REAL ESTATE...ROLLER COASTER, MERRY-GO-ROUND, or BOTH? Some time ago (back in January) I read a post by Loreena Yeo. Now if you are a subscriber to Loreena and have read many of her posts as I have you will realize what an organized, competent professional she is.
In that post Loreena told us how she was searching for her sanity. Sound familiar? Have you been there? There sure have been times I was. However, there are some members that give you the feeling that they are composed and on top of their tasks unlike the rest of us. I said "feeling that they are" because I have been in the business for enough years to know that it can not be true 100% of the time.
Why not? Is it that real estate is a mix of being on a roller coaster and a merry-go-round? You are running around with too much business one minute and not enough the next minute. While other times we are going in circles doing some tasks such as showing the same clients the same type homes over and over again. It's what they want but they are reluctant to commit.
No matter how hard we try to keep things at a more even keel real estate is a business that has its own rhythm, its own beat. As much as we may like being in "control" there is just so much control that we can exert over others. We cannot push buyers into buying and we should never even try. We cannot force owners to list their homes with us nor should we try to.
Unlike the rides at the fair, sometimes it seems as though our rides will never end. The roller coaster is nonstop and the merry-go-round becomes part of our day to day existence.
So if you feel overwhelmed at times, and underwhelmed with the amount of business you have, please do not feel that you are alone. Many, many of us go through these ups and downs right along with you. Accept that real estate is a ride...fun and exciting but it can make you feel queasy at times.
Do I want to get off? No. Real Estate is too exhilarating...that is, if you like challenges. Luckily I do. Hope you like what you do too.
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Kate - This is completely off topic. Do you know how I found your post? Google Alerts alerted me. We know Google juice keeps flowing on AR, right?
Sanity? I'm not even sure what's that anymore. I just keep doing what I'm called to do: to serve with a very big, big heart.
Kate. One of the things I like about our job is the fact that it is ever changing. Ever changing buyers and sellers. It keeps life very interesting.
Kate: A great way to get the message out about our changing industry.....we've had the double dip here so I guess we are more like the roller coaster right now!!!
My vote goes to "Hubble kaleidoscope." The power to see reaches of the Real Estate universe we never knew existed married to a bad LSD trip. Who knows what is real and what is imagined beyond this refracted glass anymore.
Happy Easter, Kate.
Kate--This is a very accurate description of real estate. Guess there are a lot of us who love it! At least here at ActiveRain.
Happy Easter from the 'Easter Bunny Dude' & flowers from Mary
Hi Kate,
I didn't see your original blog of this, so I really need to thank both you for the original blog and Mary for re-blogging. Its true that you really need to love a challenge and love this work to keep doing it. Just last night I was thinking how much I used to like see-saws at the park, and how this business might be changing that, but then I reminded myself that I enjoy the challenge and the ups and downs of this business. Have a great Easter!
Hi Kate, I missed you post and thanks to Mary Yonkers for re-blogging it, I found you. We are certainly in an Up and Down business.
Hi Loreena...I thought that might happen. I wanted you to know that so many of us have times we think the same things you did. This profession is not for the faint of heart.
Kate
Hi Belinda...It certainly does have variety and that's why many of us find it so interesting. I know I do.
Kate
Hi Jane...Yes, California has been hit twice but hopefully that's it. Are you finding any signs of an uptick?
Kate
Hi Paul...What a nice surprise to hear from you. I subscribe to your "other" blog so I am able to continue reading your writings. You are not a blogger...you are a writer!
Wishing you and your family a Happy Easter too.
Kate
Hi Mary...From now on, you are my Easter Chick. How's that?
Thank you for the flowers.
Kate
Hi Lucille...A see-saw is very appropriate as well. Sometimes you feel like you are up in the air and the one on the other end jumped off. Oh well. we're resilient and we always manage to get back on for another ride.
Kate
Hi Jerry...Luckly we usually have more ups than downs and that's what keeps us loving this career. Thanks for coming by.
Kate
Kate - well said. This is not for the faint of heart. It is crazy and wild but rewarding at the end of the day.
Kate- There is a way to stop the roller coaster ride and have a more steady business. Well, actually there are a few ways. One way it to own a brokerage and hire agents. J Paul Getty once said, I would rather have 10% of the efforts of others than 100% of my own efforts.
