A Day in the Life of a Realtor
As a realtor, I wear many different hats. Every day is different and I love it! Most times when people find out that I’m a realtor, they say things to me like, “I love decorating houses,” or “Looking at houses is so much fun. I want to become a real estate agent, too.” While those can be fun parts of my business, it’s those very conversations that have inspired me to tell you about a typical day for an agent and share with you what being a realtor is really all about.
In a nutshell, real estate agents assist people with buying and selling homes, land and other properties like commercial buildings. They can assist with rental properties as well. Daily, agents are tasked with a multitude of responsibilities from marketing to open houses to property closings and every day is unique. Despite the variation of day-to-day tasks, we must consistently stay on top of real estate laws, ethics and trends to assure that we are serving our clients the best way possible.
Being a success…
To be successful in selling real estate, you must invest the time, sweat equity and money – yes, it takes money to make money in this business. A business plan is key and having written goals every six to twelve months is essential and helps to keep you on the right track.
The many hats…
The Legal Hat
While we aren’t lawyers, we are contract negotiators. We must understand written contracts – what they mean to both the buyer and the seller and how they work, all while keeping in mind that they vary from state to state with different addenda and language depending on the county, jurisdiction or even neighborhood, you are selling or buying in. We must constantly be up on all the new addendums, paperwork and requirements for both the buyers and the sellers in each area we are licensed in.
The Marketing Hat
We are also marketers for the properties and ourselves. While we are trying to get our listings out there and make them as attractive as we can, we are also selling ourselves. As an agent, every time you answer the phone to a prospective seller or buyer it’s a job interview and you should be likeable, knowledgeable and trustworthy. Both buyers and sellers are confiding in you to do what’s in their best interest considering the result of buying or selling a home will impact them for many years to come.
The Psychology Hat
A lot of being a realtor is psychology. You work with different types of people and support people who are in very different stages in their life. From first time home buyers who are just excited to get a house to people who are downsizing and experiencing all the emotions that are wrapped into selling the house they raised their children in and may have lived in for 30 years or more. There are also young families that need to up-size and consider school districts in their decision-making process. Every client has their own story and their own stressors; job transfer, divorce, growing family. You are a chameleon of sorts and change yourself to better accommodate, empathize and support whomever your clients are on any given day.
The Lifelong Resource
After the sale, it’s all about keeping in touch with your clients so they know they can always come to you for information about the area, referrals to local businesses like doctors and contractors, and obviously anything related to real estate.
So much going on around you.
It’s a 7 day a week job and there are no set office hours. Your day could be running from appointment to appointment, writing contracts, updating paperwork, answering phone calls, returning emails; most days are a little of everything. In order to keep things straight and stay efficient, organization is key. Especially when you are dealing with contracts and transactions that are in different stages. You may be driving one client around to look at houses, while you may be negotiating what has come up in a home inspection for another client. While for another client, you may be meeting with an appraiser and talking price to make sure it appraises for the bank. Still another client may be just getting ready to list their home and you are over there helping them stage. When you can do all of that in a day’s work and go to bed at night loving what you do for a living, then you know you’re cut out to be a realtor.
The bottom line.
Real estate is a very rewarding career! While not for the faint of heart, the benefits of helping others find their happily ever after is incredibly satisfying.
Posted in Buyers, Sellers