I started in the business at 23, that was 11 years ago. My mother had already been in the biz for 10 years. After 5 yrs of retail mgmt, I got in trouble for "selling too much and making others look bad" and I should "share my sales with others". My mother told me I would never hear those words in real estate, so the next day I gave my notice. Got my license and a month later, when my folks went out of town for their 25th anniversary, I put together over $1million in sales. I worked 16 hours a day for the entire 7 days they were gone. Even after growing up in the biz, I had no clue what I was doing. I was writing up offers and didn't know what went in the blanks. I kept excusing myself and went in the back and dug through old files to find examples. Most of the offers were written at night, when my manager was gone for the day. Most of it's a blur, but a shining point in my career. It was a real estate cliche for sure! "Hey, this is fun and easy!". Makes the old timers want to spit. Actually, it was NOT fun and easy, I was scared. Had my first closing that week and ended up chasing the loan officer out into the parking lot and tackling him to get the funds check back. He was upset because he forgot to order the appraisal in a timely fashion and there were problems with it. The clsoing officer let him know that should have been done long before and he didn't like being scolded, so after STANDING on the table and SCREAMING at everone, he grabbed the check and ran. Yep, thought about quitting that day! Needless to say, after averaging 40-50 closings per year for the last 11 years, that was about the worst I've experienced.
I remember people saying to me, "you're just a kid!", but I was the kid standing at their front door when no one else was there. I still look young and people still ask me directly if they are speaking to the mother or daughter over the phone, and want to peak to the mother! hehe.
My best advice to you is to get involved with your local board. Volunteer for any committee you can. The amount of info you will learn is priceless and only costs your time. It was the best thing I did after being in the biz for less than a year. IMO the grievence committee is a great place to start. I refer to it at "what not to do"
You might be young, but that can also be an advantage. You have more energy, you're not burned out, you're hungry, you're probably more skilled with computer skills than half of the agents out there. Work really hard in the beginning and the rest will fall into place. Over 90% of my business these days is referral/repeat business. Make that your goal. Do more than what is expected of you now and KEEP IN TOUCH with your past clients!
Good luck and great selling!
Mel
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