I Didn't Think Doing Real Estate Would Be So Hard

"I didn't think doing real estate would be so hard." Have you ever heard anyone say that? (Was it you?) The fact is doing real estate is hard. And it's not just unique to our day.

The average failure rate in the first year of people who go into real estate according to a study in the 1990s was just shy of 9 out of every 10. (Are you surprised?) I want to drill down a little bit further in this 9 out of every 10 failing at real estate number for a moment to get you thinking.

Of course, we're talking about newbies. Right? And so the 10% or so that make it through the first year (versus the 90% who fail), odds are they make it through the second year, too. (Ya think?) And the third year. And so on and so forth. They may even still be in the business today having been "baptized by fire" at the start. (I think so.) How many years have you been in the business? You deserve a round of applause. Hats off to you.

But back to the newbies again (the 90% who fail). Sure, some of them just probably were of the "silver platter" mindset. Know what I mean by that? We used to sarcastically comment to these types in high school, "Well, Mommy and Daddy bought your car." Because they did. And Mommy and Daddy bought them everything else, too. They didn't have to work for a thing in their life. It's pretty hard to make it through the first year in real estate with a "silver platter" mindset.

Then there are the hard workers who are part of the 90% who fail. Yes, I said it. They are hard workers. And they still fail. Hard work doesn't always guarantee success (though not working hard almost always guarantees failure). Because you need some "breaks," too, to go along with the hard work. Right? You need some "breaks," too. Know what I mean by "breaks"? Being in the right place at the right time to get that listing or buyer. Having a seasoned agent that's humble enough to take you under their wings (like somebody else took them under their wings when they were starting out) to show you the ropes, help you gain a footing / momentum / confidence. That's a huge "break."

And I wonder if it isn't this very thing ~ the lack thereof ~ that dooms newcomers to this business (a crazy percentage of them) from ever having a fighting chance? (I'm referring to the hard workers versus the silver platters.)

Who might you offer help to today (even if they're not so new to the business) so that they might be around to help someone tomorrow?

Reach out. Start a trend. We really do need each other. :)

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