CHANGING CAREERS: GETTING STARTED IN REAL ESTATE
The uncertainty of what the future may bring is what’s keeping people stuck in their unfulfilling day jobs from changing careers. And while it is true that it comes with its own risks—and even terrifying for those in their early or late 30s or 40s—there is one industry that you may want to consider, given the right kind of attention it has been receiving from investors lately: Real estate.
Many working moms and dads have found success in real estate following a career switch either due to a career slump or the loss of a job.
Sandy Sparks, 46, a mother and a substitute teacher based in North Carolina, is one of them. Realizing that her annual salary ($9,000) was not enough to help her husband pay their son’s college tuition, Sparks decided to enter the real estate sector, according to MyFox8.com. The housing market just crashed, but she followed her gut feeling, studied and took the licensing exam and has become top agent within a year. She has bested over 4,000 Keller Williams’ agents in North and South Carolina and is currently number two in terms of sales volume.
“If I’m up, I’m working. I love what I do and I’m passionate about what I do. I don’t do this because I care about houses; I care about people. I am passionate about people. So don’t let words people say stop you. So don’t let your best friends or family tell you can’t or shouldn’t do something, if you feel it in the deepest part of your heart. Just do it and you’ll do it with excellence,” said Sparks of her drive to succeed.
The National Association of Realtors said that the median age of its real estate agents is 52. It also added that only 5 percent of their members report selling real estate as their first job,” according to the Life Reimagined for Work website. It only goes to show that it’s never too late to get started in real estate.
Sparks is blessed with much enthusiasm to be in the market that she was able to defy the odds. But if you are a little bit conservative about jumping on the bandwagon, Douglas B. Richardson, a Pennsylvania-based career coach, recommends reexamining your skills and options first.
“If you’re conducting a fundamental career reappraisal, you must pay attention to three distinct areas of inquiry,” Richardson said in his interview with CareerCast.com. These areas are:
-What are you capable of doing?
-What are you temperamentally suited to do?
-What will the world let you do, given what you’ve done before?
“This last point often is ignored by idealistic or highly motivated career changers,” said Mr. Richardson, who has switched careers many times in the past. “They overlook the fact that their future career options are dramatically limited by past choices,” he told CareerCast.com.
Those who have just begun their career path in real estate can depend on real estate technologies to make their first home sale easier.
Author: Jana Bile
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Why Use AMPI?
AMPI is the national association of real estate professionals that have, since 1956, gathered under laws and codes of ethics and conduct to create a reliable, trustworthy an efficient real estate environment in Mexico.
AMPI consists of separate autonomous sections all throughout the nation, as well as more than 4,000 associates and affiliates.
Each section is independent and has its own board of directors, only surpassed by a national board of directors comprised of twenty associates from all over the republic.
Developed over the years with the input and knowledge of its members, AMPI is much more than just a collection of offices.
AMPI has been a solid and recognized institution in Mexico for the past 27 years. It was originally established in 1956 and was consolidated in 1980.
AMPI is currently represented in all the principle cities and regions of Mexico stretching from Tijuana to Cancun.
The Riviera Nayarita, Vallarta and Compostela chapters of AMPI are dedicated to promote the best practices in real estate by providing its members with education to reinforce the standards of ethics that give our industry the credibility which our clients deserve.
AMPI is committed to giving our membership access to a multiple listing service that forms the platform from which our industry can expand locally and into other markets while giving our members precise and up to date information that is vital to continuous improvement and growth.
