In Real Estate, You Just Never Know What's Going to Happen - And That's Why I Love It
When I decided to become a Realtor, I thought it would be fun to see all the houses on the market and work with lots of new people all the time. I was right. Those things are fun. What I didn't understand at the time was how fun all the other variables, twists and turns, and chaos would make it as well.
It really doesn't matter how organized you are or how hard to try to make sure every aspect of a real estate transaction goes smoothly, there is ALWAYS something that goes wrong. Even if I do everything perfectly, there are so many other people involved who can make a mistake or miss something that causes the unexpected to occur. In the beginning of my real estate career, these unknowns popping up would cause me stress. They happen so often, though, now they are actually expected and keep life interesting and my career exciting. I think I'd actually start to worry if nothing unexpected were to happen.
Just think about it. In most real estate transactions there is 1 or more seller(s), 1 or more buyer(s), usually a Realtor for the buyer and a Realtor for the seller, each of those Realtors has a broker, the buyer has a loan originator, their processor, closer and underwriter. There's a title company with at least 1 person working on the file. Then you have the home inspector, insurance agent, contractors, etc. That's at least a dozen people who all have to get along and play their parts correctly and in a timely manner. I'm sure you can understand why something unexpected always happens.
In real estate, and in life, I've come to enjoy the unexpected. It's the unexpected that keeps life interesting. Yes, I could get stressed out or angry when some of those dozen people cause me to have to jump to the rescue to save the deal. I could spend my time worrying if a deal is going to close, or constantly play Monday morning quarterback to ensure that particular problem doesn't happen again. I could also stress out my customers along the way by letting them see my anxiety. Or, I could laugh at the fun of the challenge and enjoy the variety of life these challenges bring. I know everything will be ok in the end. If it's not ok, it's not the end.
Photo courtesy of Hugo Ruiz via Unsplash