Tag: real estate

Vocation

“We do this not because it is easy. We do this because we thought it would be easy.”

The picture in a high school gymnasium of these words on a banner came across my feed, posted by “Real Estate Humor,” and I easily caught the levity in it, though a fresh realtor having begun only a month earlier. Truthfully, I began to understand that this could apply to a number of endeavors, as I have begun to learn especially with this industry. Few professions are precisely as you imagined them and are often not the “never work a day in your life” dream jobs you perceived, though they still, if you choose the right perspective, can be an authentic joy to perform.

The perception of the suave realtor rolling up in the pricey convertible, making the deal and collecting the bankroll, then heading out to happy hour every evening — I have yet to run into anyone who has succeeded in this business who resembles anything close to this image. The fact is, those who have remained in it, even for the roller-coaster markets, while they may have spared no expense for the eye-catching headshot, these folks, let me tell you, are no slouches. If you’re the introverted type, even more so. Anybody who’s good at this, just like anyone in any chosen profession, you don’t get good at without plenty of practice.  

I’m not a salesman. This much I know. Fortunately, I’ve had the fortune of landing in a brokerage, thanks to a friend, which isn’t primarily interested in treating people first like sales prospects but like, well, people.  

It’s a bit of a surprise to me, if I’m honest, but equally refreshing to know that I can put aside artifice or inauthenticity and just be a human being. Maybe I’m too green to feel jaded yet, but I hope not. There’s something attractively gospel-centric about this approach, and I hope that remains the case no matter the duration.

The hat in the picture will soon be a part of my semi-daily dress. And I hope you will ask, but only if you want to hear about it. If not, let’s just have a conversation about whatever, and share a relationship. And when you’re ready to get a little help with a home, I’ll be happy to do just that — help. 

After all, that’s all any of us should aspire to do in our respective vocations.

Transition

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

At 15 years of age, I would have answered that I wanted to work with aircraft in some form or fashion. I was fascinated with the vehicles associated with flight, specifically of the military variety, but my inherited poor vision shot down any chance of piloting. Aerospace engineering as a career came to my attention as a sophomore, and I might have pursued it full-throttle, had not our family’s life changed dramatically at the close of the school year, when we all moved to post-Soviet Ukraine in 1992. At some point following our sojourn, which lasted a year, I abandoned this passion almost imperceptibly as it gave way to other interests over the years to come.

I have never been one of the rare, seemingly fortunate souls who knew for as long as they could remember what they were put on this earth to do, though I’ve met a few in my nearly 50 years, but only a few. It may be why I’ve learned to place little stock in 5, 10, or 20 year projections about where one might end up in life. I certainly couldn’t have predicted my own path, either personal or professional, but I’m convinced where we end up, by God’s providence, is often far more interesting than whatever we might have imagined for ourselves.

After graduating college with a degree in Christian Studies with an emphasis in Greek and Hebrew, serving a satisfying 18-year career as a public librarian instead of in ministry or religious education, followed by a 2 1/2 year hiatus from the professional world to manage house and home, I’m a single state exam away from receiving a license to practice real estate agency in Texas.

This isn’t a logically linear path that, to me, makes any sense traced out on paper, yet here we are. I’m excited for both the transition and the challenge that awaits, though I admit I have to pass the test first, of course. Nevertheless, how interesting life is! It’s good counsel for my own kids on the cusp of venturing out on their own — do your best wherever you find yourself, and neither despair nor panic if “wherever” is far from what you planned or expected.

In any event, soon enough, I hope to transition from helping you find information to helping you find (or sell) a home. When (or if) that time comes, feel free to look me up.