Instead of doing my usual educational post, I figured I would tell you a quick story that is the reason I stayed in Real Estate.

When I lost my Internet Company in 2000 after the big bubble burst, I was offered several jobs from Radio groups to handle their national Internet efforts.  They were pretty high paying jobs all over $200k per year.  However, after talking with my girlfriend, now my wife, I realized that I just didn’t want to spend every day of  the month traveling.  I had just done that for the past several years and I was beat!

A friend of my better half was in Real Estate and she kept telling me I should get into Real Estate.  It’s a lot of work but with my personality I would do great…so she told me.  I wasn’t sold right away, but I took the pre-license test anyway just in case.  That was April of 2001.

By September of 2001 I decided that I would go ahead and get my license and took the state test.  I started in Real Estate on September 10, 2001.  On September 11, 2001 business ended for a few weeks.  I sold my first house a couple of weeks after I started and had my first closing (a cash deal) within 30 days of starting in the business.  This was a piece of cake!

My next customer was going great too and he was looking at homes that would generate $7,500 in commission.  I had told him about a house he needed to see which was a great deal at the time.  He couldn’t see it the day I called and then decided to see it that Sunday.  Unfortunately he forgot my phone number at home and just went to the listing Agent.  He told them he was working with me and they said no problem, they would take care of me.  I think you all know where this is going.

Needless to say, they stiffed me out of my commission and the Broker/Owner of the listing company told me to get used to it.

I was furious. How could anyone be so sleazy?  I can’t imagine working like that.

From that moment on I decided that everything I had heard about Realtors was true.  It was all about the buck and I did not want anything to do with Realtors or the industry. I went home to my future wife and told her I was going to take one of the Radio Industry jobs I had been offered and get back on the road.

Then, in her infinite wisdom, my wife to be said:

“For every person you don’t help (buyer or sell a home) they have the chance of being screwed by someone else.”

I sat there for a moment and thought about her words.

She was 100% right.  That was my driving force from there on out to be the best Realtor in the area.  Not only would I do more business than most, I would make sure I would do whatever I could to help my customers accomplish their goals.

The moral of this story is to do your best to help your customers and you will not only get paid, you will earn customers for life!