Becoming a Real Estate Agent

Step 1:  Lose all sanity, convince yourself you aren’t crazy and believe that you can take on just ONE more thing!

I have recently become a Real Estate Agent. I decided while in the middle of a move for the military, buying a house, while being a mother and military wife, that I should get my license!

It is important to make time for yourself as a mom. To find something that is yours. Something that brings you joy and importance. Yes, we all find that in our family, kids, spouses and everyday life. But having something outside of those was something I was seeking. 

We moved from Kentucky to Michigan. When we got to Michigan, we closed on our new house that we bought with an AMAZING agent. She is part of the reason that motivated this decision. I had wanted something for myself for a long time. Real Estate had always been of interest to me and I had just never gone for it. I am a mom to three great kids, one of which is grown and moving on with her own life, the other two very much still at home and needing lots of attention, and my husband is an Active Duty Army recruiter. So, in the midst of closing on our house and moving all of our belongings, I jumped in and signed up for real estate courses. 

The COURSES… The long, boring courses…

These online courses were tough, but not too tough. I juggled getting settled, my husband starting his new job as station commander, getting kids enrolled in school and taking these courses online, while also maintaining another job I already had. 

We had sold a house and now bought a new house… so the process was fresh in my head. The good, bad and the ugly. That definitely helped, to have our own personal experiences to compare to while taking these courses. 

I did my courses online. There are in-person courses too, but with my schedule and timing, online was the way to go for me. There are tons of companies that run these courses. My realtor that sold us our house is also the broker and owner of the company that I now work with. She is super knowledgeable and recommended the classes that I ended up choosing. 

It took two and a half weeks for me to complete the classes. I really wanted this, so the drive was there. I had some extra down time with the husband still on leave, which helped. It gave me the time to study and really put myself into it. Okay, let's get real; I just fit it in whenever I could because as I have said, I am a mom, and have another job, and we JUST bought a house… so yeah, never any extra time. Here in Michigan the courses are 40 hours (it’s different in each state). But I stayed focused and got through them. I also made dinners, helped the husband get organized and planned summer activities for the kids. I got the kids signed up for school, and unpacked the house (which is still not finished). “There is time for it all!” became my motto. If I didn’t get to one thing that day, I did it the next. It was chaos a lot of the time, and relaxing some of the time, but it all got done!  After completing the courses, I went straight into applying and taking the licensing exam. I gave myself a week to study extra and just went right to it. Full of anxiety and nerves, I PASSED!! Submitted to the state… and here I am, a licensed Real Estate Agent in all its glory!!

I DID IT…DONE...FINISHED... piece of cake, right?

Now, I just made it sound easy… it wasn’t all easy. It wasn’t all organized and pretty by any means. There were definitely moments of “What am I thinking?” and “When the heck am I going to have time to sell houses?” Lots of re-reading, texting my broker with screen shots and captions of “huh?”, and figuring out if I could fit just one more page into my brain tonight. I also started working with my brokerage while taking the courses. Finding the right fit for a company is important. There is so much to learn from all the agents and the office. I am a very hands-on learner so I went out with agents and shadowed them to learn the different ways they all did the job. 

Important steps I took:

• Make my decision and go for it.
• Find online classes, sign up, and start.
• Work on classes whenever the time arises. I didn’t stress it too much or stick to any certain schedule.
• Ask questions. Find an agent, broker, or mentor to help along the way. Ask ALL the questions, whenever you come up with them or write them down to ask at a later time.
• Breathe, don’t get overwhelmed.
• Study
• Get certificate of finishing the classes.
• Apply to the state to get licensed.
• Apply to take the exam.
• Submit for license.
• Receive license and get to work!

Long story short... It's great! The Real Estate world is always moving. I may be new to it and still trying to juggle being a mom, military wife, and all the life things but it's great! I love every part of it so far and I am ready to take on more.