Why I Love Real Estate (And You Should Too!)
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At different stages in life, each of us is faced with a number of opportunities.
These opportunities (sometimes disguised as work!) might not always be as obvious to see!
I’m happy to be able to say that I have jumped on most of them: some turned out to be regrettable; however, none of them was as exciting as my move to become a real estate agent.
Dare I say it out loud: I love real estate!
Contrary to popular belief, becoming a real estate agent isn’t just another change of jobs or a last option job; it truly comes with a complete change in lifestyle. There’s no other job that can even come close to it.
And why? That’s the easy part.
To give you an idea, I have quickly lined up 14 reasons:
Reason #1
Have you ever thought how it would feel like to wake up unemployed every day? Well, that’s what it’s like to be an independent real estate agent!
Do you feel like sleeping in and getting started later in the day? No worries! How about taking those long vacation breaks? Not a problem at all! Just don’t be surprised that your (commission) income will be low that month as well! The upside of having this flexibility of time is that you can spend it whenever with your family, friends and loved ones!
Reason #2
I am very proud of the work that I do: whether it’s assisting buyers in finding, what’s very likely, their life’s most valuable asset, or helping home sellers with the marketing and subsequent sale of their home, as they get ready for the next chapter in their life! How exciting is that!
As a real estate agent, you have a bigger impact on people’s lives than you might think! Definitely not the easiest of responsibilities, but a very rewarding one!
Reason #3
Please don’t take me wrong here: there are many real estate agents out there whose business cards aren’t worth the paper it is written on (but that’s a discussion for another time)!
However, in the end, their (in)actions make me look great!
Reason #4
One could say that in a way, real estate agents are almost like police officers!
How many times have you driven past a particular property located around the corner from your house, and wondered how it must look like inside?
As a real estate agent, especially once you’ve been in the area for a number of years, you’ve more than likely seen the inside of all the properties nearby!
You get to find out the more personal details of the people behind those sometimes odd-looking street appeals, and let me tell you: there are quite a few things you see & hear that you wished you could un-see and un-hear! Such as having a stunning-looking streetside pavement, yet being completely shocked by the indoor decorations, or vice versa!
Up until I became a real estate agent in Northcliff, my wife didn’t really ask how my day went. Now, I think she’s looking forward to the next instalment of her husband’s version of Days Of Our Lives!
Reason #5
Being personally involved with the marketing and sale of one’s home, a real estate agent gets exposed to (not-to-be underestimated) level of emotional stress whether coming from the home seller, interested buyer or caused by the agent himself.
Intense negotiations spread over days or weeks, writing or presenting offers to purchase at the oddest times or locations or showing potential buyers properties under the most difficult of circumstances, all do contribute to sometimes stressful situations!
Reason #6
Sometimes, friends might tell me how they worry about the latest economic conditions & forecasts, and how they fear it might result in being downsized, outsourced or straight job loss.
Over the years as a real estate agent, it is quite a weight off my shoulders to know I never need to worry about that again!
Reason #7
Marketing a property involves many, many different elements, and it can get very entertaining at times!
Things might perhaps get a bit more serious if it weren’t for all the many funny real estate marketing oopsies one sees as a real estate agent!
Reason #8
Initially, the variance and frequency of commission income was definitely something one needs to get used to!
There’s no doubt about it: the number of (s)low commission income months definitely do get compensated by a few weeks worth of commission incomes, in the region of an average person’s yearly salary!
Budgeting becomes very important in order to adequately adjust one’s monthly finances throughout the year.
Reason #9
How’s the economy doing? Are we looking at a good economy? Bad economy?
As a real estate agent, I like to see it that I’m responsible for making my own economy!
I believe whether business is good or bad, it is completely my own doing (and mostly right between my ears!). Some of my best performance months were in economic down periods!
Reason #10
How about the lack of discrimination!?
In other words, it’s a level playing field, where it really doesn’t matter what educational background you have, or what your previous career experience has been, anyone interested in becoming a real estate agent can choose to do so!
Having said that, whether you will survive your first six months as a real estate agent is a completely different matter (and a topic of discussion for another time)!
Reason #11
Ever been bored at work?
Now, that’s not something I can say, as every day is different, thanks to the job diversity this real estate career brings!
If you think about the last time you dealt with a real estate agent on the purchase or sale of a property, have you ever stopped and realized that your agent actually was a mix of photographer, journalist, psychologist, attorney, housekeeper, interior designer, babysitter, personal secretary, security guard, and roof repairman etc. Just to name a few of the duties a real estate agent will perform over the course of marketing your property!
Talk about being a Jack of All Trades and yet, NOT!
Reason #12
Evolving as a real estate agent at a time when social media is becoming so important, I’m truly blessed to have met so many new real estate colleagues, quite a few who have turned into friends whom I communicate with on a daily basis, and learnt so much from through online Real Estate Communities.
Reason #13
Wasn’t it the Zig Ziglar, who said that “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
Thus, the faster you understand this simple truth, the more successful your career path as a real estate agent will be. I just love real estate for the mere fact that there really is no limit to what you can make in this job, once you’ve set your mind to it!
Reason #14
A handful of years ago, I decided to move to Northcliff, and change to a different real estate company, so I could live & work in my own Northcliff neighbourhood. Today, I’ve never been as proud to be part of a small team of real estate professionals, assisting buyers in Northcliff, as well as home sellers in Northcliff and surroundings!
Why I Love Real Estate (And You Should Too!) — via @XavierDeBuck #northcliff https://t.co/VFI2KnWBFx pic.twitter.com/b21bZQhDk7
— Xavier De Buck (@XavierDeBuck) January 11, 2016
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About the author: The above article “Why I Love Real Estate (And You Should Too!)” was written by Xavier De Buck, your top-producing Johannesburg real estate agent. Xavier has been nationally recognized and awarded for providing service excellence, exceptional property sales, whilst exhibiting the highest level of professionalism. With over 15 years combined experience as a real estate agent and real estate investor, if you’re thinking of buying or selling a home in Johannesburg, Xavier would love to share his property knowledge and expertise.
Xavier has more than 65,000 followers on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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