AM I CRAZY??? Still selling Real Estate after 32 YEARS!

...Nope. see my 3 loves, some of my reasons, and how I've been blessed by family & Great Clients...

  Liz Carter, Realtor serving Katy, Sugar Land and the greater Houston area since 1976

AM I CRAZY?  Sometimes I wonder...Real Estate can be extremely stressful, hard, long hours, tedious job that has no regular paychecks, insurance, benefits or paid vacations.  It is filled with rejection, getting blamed for everything that might go wrong (whether it's your fault or not), long unpredictable hours, hurt feelings, rejection and can be a physically dangerous business.  You deal with people who act differently than they do under "normal" circumstances since they rate buying or selling a home in the TOP FOUR for stress.   It ranks up there with death, divorce, and fear of public speaking!  All of this of course occurs after you have done your job by finding a buyer for the seller or a home for the buyer. There are so many people behind the scene that are directly involved with the transaction going smoothly and closing, that you have no control over.  There is the other principle (buyer or seller), other agent, lender, their processor, appraiser, underwriter, title company (escrow officer or attorney), their processor, surveyor, mechanical inspector, termite inspector, courier, post office, banks, etc.

People think "Gee I'll get a real estate license, make a fortune, have lots of free time, and all I have to do is show pretty homes"...WRONG.  According to the National Assoc. of Realtors, there are 1,338,001 http://www.realtor.org/vlibrary.nsf/pages/membershipcount the average agent in the US only sells five homes a year! So why would anyone in his or her right mind want to become a Realtor?  Below are a few things that come to most people's mind:

• MONEY:  Possible to make a lot of money (it comes at a high price, a ton of your time & life).
• PEOPLE business: You meet different interesting people you might not normally.
• INTERESTING:  Get to see some beautiful, ugly, unusual homes and areas.
• CONTROL:  Over the time & hours you work.
• EXCITING:  Finding that perfect dream home, especially for the first time home buyer.
• AGE:  Unlike some other fields' age is not seen as a negative.
• REWARDING:  Helping people with one of their largest financial investments.
• NOT BORING:  Everyday is different; you never know what will happen.
• CHALLENGING:  It will keep you on your toes, and you never stop learning.
• FULFILLING:  Helping people through some very difficult situations.

My primary motivator is mostly the last one; it's about helping people and having them appreciate your efforts. Over the last 32 years I have been fortunate to have sold thousands of homes, and received many letters of thanks for a job well done.  I've sold BILLIONS of dollars of real estate during my career, averaging $30-$40 MILLION in production a year.  I'm often asked, "Liz are you ever going to retire"?  Probably not...thank God I found something I love to do, and as long as I continue to get letters like this one I think I'll stay "crazy". 

"I would like to take this opportunity to express my complete gratitude on the service your agency has shown us. When we came to you to sell our home my wife was diagnosed with cancer. The last thing we needed was to worry about the time and effort it was going to take to sell our home. Needless to say with the expertise and compassion your team shown us we did not have worry. Not only did you sell our house in a short amount of time, you did so in a market that was less then desirable. I cannot thank you enough for helping our family through a very difficult time in our live. Your agency is definitely more then just a business, it's about a group of people who genuinely care about there customers. We are forever grateful." Michael & Mary Petro  

Staying "crazy" means, I can help people like Michael and Mary, which adds value to my life by serving others in times of need.  I'm now helping kids of clients who used me years ago, that's cool too.  So when your down or someone gave you a hard time, think of all those times you really made a difference in some ones' life and focus on the good things in your life.  By helping others your rewards just naturally follow, below are 3 of mine, my great-great niece, "sleeping beauty", my two great-great nephews on a dive trip to Cozumel, my 3 loves!

         

Liz Carter is the owner/broker of Liz Carter & Team Realty, located in Katy which is a suburb of Houston, Texas.  Liz has ranked every year in the Houston Business Journals' top 25 producing Realtors, There are approx. 25,000 agents in the greater Houston MLS. Visit her at, http://www.lizcarter.com/ or call 281-391-SOLD (7653).

Now I have added Active Rain in my life, and career also.  It has given me more exposure for my web site, new friends, and a great place to be creative too.  I have a great life, blessed with family, loyal clients, a still blooming real estate co., and now the pleasure of watching the FOURTH GENERATIONS of our kids grow up.  Who knows maybe one of them will decide to join Liz Carter & Team Realty too?