This past August marked the end of my 10th year in the business of real estate. I never thought I'd have ANY job for 10 years, let alone one I wasn't dying to have in the first place. In 1998, I was 22, 100% flat broke...with a baby on the way.
I had interviewed at a couple financial companies for various entry level positions. Needless to say, the job prospects for a French Major with "Busboy" and "Business Suit Sales" on his resume were hardly inspiring (not to mention no one offered me the jobs!)
My parents owned a real estate company, RE/MAX Suburban, in Chesterfield. I was otherwise unemployed, having just graduated from St. Louis University, had a real estate license and helped out answering phones on the weekend. Sounds foolproof, right?
My dad called me into his office and said that someone had called in search of a property to rent. They had been commuting DAILY from Jefferson City to Boeing in North St. Louis, roughly 90 minutes each way. He said no one else in the office wanted this one because rental property didn't pay much. At most, I'd make around $200.
Well, after showing Mr. and Mrs. H about 15 horrific rental properties, I got a call from her saying that Boeing was going to give them a $3,000 bonus for relocating to St. Louis. That, I told her, was about exactly how much she'd need for a down payment on a house. Next trip out, they bought a very charming, 3 bedroom ranch in Lake St. Louis, MO.
She was trilled! No more leaving for work at 4 a.m. for Mr. H., her kids had a finished basement to enjoy, and I made $2,700 bucks! Maybe not quite that much after the company split, gas costs to see all those houses, etc., but you get the point. I was hooked! Just needed another customer!?!?
Anyway, after another few sales, I made about another 10 grand the rest of that year, and along with my wife's earnings as a waitress (5 nights/week while pregnant!!), we made it work. I've since learned that any new business is a real challenge, no matter what you're doing. 1998 was a really rough year for us, but I started to figure out how to actually make a living...
And that maybe the old saying was true.
"You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
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