Sometimes I get ideas that take a while to manifest and becoming a Real Estate Agent was one of them. I began taking Real Estate Salesperson classes in October 2018- a whole year ago but the general public may only know of my realty adventures since about March 2019, so here’s what has happened in the last year!

I’ve got to “lay some pipe,” as they say because this journey does not begin with me beginning classes. It goes back at least a few months prior, and I pinpoint some sessions with my therapist over summer 2018, when I really started to understand that my job wasn’t fulfilling me and I couldn’t make a whole lot of changes to fix that beyond leaving the position. So we workshopped and dug deep, my fiance weighed in, I researched, and real estate came up as a good fit for me, along with blogging. I met with my now Real Estate Mentor and then decided to pursue a job that would integrate into the way I wanted to live. (I am also writing a post that includes a lot of the preliminary research I did about a career in the real estate industry before jumping in, and an honest look at the cost of entry into the industry. Look for it soon!)

October - December 2018

I found a class held in-person locally and registered for it. The class spanned October, November, and December on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a few hours in the evening. I chose an in-person class instead of an online class because I learn well socially and in a classroom environment. I also had hopes of networking. Unfortunately, it lead to zero networking by no fault of my own, but I learned a lot, took the summative exams at the conclusion of the classes, and got my completion certificates for the 75 hours of pre-licensing classes. I told very few people about the class at this point because I was honestly nervous. I planned to succeed but was acutely aware that I was taking a risk.

January 2019

Once I completed the class, I needed to take the state and national exams. I registered for them and drove to the testing location about 1.5 hours away and took the standardized test on the computer. The results were instant and I passed the National exam, but not the State exam the first time. Just a few weeks later, I took the State exam again and passed. Then I applied for licensure on the PA state website. This waiting period was a bit of a stressful time because this new journey was on the horizon and I knew navigating it wasn’t going to be an easy transition.

February 2019

Timing my job change turned out perfectly. My work wife had her baby in February so she went on maternity leave, then my two year work anniversary came up at the end of the month, which meant my vacation and sick time would renew and I could cash out the maximum amount. I quit my full-time job and jumped right into real estate in March.

March 2019

I got my headshots done by my favorite local photographers, Julie & Israel, registered for the local REALTORS® association, got my MLS login, and showed potential buyers a few investment properties the day after I quit my job.

Over the summer, I got two buyers to the closing table on their properties- one client an investor, the other a first-time homebuyer. I’ve worked with many other clients and held several open houses. I briefly held my own listing. As of writing this, I have two clients in negotiations for their properties, and one under contract. I am constantly looking for appropriate properties for my investor clients and staying in touch with them, as well as showing homes to new clients in their search for “the one.” It has been a TON of learning but I am really enjoying it. Birthing this blog has been a journey as well, and I am so glad it has finally gotten to the point it is now so I can share this kind of stuff with you!