I just got a follow up email from a super nice Realtor that showed my listing. She was peeved because the “client” decided not to use her anymore because the “client’s” mother just decided to get her real estate license. The worse thing about it is that this realtor has been showing houses to these people for 14 months. As a realtor for 25 years, I am used to this. Sometimes you work for months trusting that people will remain loyal and then bam they go off with someone else.
The lesson learned as a realtor is to get an exclusive buyer’s agency when working with a buyer. In my case last week, it was a matter of respect for another fellow realtor. My clients wanted to remain loyal. One of the reasons I am hesitant to work full time in real estate again is the yo-yo syndrome. In this Miami market of short sales and foreclosures, anything can go haywire after working hundreds of hours on a deal.
I know that it will take hundreds or perhaps thousands of hours to chase my dreams. But perhaps, those thousands of hours will feel like nothing if it is something that I am passionate about doing. Time then becomes irrelevant. The hopeful end result is that one can sustain themselves from that dream.
I have an idea of how I can do this. But I also know the statistics of being a successful author are slim. And then there’s all that marketing that goes into it. Almost 100% of my real estate deals came from my sphere of influence. I didn’t do the traditional marketing. Now going into a whole new field that I am not so familiar with feels like a big gamble. But my heart keeps pulling me there for some crazy reason.
I don’t know what whacked me in the head on December 15, 2002 at the point of impact when I went unconscious in my car accident. What I do know is that I finally unleashed my creativity. I became more alive after that. Before, I was this do gooder left brainer… a doer with zilch use of my creativity. Though I must admit that I used to get very happy when I was able to find a client the best home for them. It gave me great satisfaction.
The problem now is that I can’t hustle and pound the pavement like I used to. It is not that I don’t have energy. It’s my ankle that can’t. After two surgeries, I am being cautious so I can extend time and avoid having to have an ankle replacement. Writing requires sitting quietly. It’s the complete opposite of showing properties all day. I thought that being a foreclosure realtor would be easier, because most of the properties are vacant and on lockbox. But then there’s that shady and mafia side to that business. Shady and mafia do not equal heart.
I only will accept anything that is real, authentic and from the heart with loyalty and respect. Otherwise, I don’t want to be a part of it. That is my stance and I am staying firm on it with my thoughts and actions. I am going to trust that I can sustain myself with any type of income that comes from this source. Period. There is no other option any more. No more pounding pavements. I’m flying now.
So for all fellow hard working Realtors that live on yo-yo syndrome, or any similar type of business, this is for you. I am paying a big price for having not lived in control of my life in the past. Here is a picture of my ankle after my first surgery to prove it (hip and wrist were also reconstructed). It was very, very painful. I know that doing anything with my heart 100% will compensate for all that pain. I step forward with my less than perfect ankle with my commitment to myself in this way. There is no other option anymore.
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