“We didn’t start the fire. No, we didn’t light it. But we tried to fight it.” -Billy Joel
At some point, you became interested in real estate. Maybe it’s because you are a “people” person, maybe it’s because you like to negotiate, maybe you thought it would be easy.
Sure, real estate can be easy, but it’s not flawless. In fact, it’s absolutely unpredictable. If you believe that transactions will go smoothly every time, you will be drowning in a sea of disappointment.
Those of you who have been in the biz know that it’s absolutely unrealistic to think problems won’t arise. Even when you have done everything right — fences still fall down, roofs leak, mold grows, buyers back out and offers are rejected. A million things can — and do — go wrong.
And here’s where I get frustrated. It drives me up a wall when I see agents venting on Facebook, ranting in forums or throwing in the towel altogether because “the craziest thing ever” just happened with their client.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret:
Dealing with this sh*% (aka problem-solving) is just part of your job.
Real estate isn’t always sunshine and rainbows — but this is what you signed up for. This business takes determination, hustle and tenacity. You have to navigate yourself and your clients through all of the challenges that might arise.
This is the reality of the job. You usually aren’t responsible for a lot of the disappointments that roll your way, but it’s up to you to find solutions. You have to be a fixer.
Otherwise, what’s the point?
There’s a lot of talk about the real estate business becoming automated. Go online, find a house, take a virtual tour, put the house in your shopping cart and check out.
Why hasn’t this become the norm? Because between the virtual tour and the actual purchase is where you, dear agent, are irreplaceable.
Agents are around to put out the fires. We’re there to point out the broken water heater the client joyfully skipped past, and we know a reputable specialist to fix it.
We are the insurance that our client is getting the best deal and making the smartest decision. We ensure our clients don’t have to go back to square one if an offer falls through.
We’re the voice of reason and an ear that listens and a shoulder to cry on.
Transactions will rarely go perfectly, but we provide the human touch and we get to save the day. This is why real estate is the best career in the world.
That said, you cannot possibly predict what will happen each day. So arm yourself with pocket full of backup plans, learn to improvise, and then dive head-first into the wave we call real estate.
Tyler Smith is founder and CEO of SkySlope. You can follow him on Twitter or on his blog.