15 years
This week, I marked my 15thyear as a full-time Realtor (20 years since I was first licensed).
My 15 Years as a Realtor
Some might say the timing to leave my career in e-commerce at a Fortune 500 company and jump into real estate that Fall of 2008 was not great. Afterall, e-commerce was experiencing huge growth and the real estate market, well, we all know what happened then.
Starting a career in real estate is hard enough in a balanced market but the headwinds from an oversupply of homes, foreclosures and timid buyers at the time made the transition extra challenging. I learned a lot in those early days about perseverance, providing a very good customer experience and patience, a lot of patience. That was the last time Bergen County saw such low sales volume and I had to learn what to do in a down market.
The market we are in now is similar in some ways to 2008-2012 but not in ways you might think.
- Many real estate agents are leaving business – Just like in 2008, agents are leaving real estate behind because when business dries up, it is time for many to retire or to fall back on another career with a steady income. In the past 12 months, 2100 NJ real estate agents have left and it will continue to rise into 2024. However, I’m not going anywhere!
- Sales are low, the lowest since 2011 – The reason, however, is not due to an economic crisis but a shortage of inventory brought on by high interest rates.
- Pricing precision of homes is still key – Sellers still need to be realistic with pricing because even with a lack of inventory, buyers are savvy enough to understand what a home is worth.
In this downturn, agents have had to demonstrate their value more than ever, myself included. I circle back to the foundation in which I started my business – perseverance, providing a very good customer experience and patience – while recommitting to the next 15 years and proving my value with each and every relationship and transaction.
As I reflect on the last 15 years, I want to thank the 200+ families who trusted me enough to help them sell or buy, rent or invest. The relationships that have come from this career has been the most rewarding aspect of it all and I look forward to the relationships I have yet to form.