SOLD

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." 

It's been a crazy 4 weeks, filled with training, seminars, open houses, offers, showings, juggling kids and family...It's been busy, stressful and full of emotions. I was not expecting there to be so many emotions tied into changing jobs, which sounds silly even as I write this, but I wasn't focused on how it would affect me, I was just focused on completing the tasks that needed to get done in order to pass my exams, get hired on and quite my old job. The feelings that followed threw me for a loop. I think my stress is coming across as I'm not happy, which couldn't be further from the truth, but I am stressed. Trying to get everything done in a day that I use to do on top of what I now need to do is impossible, and I'm learning to adjust my expectations of myself.

I think I've found something I am good at, and that I do really enjoy, but there is a HUGE learning curve here for me. I have to change my way of thinking. This is business, my business, not just a job. I have to learn to think business and find how I want to conduct my business, what i want to project...finding my own style and my place in this industry. On top of which, I'm also learning how to balance my family life with my work life, which is an adjustment for all of us who live in this house!

My first client ended up being someone I worked with at the hospital. On Tuesday we wrote our first offer together and yesterday we were able to remove the conditions and officially sell the property! I'm very happy that the deal came together and I'm thrilled that my girl got the house she wanted. This deal was not smooth by any means, which I think was a combination of factors, and I certainly learned a lot and made some errors, but all in all I think I conducted myself professionally and I worked in the best interest of my client. I think part of me doesn't believe that this is actually happening. Part of me is sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop and part of me realizes that until the client is in that house and the house is viewed and indeed in the condition we saw it in, it's not over. Yes it's over in the sense that I'll get paid and I did my job, but a big part of the job is taking care of your client after the papers are signed and the keys are handed over. That's what keeps them coming back!

FUN FACT: Number one reason people don't use the same Realtor to sell as they did to buy their current home? They can't remember their name.

I'm happy I got the client the house she wanted, I'm happy with the way I conducted myself, I'm happy to have had the experience and now I'm just a little less green, but I'm also thinking ahead. How am I going to keep in contact with my client? Try to ensure that she calls me when she wants to sell? Where is my next client going to come from? Now I need to start really marketing myself and getting my name out there. I have someone who can 'tell my story' as we like to say, but what am I going to do to promote myself and find more work? As Blake would say, the real estate business is like a bubble. You're on the outside trying to find a small crack that you can use to get in. You found it, you used it, you're in. Now everyone in the bubble is trying to push you out. I'm in the bubble, now I need to stay here! Although I guess it wouldn't hurt to get out of my own head and just be happy for awhile.