I have a hobby for my hobby...
I love to weld. It is just fun. For those that don't regularly melt steel, this is kind of how it goes...
- take two pieces of steel that need to really be one piece...
- mock them into position...
- fire up the welder...
- the welder feeds a wire that will melt with the juice... kind of sacrificial...
- squeeze it in there like a glue stick... ok, there is a pattern and a rythm...
- let it cool... very important...
I actually do enjoy it. And there are two reasons. The first is that it is cool to know that I have the power to take some electricity and melt a couple of pieces of steel together. The second reason is that I can make things from metal when I need something made from metal. Cool groovy things... like Jeep frames. That is my current project.
Why is this like real estate?
Welding looks pretty easy from the outside (through the helmet - safety). Real estate looks pretty easy from the outside, too (no helmet required). But, not only are there some specific techniques, but they require practice. Great real estate agents don't just fire up their business every few months... they are in it every day. Welding takes consistent practice as well. Feeling the arc and hearing the right "sizzle" look amazingly easy when they are right... but it is when things go wrong that the experience shines.
Driving people around... collecting checks at closing... pointing out the bedrooms... those are all amazingly easy. But, when the financing goes south, buyers can't agree, the listing isn't getting visits and sometimes even writing compelling copy are when we earn our keep. Those are the times when experience counts.
Right now, in the midst of a buyer's market is when a listing agent really has to work. Getting buyers to put aside the 10,000 other listings in the city and look at your house is a challenge. But, with the credit crunch we are facing, buyer's agents are earning theirs, too. Being connected and knowing how to work the system is important. And you never really know how important those things are until you are facing them by yourself...
Just don't.
Unless otherwise noted, all content of this blog is the property of Lane Bailey, ©2012 Lane Bailey.
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