Everyone should be a real estate agent at some point in their life. Why do I suggest this? You will never meet a more diverse, opinionated, greedy, selfish, backstabbing, wonderful and supportive group of people in one place. I don’t care if you are a small family business or one of the more well known and established mega-monsters serving your area.
In my time as a real estate agent, I found this to be true each and every time. All real estate agents are usually great people, but they each have their own story to tell, and once you walk into a dining room or your own office with them one on one, they are happy to tell it. Once they do that, they move on to bigger and better things. No one is safe from the crossfire, as every person has someone in the business or even in the same office that they love to talk about. Talk can be both positive and negative.
Also, they, as a group, love to participate in social gatherings. Especially if someone else is buying! Anything, lunches, meetings, presentations, is good if there is a raffle and free drinks and food involved. Realtors love free food.
Now, I’m not just saying these things out of spite. I was a real estate agent for almost ten years and was right in the middle. I loved the free food and drink too, and I did my share of talking about people so I’m not throwing stones. It is the culture of the real estate business that simply brings out these characteristics in people. Does this make them bad? Of course not! It is simply a part of humanity that is allowed to come out during normal conversation. And hey, everyone likes free food and drink. It is not like this?
Real estate agents are also very friendly and helpful people. There are numerous causes involving real estate agents, as a whole. Also, if someone you run into on your daily comings and goings is in need or knows someone who is, real estate agents are more than happy to help in any way they can. Whether it’s money, time or experience, all of these things come to light to show what real estate agents are all about.
I can think of numerous times where this has been confirmed, and the National Association of Realtors prints a magazine spotlighting people like these in every neighborhood in this great country of ours. It is a true blessing to be involved in a cause bigger than ourselves, and that is confirmed every day in the life of a Realtor.
Real estate agents are, for the most part, very smart people too. Each state has its own licensing procedures, but I have to believe that Ohio’s is among the most difficult. It takes a lot of time and study to take the licensing exam, let alone to pass it. Once this has been achieved, more classes must be taken to meet the continuing education requirements set by the state. I took all of that on after finishing my previous degree, and certainly at an older age than most. It was very satisfying for me to be able to say that I was a real estate agent. I found it even more satisfying to be able to find clients who needed my help finding their first or next home. There is no greater feeling than knowing you helped fulfill the American Dream.