How did you get here?

This afternoon while I was at a closing and I was asked - "How did you get into real estate?"

I remember when I decided to "get into Real Estate" and why I decided to make it a career.  I did it for a very simple reason - to help my family buy our first home. 

When my second son was born, we lived in a small Clearview Co-op and while it was perfect for a family of three - my husband, my eldest son and I - it was not so perfect for a family of four.  So we sold and moved into a rental house.  I did not have a clue about buying real estate, what I could afford, how to start, where to look, what kind of home I wanted or what to do if I actually found a home with all my wants and needs. 

With my youngest being less than a year old, he would nap at the exact time that I would have to pick my eldest son up from school, so I would bundle him up, get him in his car seat, make one stop for a cup of coffee and then I would drive.  I would drive in and out of our neighborhood for hours and I mean hours.  As I would find homes with the "For Sale" sign, I would call the real estate company to inquire about the price.  Sometimes the receptionist would answer and sometimes I would have to wait for the listing agent to call me back and sometimes I would never get a call back - ever. 

Becoming quite frustrated with not having all my answers answered, I still had no idea how or what to do to buy a home.  While I became friendly with one agent from one office, I found that she was not a wealth of information.  Alot of my questions were answered with "I don't knows" or "Ummm, I THINK so".  So I was  in no better shape three months into my search. 

One day that Realtor half jokingly told me - "Christine, you know every house in the neighborhood, why don't you just go get your Real Estate License?"

So I did.

I attended the required courses, took my test and passed.  I "interviewed" a few real estate brokers and found one that I liked.  I found one that I knew I would learn from and one that I could grow WITH.  So I took the job.  At first it was part-time - or so I thought. 

Within my first weekend, I rented an apartment.  That was it.  I was hooked and I quickly realized that I loved to negotiate - I mean I really liked the rush of getting a deal together.  I liked being the reason why both the buyers and sellers walked away happy.  I learned that I liked helping people.

It was not until two years after I entered the real estate world that I actually found my house, I put together quite a few deals before I found what I wanted.  But, while I was on my search I found a career.  I did not enter Real Estate because I thought it would be a cash cow. 

Five years later, I am still with the same company.  I have grown with the company and I have learned from my broker.   I feel that I am good at what I do and I truly like doing what I do.    I know this will remain my career and I know that I will always do well in Real Estate. 

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[Larry Cragun]

And now this Friday I have the honor to share with the world your real estate dream. This will be great. Lar