How many benches do you see every day on your way to work with a Realtor's face plastered on it?
Picture all those benches and billboards for a moment, now think about this: those are only a tiny portion of the Realtors in the Niagara Region. Of all the other Realtors in Niagara, only a portion have made a sale, and an even smaller fraction are successful Real Estate Agents; not to mention how many quit within their first couple years!
The process to becoming a Real Estate Agent is pretty long to begin with, but I think it should be even longer (Whaaaaat?!?!) I'll explain. So many people rush into it on a whim knowing nothing except what they learned in their real estate courses - learning to work when they should be working to learn.
Most people begin the process to becoming a Real Estate Agent by taking the required courses with OREA (Ontario Real Estate Association) this information can be found here. They then choose a brokerage and hit the ground running expecting an instant sale, and getting discouraged when that doesn't happen. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, and don't we all wish we were the exception! I'd love to be the exception but I'd much rather be prepared.
I'm doing things a little differently, you could even say backwards. I began by doing all my research; not just the pre-requisites and the courses, I found out everything I could about the process. I then interviewed four local brokerages and came prepared with three pages of questions to help me determine who had the most to offer, as well as who I felt would best represent me and also had similar values. I asked all the usual questions about what they had to offer in terms of training, office space and advertising, but I also asked if they had volunteering opportunities or if anyone was looking for an assistant.
I would have volunteered or taken an assistant position at any one of the brokerages for the learning opportunity; after getting licensed I then would have moved on to my brokerage of choice to represent me, but fate was on my side and I was lucky enough to be offered a position at my chosen brokerage. I was overjoyed and so excited at the opportunity to not only assist and learn from experienced Realtors but also to have landed where I wanted right off the bat.
I've been a Real Estate Assistant for one month now and will begin my courses with OREA in a month and a half. You're probably thinking, "two and a half months? I thought she said she wanted to work to learn; two and a half months doesn't give her enough time to learn". And you would be right! I will be continuing to work as a Real Estate Assistant while taking my courses; so if everything goes to plan, I will have nine months of training and experience when I get my license. I will also have two wonderful mentors (my current bosses), and a supportive and motivating brokerage with a great team behind me when I'm ready to start helping people buy and sell homes.
I'm not saying this is the way to go for everybody, and who knows, it might not even work out for me. I'm sure there will be obstacles, but I am motivated and enthusiastic about my future! And if all else fails, this blog can be a learning tool for what not to do 😜.
I'll keep you updated with stories about my experiences so stay tuned and let's get up close and personal about real estate!
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