What I love about real estate
In challenging times, it helps to remind ourselves why we love this job. Focusing on the negative is easy, so let's switch our mindset and take a moment to appreciate the good aspects of being in real estate.
The People
By this, I mean our colleagues. They might be slightly crazy, emotionally unstable and sometimes downright sneaky. But put yourself in a room of real estate agents and I can assure you of one thing - you'll never be bored. The parties are pretty fun, too.
Save me from the rat race!
During my toughest moments in real estate, I found it worthwhile to purposely go and sit on a jam-packed morning bus or train with all the 8am - 5pm workers heading into the City, readying themselves to go and stare at a computer for 8 hours straight, hoping for one small pay-rise a year. Experiencing that saddening commute is always enough to get me back on the positivity horse, ready to do whatever it takes to succeed in real estate.
It's the easiest way to run your own business.
We don't have to hold any stock, we never have to wait for our invoices to be paid, we usually don't need to supply our own office, and lawyers handle most of the paperwork. Oh, and it costs almost nothing to get started. What's not to like?
Housing never goes out of style
There is always demand for property, even in a flat market. And pretty much everyone you'll ever meet is a potential client (or referrer). It's hard to find any business with more dependable levels of supply and demand. If you embrace an abundance mentality, you'll see opportunity everywhere you look.
We control the outcome
I got into real estate in my early 20's, after flunking out of university. In what other legal industry could that young dude (within a few years) earn more than the Prime Minister with no formal qualifications to speak of? While still having the freedom to take overseas holidays, party with my mates on the weekend and take days off whenever I felt like it.
It's a cliche thing to say 'your income is unlimited' and we know that's misleading. A career in real estate is a crap-tonne of work, especially if you're good at it. Our income is limited by our capacity for stress, the systems we put in place, the opportunity in our marketplace and the team we surround ourselves with. At the same time, that opportunity is still immense. Especially if you commit to a proven process, creating a machine that generates listing opportunities.
We can change our situation
If I take one of those City jobs, staring at a computer all day, I'll have a safe, reliable income, but I'll never be able to improve my station that much. I can work as hard as I possibly want but I'll likely be stuck in a corporate hierarchy, having to switch companies repeatedly to find more than a 3% pay-rise once a year.
For as long as I can remember - I wanted a faster path up the ladder than any 9-5 could give me. I wanted a role where I could directly influence the outcome, where I had the earning potential to build the life of my dreams.
Few other careers can give you that opportunity with so little risk.
Content Club - Styling your home on a budget
Great info for anyone on your database who is quietly thinking about selling in Spring. Once you send it - check if your email program has an open-tracking feature. This allows you to check who opened your email and it's an ideal way to spot past clients who might be thinking about making a move.
Andrew Duncan
For local owners, or past appraisals who opened your email, you could follow up with a simple phone call script:
"Hi John, I was thinking of you recently and realised it's been quite some time since we last spoke. So I figured it was time I checked in. How is everything going?"
Agent Advice - How to achieve financial freedom selling real estate
I've been talking a lot about knowing your why recently. Reflecting on your motivation for getting into real estate in the first place helps you find the strength to persevere when the going gets tough.
For me, the motivation was always financial freedom. Having the foundation in place to live an intentional life with complete independence.
Note: This is available as a written guide or podcast.
Andrew Duncan
That's all for today. If you need inspiration and direction for the week ahead, check out the 'kickstart your prospecting' action list we posted a few weeks ago.
Remember - this time of year is critical. There are sellers in your marketplace who are getting ready to sell right now, who haven't selected an agent. What are you going to do to make sure your name is on the shopping list?
Have an epic week,
Andrew Duncan
Founder, Agent Monday
PS. Are you interested in personal coaching for you or your team? Use this link to book a free discovery call.
