How many times have you and your co-workers joked about your job description and the ever-present “other duties as assigned“. We all know that means that the employer can ask you to do most anything. At my former Marketing career, we often would say, “do whatever it takes to get the job done”, meaning we would work above and beyond our stated job description to get results.
Today was one of those “other duties as assigned” days. As with much of the country, we’ve had a fair amount of snow. A showing was scheduled on the home. There was snow that needed to be shoveled at the entrance. It’s as important to stage the outside as well as the inside.
- ScoobyDoo earmuffs – √
- Warm gloves – √
- Duck boots & warm socks – √
- Heavy sweater, warm coat - √
- Snow shovel & broom – √
- Blackberry in the pocket to call 911 – √√
I know … lots of you think we Realtors® lead lives and dress like they do on the home reality shows. You think all we do is unlock doors and drive fancy cars. And that we make LOADS of easy money. HA!!!!!
I’ve shoveled snow for many listings over the years. I’ve babysat their dog when they left for vacation and kennels were full. I’ve mopped floors when they left the home too dirty. I’ve kicked their beer-drinking buddy’s dirty underwear from the middle of the room to under the bed (ew-w-w-w) so it wasn’t visible during a planned open house. I’ve had to clean up hairballs when the cat decided to deposit it in the living room floor during an open house.
I’m certainly not alone in doing what is called for – lots of responsible agents do the same thing. We take our job seriously, and our job is to do what it takes to successfully market and sell our clients’ homes. Think about that the next time you watch a reality show with some chick in high heels driving a classy sports car being presented as a real estate agent.
My life and the lives of many of the rest of us are the TRUE REALITY. We work hard – usually 7 days a week, and many are accessible waking hours via our cell phones. How many other professions can say that!
Copyright © 2009. Elaine Reese, Real Living HER. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate.com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.
Being a real estate agent is a stressful job?
CareerBuilder posted an article on the 10 Most Stressful Jobs. The one thing they note is that these jobs have equal amounts of stress AND SATISFACTION. What I noticed is that all the jobs in the list are jobs that “help” others. While the salaries aren’t high, they are high on the “feel good at the end of the day” type of jobs. The only one that may not fit that is the Assistant job. While a good assistant is a very valuable person, I suspect some may not always feel appreciated.
The 10 Stressful jobs are: (1) Assistants; (2) EMT’s; (3) Farmers; (4) Flight attendants; (5) Military personnel; (6) Police officers; (7) Real estate agents; (8) Social workers; (9) Stock brokers; (10) Teachers.
How ’bout that! We’re right behind Military and Police Officers! There are similarities to our job vs those jobs but I think I’ll keep those thoughts to myself.
Here’s what CareerBuilder said about the real estate agent job …
I totally agree with the “why it’s worth it”. In the eleven years I’ve been doing this job, after holding corporate jobs prior, I’ve often said that with THIS job I get “hugs”. I like getting hugs at closing or in the supermarket when I run into a past client. It means a lot to me that I get to share the excitement when a young couple receive a promotion allowing them to buy their dream home. I also feel privileged when I am a shoulder to cry on when someone needs to sell because of a divorce or family death. That makes the long hours and the stress all worthwhile. The fact that I receive a paycheck for my work is secondary. I suspect that people working in the other nine jobs feel the same way.
Copyright © 2009. Elaine Reese, Real Living HER. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate.com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.
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Posted in Buyers, Commentary, Realtors®, Sellers
Tagged central ohio real estate market news, real estate agent job, what's it like to be a Realtor