What's It Like Being A Realtor?

Hi Everyone,

   Hope you had a great weekend, and welcome back!

   Today we are going to talk about Realtors, and we are going to hear from a few different Realtors about what they like and dislike about being a Realtor. As Alexis V. Halmy, a Principal Broker with Windermere, says, "Realtors are generally creative people who wear lot of hats... psychologist, decorator, organization guru, expert negotiator" and that, "there are all of the details of running a business...marketing, networking, systems, finance etc... So each day is different and there are new problems to solve all the time." Halmy says that basically, "a Realtors job is to protect their clients and also themselves from those murky waters."

   Halmy says that she likes to really, nail it for someone who is searching for the right thing, as well as being self employed, having a flexible schedule, with nobody to answer to but herself, and no corporate politics.

   Charles D'Alessandro, a Realtor with Fillmore Real Estate, also says that he loves working for himself, and as he says, he is, "Working for the toughest boss I could find, Me!". D'Alessandro also says that he loves when , "a deal is made ,buyers and sellers come together ,and it's all due to my efforts." Similarly, Laura Breitenstein, a Certified Short Sale Professional with Hermann London Group, says that she enjoys, "meeting new people and coming up with ideas on how to creatively market and sell their homes.", and also likes helping buyers find their next home (as she describes it, "It is really fun watching a buyer walk into a home and say "this is it" and they start figuring out where their furniture will go.").

   Patrizia Giassa, an Associate Broker with Keller Williams Realty Premier Properties, says that her favorite part of the job "is the constant challenge of dealing with different people with varying needs and wants and budgets and helping them meet their home goals.", and she says, "over the last 23 years, it has NEVER been boring! It still is fun and exciting ...a good thing, because its a lot of hard work and long hours too. :-)"

   Nancy Lynn Jarvis, a long-time Realtor, says that she got her license over 20 years ago, and she say that the job was interesting, and that, "you learn something new with every transaction.", and, "You meet great people, and awful people. Over time, hopefully you hone your people reading skills so you can tell the difference quickly and cut the unpleasant ones ( never to be confused with demanding ones) loose. You make some good friends along the way, too."

   Now, what would be a story without both Pros and Cons? One of the Cons that Halmy points out is, "Finding out something awful about a house someone is buying.... like a river of water running in the crawl space, or some other material issue that makes the buyer run. (And that can mean the loss of an anticipated commission which can be tough.)". She says that, "In this market what is hard is dealing with the frustrations of sellers who are trying to get their homes sold. They know it is a "buyers" market, they know that prices have dropped but they won't or can't adjust the price of their home to meet the market, despite all data saying that this is exactly what they need to do."

   Interestingly enough, D'Alessandro says that the thing he likes the least is, "watching what's happening with the mindset of many home owners today. They're solely focused on the monetary value of their homes and treat them more like credit cards. Instead, they should remember that their homes are their safe havens from the world, the place where they create memories, and a roof over their heads."

   Jarvis tells me that when the market, "tanked in 2008", she decided to, "sit it out for a while knowing how unpleasant a work environment it would become in the next year.", and ultimately, she says that she, "got bored very quickly and as a time filling intellectual exercise, I began writing mysteries with a Realtor protagonist and used some of the many stories I collected in real estate as background material." Jarvis says that she now has, "three books published and am writing the fourth, and that, "Killing people, it turns out, is even more fun than selling houses."

   Are You a Realtor? What are your thoughts in terms of Pros and Cons ?

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Website http://www.lease2buy.com

TAGS: #realtor #realestate #shortsale