BEST OF - My Story Part 4
Today, I continue to share the story of my real estate journey from the years I held W-2 jobs, through getting my license and becoming a Realtor. In the past few episodes, you’ve heard how I lost my last W-2 job and the mental breakdown that followed, along with the incredible support I received from the people around me. I was able to get through that dark time, but there was the lull of not being able to find another job. It was this lull that led me to getting my real estate license. Today we’re going to talk about new life—not only had I finally finished getting licensed on August 28, 2019, but our son was born a few days later on September 2nd. It was a wonderful, stressful time, trying to figure out how to juggle working my real estate business, Valerie going back to work, and our new baby. I think it prepared me for the stress and changes that can come with being a Realtor because so much happens at the same time in real estate as well—and you just have to handle whatever comes your way. I was trying anything I could to do the real estate work and get my name out there, while also helping with my son at home. New life was a theme for this season of our life—new opportunities and beginnings. That’s how we closed out 2019. So, I was busy interacting with people and telling them about my real estate business, learning to be natural and not a pushy salesman about it. Once you get licensed, you don’t start making money right away. At home we were trying to get into a routine, my son wasn’t sleeping well. I tried to support my wife during her 10-12 weeks of maternity leave. When she went back to work, it was a big adjustment. I learned that if you’re going to have success in real estate, you have to figure out how to get work done around things. Even if you only have a 15-minute break, get stuff done—emails, calls. I worked while he rested, while I was feeding him, or while he was playing quietly—getting podcasts done or connections with clients or other Realtors. Watching my son at home really helped me learn the importance of using my time wisely. When you’re a new Realtor, you’re not going to have success in the beginning. I didn’t have any settlements until April of 2020, but I learned to use the relationships and connections you make to tell everyone about real estate. I could build relationships with people and let them know I was in real estate. I still do that in my business today. I reached out on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., to connect to people. A friend reached out to me from Wisconsin as a joke and asked if I could help her buy a home out there—I was actually able to say yes, because when you’re a Realtor, you can refer to any Realtor across the country and get 25% of the commission. I ended up making a connection and a thousand dollars. Some of those early conversations paid dividends later, but I had to be patient. Whether you have a new child, or start a new business, it takes time—like riding a bike. Just like with a child, you are trying to grow and mature your real estate business and keep it alive. It was definitely a journey and those first couple of months were tough. I just continued trying to create and build relationships with people. As a person of faith, I think about resurrection and new life. There’s this great line in the song, Dare You to Move from Switchfoot that says, “Maybe redemption has stories to tell. Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell,” and I think the lesson is that there’s always a chance at redemption. In real estate, there is always a chance at success, a chance to grow and develop—you just have to find it and create success with it. On the next episode, we’ll talk more about connecting to my first client and how things went from there. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, we would appreciate it if you'd leave us a review on iTunes. It helps others discover the show. Thank you so much, and we will see you on the...
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