You Can Be Successful in Real Estate Without Eating Shit

You don’t have to eat shit to be successful in real estate.

There are some sellers in Sacramento who show signs that they intensely dislike real estate agents, all of them, me included, and they don’t even know me. They think we are all the same and it’s just a matter of picking one out of the police lineup who charges the least. A flipper dude with a high end property who has been unable to sell with some other agent sent me a text the other day claiming I was an “expensive girlfriend.” He wanted me to list his home. The more I thought about that completely creepy, disrespectful and discriminatory comment, the less I wanted to work for him. Ick. In fact, I made sure I did not.

Now I realize that most people have no idea what a successful Sacramento REALTOR does all day. They think we lie around the back yard in a hammock munching on grapes fed to us by slaves waving large fans, and no, that only happens at night, not during the day. My day generally starts around 6 AM. A few hours later, I hope to have completed writing several blogs and answering emails, and be dressed, ready to hit the streets.

I work continually all day. Answer emails. Write emails. Answer text messages. Write text messages. Answer phone calls. Make phone calls. Update property listings. Prepare paperwork for new listings. Write marketing comments. Rewrite marketing comments. Create addendums. Satisfy contingencies. Instill contingencies. Negotiate contingencies. Shoot photographs. Lots of photographs. Download photographs. Photoshop correct photographs and upload. Distribute listings to networks. Set appointments to meet with sellers. Conduct initial inspections of properties. Explain processes. Rearrange the order of my photographs. Negotiate existing pending sales. Negotiate new offers. Order inspections by third-party vendors. Double-check estimated closing statements. Handle special requests from clients. Set up open houses. Provide feedback on showings. Tweak existing listings. Take listings off the market and put them back on the market. Review present strategies for each listing. Prepare for closings. Change keys in lockboxes. Remove lockboxes. Install lockboxes. Advise sellers. Advise agents. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate, and persuade others to view things a different way.

It’s not easy to be successful in real estate or everybody would.

You will notice that nowhere in that huge paragraph above is anything about looking for new business. Most agents spend about 1/3 of their time hunting for business. My business typically comes to me. They have read my reviews online and /or talked with other clients who have worked with me, and decided that I have a unique ability they desire. It is no accident that my clients are ecstatic and sing my praises. This Sacramento REALTOR produces results.

I’ve spent decades in this business and came up through the ranks the hard way — working with every person, asshole or not, who decided he or she wanted to hire a real estate agent. Those days are long gone. It took me a while to figure out that I didn’t have to eat shit. My track record speaks for itself; I can choose with whom I desire to work. There’s got to be a reason beyond financial to work with a person, but not with individuals who don’t respect nor value your abilities.

Financial reasons don’t drive me. Yet, I still sell $30 million or so. This is where I’ve always wanted to be, a successful person who maintains her integrity and doesn’t eat any shit. The way to do that is to work with people you respect who reciprocate. These people you can make happy. Happy clients provide personal satisfaction to the agent, and a reason to excel in the real estate business.

So, you have your choice among agents who are successful in the real estate business. You can be a shit-eating agent who is successful (and there’s nothing wrong with that), or you can decide not to be and still be successful. I hope to be an inspiration for others.