My First Week on the "Team"

I started my real estate career officially at 18, but if you include the internships and classes it started around 15. Since then I learned that there is NO ONE you can depend on in this business. Other than my parents, they have been my main and constant source of financial and emotional support. Not only do they encourage me to chase my dreams, but I also work for their business which keeps constant money in my pockets. As a Realtor you only make money when you sell, so if you don’t sell, you don’t eat!

So needless to say everyone is working to keep their selves above water, oppose to helping another person prosper, I chose to live my life differently, but that’s neither here nor there. Whenever I find a person truly willing to teach me a particular approach or go over new paperwork, or a website that seems to be generating more business I immediately show my gratitude and mentally give them my loyalty. It’s rare to find a person in this business who doesn’t actively think "dog eat dog"!

With those thoughts lingering I’m certain it’s clear that I found someone this week that I can now put in my "indebted to" column. She’s a senior agent in the new community, who's literally sold hundreds of homes here, including my grandparents’ home.  I had never met her, but her name has been synonymous with the community so I took the initiative to reach out to her and see what kind of knowledge I could soak from her.  I spent the top of my week going over the new computer software that will later be my best friend. The database for all the homes in the community, the pay scale, dynamics of the community, common questions, etc.

Most importantly she gave me supplies and decorations for a HUGE Realtor event that was 2 days away. I had never gone to this event, nor hosted one. So now the crunch was on! I not only had to decorate the model home office, but figure out a theme, make sure Realtors now knew that my neighborhood was on the line up of homes available to visit, and make myself aware of the companies protocol! Oh yeah, I would be meeting the all of the Company's employees, the ones that "cut the check".

I was hired by the community, not by the company. So this event would be my version of a “Quinceañera", my coming out party to all the people that mattered. If that’s not nerve wrecking, I don’t know what is!

I was not totally blinded by the event; I had actually been assisting another agent in her event. Suggesting a theme and coordinating our outfits was as far as I had gone.

We decided on a 1970's theme!

So for my neighborhood I had miscellaneous Halloween favors, black garbage bags (to darken the windows) and a 1970s outfit!



I did what I learned in this business, I got to work, and called on my family for additional hands! My 16 year old sister and I spent the night putting spider webs over chairs and tables, running back and forth to Walmart and listeing to "This American Life" while working to pull a common theme out of the hosh posh of things, which we did not.

** I’m focusing on the theme of the event because it is VERY important. Other agents start to formulate a theme months in advance for good reason, other than the small prize for the best decorated model home. The main focus on the event is to get Realtors to come out to the models (by free prizes, free certificates, free foods, free treats and decorated homes) to see the new inventory so WHEN they encounter a future client they remember the home they visited that "the girl that was dressed as Foxy Cleopatra had 2 homes that were priced at $220,000 and $235,00, all brick around 2500 sq ft!"  Get the idea???

Needless to say, I "Git-R-Done!”. By Friday morning I was dressed 2 hours early and only needed to grab a 24 pack of water to put in the model home. When I got to model to start the event at 9:30am it was a different story. I was SLAMMED, with Realtors rushing in, and doing what I knew would happen. Asking how to get the prizes!  So for 4 hours it was nonstop traffic, in groups, it was an experience to say the least. A look into what I can hopefully expect working with this company and my career in general. A busy Realtor doesn’t always equal a prosperous one, but there are better odds!

So this week is a busy one for me, more so in the behind the scenes work.

I’ve recently attempted new marketing strategies, if any of them work I’m sure ill be the first to blog it!

 

-Premature Millionaire

In 2 minutes I have become a blogger!

I suppose to some people this could feel weird, but not to me. I’m an avid Twitterer (I wonder if that’s a word) its described as "mini-blogging" and its my addiction. Also I saw Julia and Julie (I’m obsessed with Meryl Streep) and Julia seemed to really enjoy sharing her life with strangers, why not me!?

I’m trying to figure out my direction with this blog... I really don’t know what to do, because I’ve never actually read a "real" blog. I’m really good at winging it so that’s the premise I guess.


By the Way: that was the disclaimer!

Today I walked into the weekly sales meeting, apprehensive, to say the least. Being the only 20 year old black girl in Real Estate functions is something im used to. That bothered me the first 6 months, now its my "role",  i sit quietly, nod my head approvingly and make corny jokes on my way out. Today was different though, it was my FIRST sales meeting with my new company. Out of 15 people, I knew 4. Better than zero.

I’ve just inherited a neighborhood in an established community, and if you know real estate you know new neighborhoods can be a cash cow of sorts.

Notice I didn’t say new, of course its "new" to me, much like clothes from a consignment shop. The neighborhood is nice of course in the low 200s to 270s, All brick may I add. Essentially this should be a jewel to sell, but there’s ONE problem. It sits behind another neighborhood that’s in the same community. This "other" neighborhood is composed of mostly vinyl homes which can deter a potential buyer. So its my job to get people past that dilemma and onto one that I refer to as "under-writing", the killer of all killers.

This is the state I’m currently at. My long time mentor, and surrogate mother in many cases, just stopped by to wish me good luck and success, and a few tips on getting past this milestone. So I suppose this blog will track how well my progress goes, and also serve as motivation for the days that it seems hopeless. A reminder that "this" position is what SUCCESS feels like.

So I suppose whoever decides to check in with this will somehow find encouragement through my mishaps and incorrect punctuations.

I’m not certain how blogging etiquette or rules go but I don’t want to be too long winded and scare off lazy people, so Ill stop here.

It would be funny if no one read this, on second thought-it wouldn’t be!

P.S. Ira Glass’ voice seems to do something with the creative side of my brain.





-Premature Millionaire