#PropertyReport: Real estate business is a marathon, not a sprint

As the ultimate human race, the Comrades Marathon, draws closer, you will probably hear the phrase “it’s a marathon not a sprint” quite a lot in the coming weeks.

Just getting to the start line of the Comrades is hard enough (which I personally can attest to during my months of preparation), and to complete the 90km event in less than 12 hours is one hell of a task!

But interestingly, this phrase also reminds me how interlinked it is with real estate.

Starting out in this business as an estate agent is what I want to focus on, outlining how challenging it can be.

Just ask any agent who’s been doing the job for six months and they will tell you that it wasn’t as easy as they thought it was going to be.

Ultimately, like the Comrades (as I have been told), there is no preparing the mind for what you are about to encounter.

In our industry we have to deal with rejection, unrealistic clients, irrational clients, and sometimes, the totally unreasonable way some people think they can talk to you.

And lest we forget, everything an agent does, every appointment not kept messes us around, is all done for free, or more correctly at a loss until a buyer or tenant sees a transaction through to the very end.

So, you might now have second thoughts about getting into the industry… but there is another side.

If you can see yourself through the first 12 months, hang in there and handle some of the downsides that I have just mentioned, then the upsides can be in abundance.

First, it can be and should be a lot of fun. It is such an interesting industry that if you are not having fun with your team and clients, then perhaps it’s time for a rethink.

It is also incredibly rewarding. Most clients are wonderful to deal with, appreciating the fact that the property practitioner is the person who solves their “problems” and finds them the perfect home.

Knowing you add value in this way is very rewarding and should motivate you to get up in the morning and go to the office in a positive frame of mind day in and day out.

This was beautifully demonstrated last week in my office when someone who has been with us for seven months signed her first offer, which had been the culmination of hard work, sticking with the process and her mentor and applying what she had learned over the challenging first six months. She then followed up with her second signed offer a few days later.

For some people this happens a bit quicker, while for many it takes longer, but experience is everything in this game.

To any newbie out there, I implore that you stick with it, find a good mentor, sponge in the training, manage your expectations, and like those 90km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, enjoy the journey.

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