Wherever the Road Leads

“Can I tell you something, kid? I’ll give you a desk here, but you’re going to have to cut that ponytail off. You look like a damn hippy, and nobody would want to buy a house from you.”

This was how I was interrupted mid-sentence at my first hiring interview at a local brokerage in Aptos back in the early 90’s. In response, I thanked the broker for her time and let her know that I wasn’t planning on cutting my ponytail any time soon.

I did however note that an interview was apparently more like an audition than an assessment of actual skills or abilities, so on the way to my next attempt to get hired, I took it upon myself to tuck a  blank pocket organizer under my arm and bought a necktie at Mervyn’s, enlisting the sales associate’s help to attach it around my neck.

The props apparently worked, because they signed me up on the spot, and before I knew it, I was attending a series of 32 different educational sessions on everything from contracts to septic tanks, alongside 7 or 8 other newly minted agents, most of whom had recently gotten their licenses through an on-line correspondence course, just as I had. I had zero business plan, a creative mindset, and a general disdain for the word “No!”.

From these basic premises, I built a reputation for being the kind of agent people could call with their toughest projects, and the more unorthodox the situation, it would make me that much more drawn to the challenge. I quickly found myself immersed in everything from business opportunities to homes on the peripheral areas of the County, along with a fair number of multi-res and commercial projects along the way.

It was helpful to have the backing and fundamentals of an established brokerage to draw from in learning the trade, because classes will only take you so far, and I found the best way to learn is to immerse yourself into each project you take on, learning how to solve problems as they present themselves. 

Having built my own brokerage around these same principles, it is gratifying to have come full circle in encouraging my agents to take a similar approach of full-contact real estate, where every day brings new challenges, new connections and a new sense of satisfaction each time you are able to make something good happen.

And I have to say it’s been a far more interesting path than I ever could have dreamed of on my own to accompany each agent and each client on their journey wherever the road leads.