Why Choose a Career in Real Estate?

Why Realty?

I've had a few close friends ask me why I chose real estate as my next career path. Based on my previous "significant' careers (teaching high school psychology and writing) it seemed like an odd fit. Admittedly, it took me a while to take this plunge.

At the most fundamental level, I wanted a career that met a few criteria, including:

1. I wanted to make more money. Having spent the last five years flirting with poverty, I can safely say the minimalist lifestyle is a lot more fun when it's voluntary. Neither Shelly (my wife) or I are overly materialistic, but we do like to have enough disposable income to do the things we like to do, namely travel. I needed a revenue stream that would significantly boost my income, and real estate is a career that has no real limit on earning potential.
2. I wanted a career that would be a new challenge. I love learning new stuff, and real estate offers the opportunity to learn an entire industry with countless potential specialties. It's exactly the sort of open-ended challenge that I love.
3. I wanted a career that would allow me to leverage my strengths. I'm excellent at working with people, especially in a situation where I am simplifying and explaining complex processes. I'm also extremely well-versed in the nuances of human behavior, including identifying our motivations and desires. I have all the tools to excel in a sales position, but have never enjoyed typical sales jobs. Real estate is a little different. It's a little more complex because agents are representing clients as part of the sales process. That creates a specialized skill set that falls directly in my wheel house.
4. I wanted to be my own boss. The older I get, the more I cannot tolerate being an underling beholden to someone else's whims. As a real estate agent, I'll be an independent contractor, which is an arrangement I love. Sure, it doesn't offer as much security, but it offers freedom. I'll take that trade-off every time.
5. I saw a void. Real estate is an interesting field. Lots of people seem to enter the field by following a particular path, then never really deviate from that path. We end up with a lot of agents all doing more or less the exact same things in an attempt to get a share of the pie that represents the real estate market. Since finding the lightly-traveled paths of unconventional nonconformity has been my M.O. for close to a decade, I see a HUGE opportunity to circumvent the norms to create a better experience for clients. This simple blog represents the humble beginnings of that quest. 
6. The educational requirements are a walk in the park. The coursework will take fifty-four days to complete and will cost about $200. After that, I'll take a test, pay some fees, and be up and running! After the experiences of teaching (and having to take what seemed like a million classes for No Child Left Behind), I can fully appreciate that minimal time and money requirement.

My Background

I've had a really wide variety of educational and professional experiences throughout my life. I have an associate's degree in business, a bachelor's degree in history, psychology, social studies, and secondary education (yes, I have an embarrassing number of undergrad credits to my name), and a master's degree in technology. I've been a high school teacher for about sixteen years, published a few books, and have been an extremely prolific blogger (~1.3 million words published online covering a wide variety of topics.) On top of all that, I've held a ton of part-time jobs in retail, the management, the home improvement industry, construction, coaching, consulting, even the restaurant industry. 

All of these experiences have given me a solid foundation for real estate AND will help with the aforementioned unconventional goals. 

My Team

None of this would be possible, though, if it were not for my team consisting primarily of Damian Lyon and Adam Cato. Both were instrumental in convincing me to give this a shot. Together, our strengths compliment each other well. 

My Vision

My vision for my real estate career is centered on the goal of changing how agents operate. Or, minimally, creating a new path for myself. Right now, real estate is treated much like any other sales career. We're a lot like travel agents. Clients hire us to help them navigate a complex situation. The biggest problem with that model is the Internet. Eventually technology was developed that allowed anyone and everyone to act as their own travel agent. Websites like Expedia and Travelocity revolutionized the industry... and killed off the need for agents. Many agents were forced out. Those that remained saw their careers reduced to rubble.

A few, though, saw the writing on the wall and adapted. Many became what amounts to travel guides. Instead of just coordinating and scheduling travel arrangements, they actually taught people about travel. 

That's exactly what I hope to do with the Realty Beaver project. Real estate as it stands now is rather... dry. My goal is to inject some much-needed humanity into the industry by doing exactly what I've done in my other career fields - learn the basics, shred the instruction manual, then listen to the masses and give them what they want in an entertaining package. My gal is to cover all aspects of buying, selling, and living in homes of any shape and size. The focus will be decidedly skewed towards Southern California in general and the greater San Diego area in particular. 

This career change is both exciting and invigorating. Stay tuned, we'll have some fun! Something like this isn't outside the realm of possibility! ;-)

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