What I've Learned Starting Out in Real Estate

Like most of us, I came to this Real Estate adventure, this place of seeking…from another mindset. Need drove me more than anything, and still drives me today…though I am learning to act more frequently from design rather than desperation.

Along the way, I’ve read. Made a few friends, and embarrassed myself as well (quite frequently!).

But I’ve never stopped learning, mistakes and all.

Here’s my top 5 for today.
What I’ve Learned About Starting Out in Real Estate:

1. It’s not as easy as they make it look.
   
   Real Estate Investors…they might love what they do, but these guys and gals work their asse(t)s off! Literally, if you aren’t growing, you’re dying and they all understand that more than any group of people I have ever known. I have this running joke that there is no ‘retirement’ in real estate, only ‘vacationment’ because these folks will never, ever, EVER stop learning. And as we all know, when you learn, you DO. I would like to also think that 90% of them “DO” by helping others. Who’d want to stop that?
2. Find a mentor and stick with them.
   
   It is WHAT you know, but it’s also who you know. Emulate someone who does it, like you WANT to do it, and watch carefully. The person requires great patience, enough to tolerate your newbie questions and explain mortgage note valuations over, and over, (and over) again. They could be lurking at your local REIA meetup, the next big convention (it’s worth it!), around the corner in your library, or that neat person you see posting to social media all the time. Treat them LIKE GOLD, bake them cookies, send them distressed asset tapes, and find ANYTHING your little newbert self could possibly help them with—business, gardening, or otherwise. Trade services for learning, do a good job, and not only will you grow, but your mentor will as well.
3. Exercise/Health is NOT optional.
   
   It’s part of YOU being your best YOU, and is just as mandatory to life in real estate as a RESPA letter is to a newly placed loan. If you can’t be your best YOU, for your clients, your team, for your industry…well, they lose out on something and someone very special. Look, you can’t serve people if you are sick or dead, and I plan on being around a long, long time to actually improve the lives of those around me. You should too.
   
   So, If you aren’t already, invest in vitamins the way you’d plan for retirement. This means a stop at your local Vitamin Shoppe, take a look around, and try something new! Just like retirement, you may not (or you may) feel and see immediate results, but this is about the long term. Also like retirement if you planned it right, you will know when you get there!
   
   Exercise comes in many varieties, but requires only one thing: Sweat. If you aren’t, then you’re not exercising, and I really don’t care what you say about a nice brisk walk. Do your work outs the way you run your business and reap rewards.
4. Self-improvement is mandatory.
   
   This includes improving your practice of rest and meditation when called for. It also includes stretching outside yourself to make bigger goals. This means you. I’ve found the time spent in conferences, workshops, and classes have yielded some of the best returns and have helped me grow far faster than I could have alone. Which brings me to my last point,

1. Rely on your team.
   
   When you can identify and maintain relationships with people who are niche experts, and bring them value, everyone wins. Even those farther out, who take the time and energy to influence us all through industry leading blogs, pod casts, webinars, and workshops. For their time and sharing of their own knowledge, I am truly grateful. Referrals, conversation, and perspective can impact their overall big picture, and you can rely on them to do the same for you. Or, if you are a real estate/note noobie, probably rely on them for a whole lot more.
   
   I know…of all the things I depend on…the team around me is impeccable and would never let me fall. Or fail. Or quit.
   
   You see, real estate might be fun, rewarding, AND fulfilling, but the people who I’ve come to know through it, are what make it truly, truly, special. 

(nah…… It’s the returns!!!!!!!)
:D ha ha ha

-Kate