I Love my Job… But Sometimes I Hate My Industry

Don’t get me wrong: I love my job. I love helping people find their dream home, even (especially!) when it takes a lot of searching to get there. I love, love, LOVE marketing homes. And to top it all off, I get to constantly meet new and interesting people and be involved in a very important, very exciting time in their lives. It’s a pretty cool gig, I shouldn’t complain.

My name is Kirsten, and I sell real estate.

It’s time for me to make a confession.

I don’t actually like a lot of things about the real estate industry.

Don’t get me wrong: I love my job. I love helping people find their dream home, even (especially!) when it takes a lot of searching to get there. I love, love, LOVE marketing homes. And to top it all off, I get to constantly meet new and interesting people and be involved in a very important, very exciting time in their lives. It’s a pretty cool gig, I shouldn’t complain.

And yet…

There are some problems in my industry I just can’t reconcile myself with. To the point that sometimes when I’m networking, instead of saying “I sell Real Estate,” it comes out more like “I sell real estate.” Because I’m in an industry that as a whole, has done some serious things wrong, and a new generation of agents like myself are dealing with that backlash.

Much like the lack of regulation in the lending industry, we haven’t seen much regulation of real estate agents, and it’s hurting us. Low education requirements, lack of supervision by brokers, lack of marketing knowledge and lack of professionalism have really tarnished what should be a highly regarded industry of professionals helping to guide people through a very complicated and emotional process.

So what can we do to turn things around? Thankfully, the state of Washington has added much more stringent educational guidelines and licensing qualifications that will take effect in 2010. They’ll also require brokers to much more carefully supervise their newer agents (they’ll have to review every line of every contract new agents write, for one). Stricter guidelines have already been inacted in the lending industry in Washington requiring licensing of loan officers (they had to take and pass a test – some 45% declined and simply left the business). But that’s not enough.

Both myself and my fellow agents will have to do more. We need to educate the consumer to help make better choices. And not through marketing propaganda that really only says “choose me for your agent!” but through actual, helpful, useful sharing of some of our wisdom with nothing to gain but a more educated consumer demanding higher quality.

And you as the consumer have a role in this as well. It’s time to step up – you know better! Get educated before you call the guy who sends you postcards every month and let him list your home. The internet is a huge wealth of information – do some research! Ask around. Find out who your friends used and google them to find out what they’re all about before you commit to working with them. Make sure your agent is going to be the right fit for you, and don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions. They’re making a lot of money because it’s a complicated transaction with a lot of liability for a lot of different parties. You’re paying them that money – make sure they earn it. And once you’ve done your research, commit to the right person so that you can have a relationship built on mutual trust and understanding.

And what am I going to do about all of this?

I’m going to make a commitment (scary!*) today. I’m going to do my part to educate. I’m going to use this blog to share information, stories, and sometimes just humor in an effort to get the word out there. But this isn’t a one way street. It’s a conversation and I hope you’ll join in. I’m always open to the opinions of others, even if they aren’t the same as my own.

Kris Berg wrote a post on Inman News today where she said that we in the the industry are “living with the backlash of a poor image and questioned value.” So let’s change things, one person at a time. I hope the industry will shift towards treating real estate with the professionalism it deserves, and I truly hope the consumer holds us to a higher standard. Starting. Right. Now.

*seriously, I’ve got a thriving business, do the marketing for my husband’s, and have two kids and enough poo stories to keep me busy for a lifetime. So it’s a weighty commitment I’m making to you readers. But this is important and I want to make it happen. If we’re going to have a better world out of all this turmoil, we’ve got to each work to make things better, one person, one scary commitment at a time.

Who’s with me?