Growth -

When I got my real estate license I did it for selfish reasons.  I wanted to buy a house.  I had no idea how or what to do to buy a house, so I figured in my one track mind that I would go to school and get a license  - and boom - buy a house, just like that.   Of course it did not happen that way. 

I did get my license and I "interviewed" alot of real estate companies and decided on one that I felt would be the best fit for me.  Little did I know that I would stay there for more than five years.  Yes, I did buy my house but I also found a career that honestly, I loved. 

I Sold My Soul.

That is what I did when I became the office manager for the one and only company that I worked for.    After a few of my own deals and lot of learning and classes that I took through out a time period of a year and a half, I was offered the Manager position.  It was not something that I jumped into to light hearteningly.  I took my job very seriously and I treated the office like it was my own.  But before I took the job I had alot of things to consider like:

• I am an employee now, not an independent contractor.
• My friends who were agents would have to deal with me as their boss.
• It could/would change the magnitude of my relationship with my broker.
• I could hate it and then be out of a job and never work as an agent again.
• It could make or break my career.

I was right on all counts. 

Everything Did Change.

From the minute I stepped into my "new office"  I had changed the stride of the office.  Sometimes agents would feel funny to "bitch" to me because they felt that I would go "tell on them", (which for the record, I never did - I always stuck up for everyone).  I had alot to deal with from day one, but I felt like I could handle all the heat thrown my way.   Many Some of the agents who worked in my office were mad at me because they were there longer than I was and some agents really wished me well.  I sustained all the good and bad wishes.  But to make a long story short,  I did not take that "promotion" for the salary that was being offered.  I took that position because I knew I would be good at it and again for selfish reasons - I wanted to know everything about real estate and how to run an office from the inside and out. 

There was a bigger picture for me.

I am not talking about learning the ropes so I could go and open my own place, that is not what it was about.  It was more like I needed to know everything so I could pass on my knowledge to others.  I needed to know how to do everything because that was the only way I could do my job.  I felt that there was going to be  massive levels of growth with the company, but somewhere the road stopped for me.      

Like Raising kids.

I have always said that managing an office is like raising kids.  Just like a parent has to break up fights, so does a manager (I call it defusing).  Just like a parent who has to teach a child how to become a responsible adult, a manager has to show an agent what to do sometimes but also when to back away and let that agent sink or swim.  And just like a parent - you will always take pride with you when one of "yours" does a great job!

What now?

Many have asked where I have been and what I have been up to and like most of you already know, I left my previous broker to go onto bigger and better things.  Although, currently I still have my license still with my previous broker - I have only resigned as office manager.    It was  a decision that again, I did not take lightly.  Alot of thought and careful consideration went into my personal decision and to be honest, not because of how it would affect me but how it could or would affect my agents.   

So after a month and a half later...

I have no regrets.  I feel that I have always done the right thing for my broker and I have always had his best interest at heart and I will continue to do so.  I know that there are bad feelings from his end and that is OK, it is something that he will have to live with.  I am not mad, I was never mad - I was at a fork in the road and felt I had to take an opportunity that presented itself to me and I felt that I stopped growing with him.  I was becoming stagnate and tired.  I needed a change and I needed to do it quickly - So I took a position with a developer and I am learning a different aspect of real estate.      

I am still selling real estate - it is something that I love to do and I feel that it is in my blood.  I am still available to answer your calls and emails, so feel free to drop me a line whenever you have a question or a comment. 

 

Comments

[rudy]

hi christine!

i am so proud to know you. it's not often you meet such wonderful people who stand up for what they believe in. i have no doubt that you will be successful in anything that you do.

i wish you nothing but the best!

your fellow blogger in arms,

- rudolph d. bachraty

[Jay Thompson]

Well good luck to ya!

[April Groves]

You are a smart lady...I know you took all things into consideration and made the right decision. You have always been open and well intentioned...I know your decision has these same characteristics.

Sending you all the encouragement I can push through the lines!

[Joseph Ferrara.sellsius]

Good luck to you Christine. Keep in touch with us and let us know when you hit the keyboard again.
We will always be there for you.
PS: See you at Tech Fair

[Larry Cragun]

Have fun, make mun, do well, and I saw this coming. Drop by once in a while. Lar

[Ines]

Hey Christine! Good for you! Making a change is never easy and I wish you the best of luck!

[Maureen Francis]

Christine,

Follow your intuition. Congratulations on your move.

[ARDELL]

You're way too young to be "stagnant and tired", so you go girl! Go, go go!

As to people being mad rather than happy for you, are people who react that way really worth worrying about? I don't think so.

[Michael Daly]

Hey Chris!
You're the best!
Mike

[Maureen M.]

Congratulations and good luck! I am happy for your success!

[Teresa Boardman]

Congratulations and good luck. There is an art to knowing when to quit and some times it is exactly the right thing to do and the only way to grow.

[Ann Cummings]

Christine - good for you for seizing the moment and time to make that change. Too often, complacency keeps us tied into something we know just isn't right for us but we do nothing about it. You did, and good for you.

All the best to you!