What I’ve learned so far as a full-time realtor
Number one: Have a solid routine
When I was working my 9 to 5, my routine was very simple. I woke up at 7:30am, got ready, made it to work by 8:30am and around 5pm, I would call it a day. Transitioning to real estate full-time, I had to figure out a new plan, a new system that works for me. As a visual learner, I need to see things written down for it to click in my head. One thing that has helped me tremendously is using a whiteboard to write down my weekly schedule. Having my day-to-day tasks/goals written down keeps me accountable. Since I can pretty much create my schedule now, I always try to get most of my work done in the morning so I can leave time in the afternoon for anything that may pop up. It is also very important for me to continue waking up early because I am not a morning person AT ALL and I love sleeping in. I knew I had to keep my body accustomed to waking up early or else I would not start my days until noon and that would not be good at all lol!
Number two: Learn to be okay with rejection
I’ve learned the phrase, “you can’t please everyone” really applies in real estate. I spend a few hours a day cold calling and I’ve had people hang up on me, be rude, and hear a lot of “no’s”. Not going to lie, it does get to me sometimes. It makes me question myself: am I doing something wrong? am I a good fit for this job? I’d like to believe I’ve grown a thick skin from working in property management, but it’s always a work in progress for me. I mean, who wants to feel rejected?! But I have to remind myself that of all the calls I made in a day, if I can get at least one “yes”, then it’ll be worth it. It’s the little things and staying positive that make the ‘No’s’ not a big deal. Just have to keep it going and move on.
Number three: Don’t take it personal, it’s just business!
There have been times when my offers didn’t get accepted and I took it personal, especially if the client is a friend or relative.I know I put in a lot of time and effort into showing the property and my clients are invested in the property, so when our offer doesn’t get accepted, it stings. But again, I have to take a step back and tell myself that as a realtor, we always have to put our clients’ interest first and that’s just what the listing agent was doing. So I had to learn to brush it off, remember that this is a business, and continue to help my clients’ find their dream home.
As I continue my real estate journey, I know there will more lessons learned and mistakes made, but it is all part of the process. I will continue to share my experiences and insight with you all and if you’ve made it this far into the blog, thank you for reading!