10 year wisdom
Issue 119 - January 20th, 2023
A question that I love to ask people is, “What is something you wish you had known 10 years ago?” as it relates to work or life or however they feel like answering the question. You can learn so much from other people, and I have found this question to be the most interesting to ask people of all ages to see what you can glean from their insights and life experiences.
In the context of today’s post, I will answer this question from my lens as a real estate professional and former real estate agent. I am 36 years old now, and reflecting back on my time as an agent, I would answer this question in the following way…
I started my real estate career at 19 years old as a solo operator agent just figuring out everything on my own. I had some other agents around me in the offices at firms where I worked, but I never joined a team in my early days.
My advice to younger agents or anyone starting out regardless of age is to JOIN A TEAM in your early days. You have the opportunity to learn so much faster and it empowers you to start your career off on the right foot. I am thankful for my learnings as a solo agent, but I do think it took me longer to feel super comfortable doing deals on my own versus being backed up by a team. Making mistakes is part of the process as an agent, and I always believe that you can learn something new on every single deal, no matter how many deals you have ever completed - real estate is a crazy world and things surprise you every single day.
Reflecting back on my early career days, I do wholeheartedly believe that if I had joined a team when starting out that my learning and success would have compounded even faster and faster than it did on my own.
You don’t have to stay on a team forever. You can learn the ropes, get your feet underneath you, develop a good reputation in the market, and then go off and do your own deals or start your own team! The learnings you get from being around experienced operators in a lot of deal flow and real-life scenarios early in your career is incredible and cannot be learned as quickly on your own.
Short and sweet answer to this question, but I consistently tell agents this on a weekly basis when they come to me with questions. Join a team and set yourself up for success in your early days - you won’t regret it.
How would you answer this question: “What is something you wish you had known 10 years ago?”
Newsworthy Links To Share
Anywhere closed down its iBuying business, RealSure. Unlike many brokers and franchisors, Anywhere went big, partnering with Blackrock-backed Home Partners of America and hiring a serious CEO. Not good news, of course, but the company seems to be handling the severe market turbulence as well or better than most. (1000 Watt)
Meta dump: After months of speculation, it's official: Meta Platforms Inc. is dumping nearly half a million square feet in San Francisco, listing one of its two offices for sublease (CRE Daily)
Pagaya Technologies announces acquisition of Darwin Homes (SeekingAlpha)
Google Maps Chief Sees New Directions for Digital Navigation (WSJ)
Austin Skyscraper Watch: Paseo Apartment Tower Secures Financing to Rise on Rainey in 2023
The Supertalls Are Coming to Austin: A tech manufacturing and housing boom is bringing a pair of Texas-sized skyscrapers to the Lone Star State’s capital. (Bloomberg)
SUPER COOL: 13 ChatGPT Prompts for Real Estate Agents (with Example Outputs) – Prompter - Writing property descriptions when you should be running a house tour and actually selling the house is a nightmare for every real estate agent. With ChatGPT you can quickly generate fast and high-quality property descriptions, tailored to each listing.
The New Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel will be closed six nights every week for nearly three years to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy, Gothamist reports. The tunnel was flooded with 30 million gallons of saltwater during the 2012 storm.
Inman launches Inman Intel, a new data and research arm
The new offering gives expert analysis at the intersection of business data and audience insights, and launches today. (Inman)
Zavvie, a company that leapt to prominence with a solution enabling agents and brokers to co-opt iBuying, raised $3.65M in cash and debt and is expanding its offering to include other “alternative” options, including rent-to-own and pre-sale renovations. This is smart. Just because former proptech darlings are retrenching doesn’t mean the consumer itches they scratched have gone away. And brokers and agents can still use these services to catalyze important conversations. (1000 Watt)