Why I Became a REALTOR® and How I Ended Up in Real Estate

If you had asked me a few years ago whether I planned to become a full-time REALTOR®, the answer would have been no.

Real estate was supposed to be a second income.

I had a career in finance. I had an MBA. I wasn't looking for a complete career change, and becoming a REALTOR® definitely wasn't part of some perfectly mapped-out plan.

But my interest in real estate had actually been building for years.

It Started When I Bought My First House at 24

My first real experience with real estate was buying my own home at 24.

Looking back now, I realize just how young I was to be making such a major financial decision. There was a lot I didn't know, and there are definitely things I would do differently today.

But buying that house gave me an early appreciation for homeownership.

I understood that a home wasn't just somewhere to live. It was also one of the biggest financial decisions I would make.

I eventually bought another home, and with each experience I became more interested in how real estate actually worked.

Then I Got to See the Industry From the Other Side

Later, I went to work for a custom home builder.

That gave me a completely different perspective.

Instead of experiencing real estate only as a homeowner, I got to see what happens behind the scenes.

There are budgets, timelines, contracts, decisions, unexpected problems and a lot of different people involved in getting from an idea to a finished home.

I also saw how personal those decisions are for the people buying and building homes.

Eventually my career took me in another direction, but that experience stayed with me.

I Built a Career in Banking and Finance

From there, I went on to build my career in banking and finance and eventually became a financial analyst.

I worked with numbers, budgets, large portfolios, reporting and financial decisions every day.

Real estate wasn't my career at that point.

But it was still something I was interested in personally.

Then I started thinking about buying my third home.

And that's when an idea started to make sense.

Why Not Get My Real Estate License?

If I was going to buy another house anyway, why not learn more about the process and get my real estate license?

I could use that knowledge for my own real estate decisions, and potentially help other people too.

At the time, I saw real estate as a second income.

As a single mom, I didn't need to sell dozens of houses a year for that additional income to matter. If I could help with one or two transactions a year, that money could go toward paying down debt, taking a vacation with my kids or simply giving us a little more financial flexibility.

It seemed like a practical decision.

I would keep my career in finance and build a small real estate business on the side.

That was the plan.

Then I Got Laid Off

Plans change.

When my position in corporate finance was eliminated, suddenly I had a real estate license and an opportunity to find out what would happen if I actually gave the business my full attention.

So I did.

And I learned very quickly that getting a real estate license and building a real estate business are two completely different things.

There is a lot more to this industry than showing houses and putting a sign in someone's yard.

My Finance Background Changed the Way I Look at Real Estate

One thing I didn't expect was how naturally some parts of my previous career would translate into real estate.

I like analyzing numbers.

I like solving problems.

I like negotiating.

I like looking at different scenarios and figuring out which one actually makes sense.

And that's a big part of what I think good real estate representation should be.

A house can be beautiful and still be the wrong financial decision.

A deal can look like it's falling apart and still have options.

Sometimes negotiating harder gets your client something they didn't think was possible. Other times, knowing when not to push is what keeps a good deal together.

Those are the parts of real estate I enjoy.

I'm Not Going to Talk You Into a House

I feel strongly about this.

My job isn't to convince someone to buy a house because I want a commission.

Buying a home is too big of a financial decision for that.

Sometimes the answer is yes, this makes sense.

Sometimes it's, let's negotiate.

And sometimes it's, I don't think you should buy this house.

I'd rather have someone walk away from a transaction than watch them make a decision that doesn't make sense for them.

Maybe that's the financial analyst in me, but I don't think that's a bad thing to bring into real estate.

Looking Back, The Path Makes More Sense Than I Thought

When I look at my career on paper, it can seem like I've taken a few turns.

I bought my first home at 24.

Later, I worked for a custom home builder and got to see another side of the industry.

I built a career in banking and finance.

When I was preparing to buy my third home, I decided to get my real estate license, partly for myself and partly because I thought it could become a second source of income.

Then I got laid off, and the side business suddenly had the opportunity to become something much bigger.

It wasn't a perfectly planned career path.

But looking back, it also doesn't feel random.

Each experience gave me something I use today.

So, Why Did I Become a REALTOR®?

Originally?

Because I was getting ready to buy another house, I was already interested in real estate, and I thought getting licensed was a smart way to educate myself while potentially creating another source of income.

That's the simple answer.

The more complicated answer is that real estate had been weaving its way through my life for years before I ever realized it might become my business.

And I'm still figuring out where that path ultimately leads.

If you'd like to hear more of the story, I talk about it in my YouTube video, Why I Became a Real Estate Agent in Austin, Texas.