The second way is to delegate many tasks that you can pay someone $7, 8, 9, 10, 12, or even $15 an hour to do. The main reason for the ups and downs is that once your pipeline is filled, you can not go get new people in the pipeline because you have to attend the tasks at hand with those you currently are working with. THe first step is to hire a closing coordinator who only gets paid when the closing happens. THis way, there is no upfront expense. IN order to grow a business to become profitable we need to delegate more. This is the true way to create not just wealth but also time. Katerina
I'm trying to find something to augment my closings - the roller-coaster is way too unstable for me to pay my bills.
It really is a difficut! Every seller has to come to grips with realty. Good luck to you!
Hi Kate - I enjoyed your blog. One of the many things I enjoy about real estate is working with young people who are just starting out. I love their energy, and I love it when they share their dreams with me. And the satisfaction that comes when you help them buy their dream home is beyond compare. Happy Easter.
I think I have a little of both right now with trying to get a couple deals together and going round and round and the times you are real high and the moments you dart low...seems like every day these happen.
Hi Kate
It's absolutely right! Thank you so much for this post. You described what I feel and I think many of us do, so well. I had logged out of AR when I discovered your post. So, I cannot go to sleep without thanking you. Great way of describing and comparing our experiences and feelings. I fell much better knowing that I'm not "ridding alone."
Hi Kate....nice post.....I think the team concept works well to eliminate the roller coaster scenario....one person can't do it all, just as Katerina stated...
Kate, this is how it seems sometimes. Yet, with this double dip, if investors will take action, this is a great time to invest in real estate.
Whether is a roller coaster or a merry go around. . someone has to be at the controls. . . I want to be that person.
Kate - this is so true. We really have to be tough to last or want to last in this business. And, the funny thing is - we love it!
I saw this on Mary's site and came here from there. I love your pictures.
Kate -- The ups and downs and sometimes never ending circles go with the territory. Understanding and handling that is part of being successful.
I just paid my fare to ride the roller coaster, I'm in my seat, and we're just starting the slow chug up the first incline.... I haven't hit any of the exciting loops yet, nor the downhill trends, but I haven't reached any heights yet either. I'm with Ruthmarie (#18) - I think I need to start looking for something to augment my realtor income as well!
Thanks for the post.
Congratulations on Featured Post!!!!! Fantastic analogy!
Thanks for the new designation as the 'Easter Chick.' I am glad that my grandson introduced me to the 'Easter Bunny Dude' in the movie HOP.
Hope you had a wonderful Easter.
Kate, I remember when I first got my license, I asked the managing broker of this was always like a roller coaster ride, she said, "yep, I hope you like roller coasters, enjoy the ride"
Well I must say there is never a dull moment in this business thats for sure. :0) Great post and analogy. One of the hardest parts of this business is to get off the roller coaster ride. LOL
Some days I feel like I just cannot concentrate on one task... I am all over the place like today. Putting out one fire after another... I guess that's a merry go round.
I loved this Kate! Our profession has it's own beat! It's beating me to a pulp! lol.......
Congrats on the feature pretty lady. I am in complete agreement that this business can be crazy or deadly dull and both instances are stress producing. When you are crazy busy you are at your wits end trying to get it all done and prospecting does fall by the wayside. Then, all of a sudden, all closings are completed and it's deadly quiet and that is stressful because taxes are now due on all the money you made while you are busy and now the phone has stopped ringing! Ahhhhh!
Hi Mike...That's absolutely the truth and yet it's such a great profession.
Kate
Hi Katrina...Thanks so much for your suggestions. Having a brokerage has never been of interest to me. I have had my fill of management positions so that has no appeal. I have great support so it is not a problem of delegating.
Don't you ever find that you have more listings at one time than you might have at another time? Perhaps the same with buyers? Actually it is more the time with buyers. It's hard when you have two or three different buyers wanting to spend the same day looking at property.
That's why it seems like a roller coaster or merry-go-round.
Kate
The highs and lows and the round arounds. YUP, you nailed it. The fast stops are jarring, and right when you think the roller coaster is going to come to a smooth stop, someone hits the fast switch and off we go again.
Kate:
It is so true that our job as agents is never smooth. Almost every transaction I have participated in had at one point gone sideways. That when you yell and scream and kick the cat(not really) and get the frustration out of your system. Then you can go back to the problem and find ways to solve it. We all deserve a little time to vent.
Kate You really tell it like it is in the real estate business - it requires more patience and expertise than most people realize