Hi :) I have a few questions for all you RE Agents out there :)

I was wondering why you personally got into real estate? If you could do it again, would you? Why or why not? What is the best thing about being in the real estate business?

I LOVE IT.

I love houses, I love property, I love the process of getting listings, marketing them and then finding buyers.

Yes, I would do it again!

The best thing about the business? The entertainment factor - never a dull moment, and the fact that I can drive around seeing some of the most beautiful land in the state, and call it "work."

Of course with the crazy gas prices I don't drive around as much as I'd like...

I'm seriously not in it for the money - but the money is nice when I make it. I got into it both because I just WANTED to do it, and because I want to start building up a collection of investment property. Haven't done that yet but will.

You might find it helpful to look at a Thread entitled:

Making it to five years and beyond as an agent

from just a few months ago. I think the responses there will still be representative of today; at least mine are.

Hmmm, I seem to be having trouble finding this thread. Can you paste the URL possibly?

It started 4/23/08; and

http://www.agentsonline.net/forums/ubbth...html#Post221912

should get you there.

To love houses and people is a not a good reason to become a Realtor, because after few years in the business you will not love neither of them lol:-) I personally started because I like to compete, I like challenges and this business never allow me to get bored. RE business gives me freedom and independency, I could work like a horse, but I am flexible with my time and can take day off or vacation almost any time I want.

Sorry, Viktor - maybe it's not enough of a reason for you, but it was for me.

For me I love INVESTING....

I love finding the deal before the next person...

I enjoy working with my clients in more of a business environment such as 9 to 5 with no weekends. I did weekends and nights with my other businesses previously and made a life committment that I never wanted that again.

So far it's been awesome!

Super Realtor - does this mean you only use your license to purchase investment property? just wondering how you are getting around the weekends?

I do investing along with commercial property. Business owners and investors and developers conduct business Monday through Friday 9 to 5. The only exception is a time sensitive issue with which you occasionally do some work on the weekends. I also list REO properties for banks. They are vacant and the buyers agents show them on the weekend while I take it off.

I would never do regular residential listings as I don't want the hours.If you build up to a top producer you can have staff and buyers agents handle the weekends duties but that is not the business I want. There are hundreds of ways to conduct your RE business. As long as you enjoy RE it comes down to what part of it you want to specialize in that meets your goals.

Pick one:
1. More millionaires have been made in real estate than in any other industy.

2. I want to be an investor but I can't qualify for financing yet.

3. I'm sick of call center work.

4. My mantra is work smarter not harder.

5. Little investment in relation to a high profit potential.

6. It's my legacy. My maternal great grandmother is a minorty and lived in the deep south and lived comfortably since the 1940's even until death at 90 yrs. of age as a property owner/investor and her husband (great grand father was a Mason/small business owner). Also, the same with my paternal grand mother.

I love people. I love helping people with things they cannot do (or think they cannot do) for themselves. I enjoy the constant change and challenges invloved. I hoped to make enough money to feed my family, and am doing so. And I was lead to this business...
Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY!!! The thing I would change, however, is that I should have gone out on my own a few years sooner than I have. I learned a lot from my first broker, but I think I have learned more in the short time on my own, and I like it!
I watch all the newbie agents jumping into a big franchised office and getting disillusioned, so I recommend agents start with an independent, smaller brokerage with more personal attention. I think it makes a lot of difference...

Well, I have 3 reasons why I wanted to get into real estate.

1.) I was actually inspired a few years ago when I first went house-shopping with my parents. The agent took us around so many different houses. I love the thrill of being able to just go into a random house and seeing how it differs from the other houses in the neighborhood. Everytime we arrived at a new house, it was like a new surprise was hidden behind the front door and you just wanted to see what was inside, and how people live.

2.) I love the fact that real estate agents are independent contractors (is that the right term?) and are able to set their own schedule/goals/plans. I think it really helps because whenever you come across a challenge, you would face it yourself and sometimes your solution is more effective than the one given to you by someone else. I don't know if this makes any sense.

3.) I was also motivated by this one real estate agent who sold our house when I was younger. We gave the listing to her and once we signed the agreement, she pretty much did nothing in terms of marketing and just left the house there on the MLS until a magical unicorn came by. I was really motivated by her that I could do better if I was capable of selling the house. Oh, and she took horrible pictures of our house, so I was motivated by that too.

LOL

The first time I got my license was because I thought there might be more to life than sitting in a law office from 9 to 5 with my face buried in volumes of law books. I was a paralegal for many years before I got my license in 1980. I too was motivated by the fact that I had seen how alot of other Realtors performed, and they were just plain lazy or they didn't know things about their business that they should have. I thought with my law background, that I could represent and educate my clients much better and I was accustomed to doing that without giving legal advice.

The second time I got my license was in another State. I really did not want it, but my husband insisted that I go for it. So in essence, I didn't want it, it got me. And here I am 14 years later.