When I Was a Realtor: An Interview

I am part of the 87% of Real Estate Agents that fail. This statement makes smile because failure means I am doing something right. Failure is the fire that lights the lamps on the road toward success. Failure is a part of the process of success.

How did you get into the business? My half-sister is a real estate broker in Southwest Atlanta. I returned from college with no prospects of a job and she offered to hire me as a part-time administrator. After six-months, I decided to obtain my real estate license and the rest is history.

What were your initial goals? Initially, my goal was to be the most authentic real estate agent any Buyer or Seller had ever met. I intended to be an inviting presence that did not exude the facade of business stiffness. I started a YouTube channel to showcase my personality and interests. I believe everything is about developing relationship. Real estate sales was never about the money for me. The shark mentality was not in my nature, possibly contributing to my burn out.

What was sales like for you? I remember my very first solo client was a young African American woman who wanted to build her dream house on a dime. She landed on pursuing a fixer-upper on an auction site. I have never jumped through so many hoops in my life to reach an end goal. From down payment assistance woes to non-communicative transaction team members, it was genuinely a miracle that I survived. I experienced the highest levels of anxiety for months because I was so afraid to fail. Thankfully, she closed. Real estate sales was a roller coaster ride of uncertainty and instability for me. It was often said, “You aren't closed until you have the check in your hand.” Most of time, it felt like free, yet costly labor.

Do you have any funny client stories? I went on a home tour with one of my co-clients and by the end of the tour she found the house she wanted. After checking out the premises a few times, she decided to call her best friend, who happened to be a client of mine about six months prior, to come see the property. I forgot the alarm code to re-enter. Long story short, the alarm rang repeatedly and the police were called. I was so scared. Thankfully, it was a young African American female officer. After explaining my role in this non-burglary, she mentioned she was seeking to purchase and I gave her my card. She never called.

What made you stop practicing? High anxiety and uncertainty of closing was not a good combination for me because I was living off so little, financially, at the time. I wish someone would have told me the front end costs of becoming a real estate agent before I began, but I learned so many lessons during my time as an agent. I learned to slow down, the importance of asking for help, and thankfully, every industry has niches. I found mine is graphic design and content marketing.