Luzerne Productions

The Trials and Tribulations of a Real Estate Professional In 2005, after a successful thirty-plus year career in the legal industry, I made a bold move. I left ...my job with a Fortune 500 company and enrolled in a real estate course. A few months later, I had my NYS real estate license and I was ready to go. I would be starting from scratch, with absolutely no assurances that I would be able to earn the same kind of living to which I’d grown accustomed in my old job. Twelve years and thousands of prospecting calls later, I have hit my stride. In 2017, I closed 39 deals. My best year ever. And I am on target this year to at least equal if not surpass that number. I work at a great company Berkshire Hathaway Home Services formerly Prudential Manor Homes. My colleagues are consummate professionals and we have a winning team. But it hasn’t all been what you might call a walk in the park during these last dozen years. The serious realtor (and, by the way, it is not pronounced real-a-tor) makes anywhere between 30 to 50 cold calls each day. They reach out to their sphere of influence on a regular basis, asking for referrals. And they tirelessly farm neighborhoods in an effort to get their name out there. A motivated realtor will also volunteer for office phone duty and open houses as often as possible. She will work long hours, very often working weekends and evenings so she can accommodate her clients’ schedules. She will also become very accustomed to being rejected on a regular basis. If anyone tells you that real estate isn’t a real full-time profession and that realtors basically stick a For Sale sign in the front yard and collect a commission, they are sadly misguided. Over the past 12 years, I have personally made more than more cold calls than I can count. I have hosted hundreds of open houses. And I have logged in hundreds of hours of phone duty. In my first year, I closed three deals. Five years later, I had bumped that number up to 20 closings. It wasn’t until 2014 that my annual salary finally matched what I had been making at that Fortune 500 job I’d walked away from in ’05. But all my hard work is paying off. I’m doing something I love. I have built my reputation in the industry, and the people who work with me know that I am going to jump through hoops to do the best job possible for them. Since I began my Real Estate career, I have had my share of highs and lows; I’ve had the good fortune to work with incredibly lovely people, peppered occasionally with what one might call clients from hell. I’ve had the pleasure of finding the perfect home for new couples just starting out, and I’ve helped baby boomers get the best price for their home so they could enjoy their retirement. I’ve also assisted many people downsize once their long-time house was too large. In this industry, a good realtor never rests on her laurels and she never takes for granted that new business will just fall into her lap. She has to work for it. Every day. I invite you to follow along with me as I continue my real estate journey. Each month, I will regale you with stories about my adventures and misadventures as a real estate agent. I’ll share valuable information and useful tips about buying and selling a home. In the process, I hope to earn your trust, your confidence and your respect. Talk to you next month! Joan