The Importance of Support

I would probably classify myself as a loner. I have a group of great friends that group chat all the time and get together at least once a month. I have children, so sometimes being alone is impossible, but they are older now and more independent so they need my help and constant attention less and less, well…sort of. My intention for a life partner has also morphed into this you-live-your-life-and-I-live-mine atmosphere that once or twice a week/month we get to bring it together, but it has to be planned and intentional. COVID may have exacerbated some of this. We want to spend less time with the people we were stuck with for 18 months and more time with those we missed. And I had completely planned for my professional life to take the loner route, as well. But something changed in the last four years that maybe was COVID-related, but maybe more “you have a teacher heart” related.

I went into real estate with the intention of it being a lonely profession or at least a family business. But, like literally everything else in my life, the universe had a different plan. I recently discovered that one of the things I enjoy most about this business is how I get to HELP other people. (That’s been my word of the year for two years now!) I thoroughly enjoy helping clients achieve their goals. Maybe its a house in the boonies with land for animals, or a condo in the city so they can walk to everything, or a rental to keep them safe until they can buy. Whatever! Literally! When I do my job from a heart of service, I get the most from my success. Recently, that has really extended into helping other real estate agents as well.

This business doesn’t have to be cut throat. It isn’t a competition to make more money than my fellow agent. I don’t have any secrets to doing business that I want to keep away from everyone else. In my opinion, there isn’t even a “magic bullet” in real estate that creates success. It is all about the WORK. Put in the TIME, follow a GUIDE, and find HELP! How much TIME…that’s up to you. What GUIDE….that depends on you. Where do you find HELP…it is literally everywhere. The help I found came from my firm, Giving Tree Realty. Not because they have a magic formula that breeds million dollar sales, but because they have a collective atmosphere of support, guidance, and hard work mixed with a few examples of what not to do and guided by a moral compass to put all of it into perspective. It’s not just a recruiting tool to say that we have a family atmosphere and a giving spirit. It is literally at the core of our system. The moral compass is what has fueled my success in business, but more so in my life and mind. I’m not selling 30 million a year, but I’m making more money than I ever have, and I still have time to run a farm and make dinner for my family.

REALTORs are different from Real Estate Agents. This label means certain certifications, memberships, and training. Many agents choose to not go that extra mile, because of the fees. We are guided by ethical standards, required to maintain continuing education credits, and regulated by a Commission. This symbol means the highest level of professional in this business.

Humans are social creatures. We do not thrive on our own. We can survive and even succeed, but we reach our highest potential when we have a community of support lifting us up. That is one of the reasons I think it is imperative that buyers and sellers be represented by a licensed agent, even better a Realtor. There is so much you do not know in this crazy market! You spend your days in whatever your world consists of. I spend my days reading, researching, and reacting to the ever-changing real estate market. I like to compare it to going to court for a life sentence without an attorney. Who would do that?! You need and deserve representation when your life hangs in the balance, and, on a purchase that controls the next 30 years of your life, it does! And, like an attorney, you get what you pay for! If you are selling your house and choose “the cheapest” Realtor, you will get “the worst” deal, one way or another. Feel free to ask me for examples! I. Have. Thousands.

This value of support had led me to want to create my own “Team”. I put it in quotes because the traditional definition of a real estate team is a group of agents with an abundance of leads, or at least that’s what I was told. That is not mine! I want to create a place where agents with like minded goals can get the true, honest, and helpful support to THRIVE in their business (and life, since we don’t live in a vacuum). I’ve been working through what that looks like and have a great plan, so now I just need to put it in reality. It starts with philosophy. It’s not about making the most money in the Lake Norman area, it’s about helping the most people. That looks very different for every agent, client, and person that will cross our path, but that is the point. They will ALL get what I call concierge level service. Literally, the highest level of service possible. And it will happen, not because they do or do not deserve it, but simply because they are here.

Real Estate as a career has been life changing for me. I knew it would be. There are a million predictors out there about what will happen this year in the market. At the end of the day, no one really knows. I’m going to keep following my moral compass and see where the year shakes out. I have the tools because of Giving Tree Realty. I’ll be over here putting in the WORK if anyone wants to join me!