Is this a good time to be in real estate? A reader from my homebuying site at About.com wrote to me yesterday, asking questions about breaking into real estate in California. He is married, his wife doesn't work outside the home, and they have two children. It's frightening to give up a day job to plunge into the world of uncertain income relying solely on commissions.
I've been on both sides of the fence and realize there is something very comforting in having a paycheck deposited into my checking account twice a month, whether or not I deserved it.
Now that I'm established in Sacramento, going on my 7th year in Land Park, I no longer think about commission check deposits because they show up automatically. It gives me a certain amount of freedom. Freedom to concentrate solely on my clients, handling referrals and developing new business.
But I couldn't do any of it without the support of my husband. He's my backbone. If I had to plan meals, go grocery shopping, wash my laundry, pay the bills, cook dinner, I'd have to sacrifice time I devote to real estate. In fact, I have no idea, really, how agents with children manage, and I truly admire those who can do it all because I cannot.
Over Halloween, I visited a friend and her daughter. My friend was busy putting the finishing touches on a Halloween costume she made when I arrived and offered me a plate of homemade cookies. "How do you do it all? I asked in awe. She waved her hand toward the living room, which was filled with toys, dust covered the coffee table, newspapers strewn about -- "Obviously, I don't," she laughed. "Something has to give."
Thank goodness for my husband. Thank goodness for my housekeeper. People who can juggle it all, I envy you. That reader who yearns for his real estate broker's license, however, is likely to become a fabulous agent because he has the wherewith-all to ask questions before plunging into the business.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, coming to a bookstore near you in February
Photo: Big Stock Photo
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
