookie:
Funny that “Rookie Realtor plagued by advice to quit” is the first article that I have read from Inman since I signed up for the service yesterday!
I am trying to change my career as well and am about to take the plunge full time as soon as I get my license (end of July). Of course, my wife and I are both very scared about this whole concept of career change and have received different advice from family and friends. However, my heart is set on this career and both my wife and I have had long discussions how I will not have a steady income coming in for about nine months. We have heard about how some agents who have been in this industry for about 15 years are now looking for part-time jobs or are changing careers!
But this is the first time I am taking such a big risk (taking a line of credit on the house) and am following my heart. I see this as “that window of opportunity.” I have a friends’ dad who is willing to take me under his wing and teach me the ropes, without taking any cut from the commission, and a great friend who has just started his own business advising me on how to go about getting the money so that we can pay some bills while I am out of work, so to speak! I do not want to be one of those people, who, on their death beds, ask themselves “What if…?”
Hang in there buddy! When one door shuts, another one opens…And if you have any suggestions for another rookie…I am open.
Sandeep Gupta
guptaps2002@yahoo.com
Dear Rookie:
You go! Now that the other half is with you all the way, you’ll have complete control and can focus on what you want. It doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks you should do. It never does. I wish you the best in your endeavor to be a part of our volatile yet very rewarding real estate profession. Rock on, Rookie!
Laura Burke
Rival Realty Inc.
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Got tips, ideas or advice for the Rookie Realtor? Send them to Rookie@inman.com.
