This article first appeared in Real Estate magazine’s special-edition Women in Real Estate issue. View the entire issue here.
Women consider real estate an ideal career because it presents many opportunities to create a pliable balance between work and family with uncapped earning potential. Being your own boss and setting your own hours allows you to be present for the important life, school and sporting events. However, you will likely spend nights and weekends jump-starting your client list by cold calling, holding open houses and working 60-plus hours a week, which may not provide the freedom that you envisioned. Therefore, it is important to have confidence, set boundaries and prioritize self-care.
Confidence in real estate is key. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, women represent 64 percent of their membership. Bouncing between elated entrepreneurship and “mom guilt,” women can meet, beat or fall short of expectations. In whatever expectation camp your career falls into, have confidence in what you are doing. Have the confidence to never stop learning. Get a mentor, study your market, and attend webinars and training. Many virtual brokerages, such as REeBroker Group, have a principal focus on training and mentoring. In fact, REeBroker Group has an experienced woman broker and supervisor on their team who enjoys teaching, guiding and advising agents, increasing their confidence throughout the transaction process. Have confidence to market your farm, to explain and negotiate contracts, and to set realistic goals and timelines for your clients. Have confidence in yourself as a business owner, neighborhood expert, mother, friend and woman.
In such a time-demanding field, it is crucial to set prioritized boundaries. This begins with choosing the brokerage that best fits your needs and respects your set boundaries. Secondly, be honest with your clients and set clear expectations on what your days and hours of availability are. Clients want attention, but it is acceptable and appropriate to be available yet schedule-conscious. Find the balance for superior client services by time-blocking, and ensure that your family is a priority. Set up your family events and dinners as “appointments” so that the time is blocked out and you are unavailable. Your clients will respect your time and efforts while providing schedule freedoms that work best for you and your family.
Lastly, ensure that you are taking time for yourself so that you don’t burn out. Schedule time for personal development, whether it’s exercising, reading a business (or personal) book, attending religious events or indulging in spa services. However you choose to practice self-care, make sure you’re being intentional about this time by setting personal development goals and creating a plan to meet those goals.
The important thing is to find your balance. Every woman has different needs and wants in their personal life and career ambitions. Seek out a brokerage that works with you. If you are looking for freedom and flexibility of time, virtual brokerages typically have no office/floor time, varying training schedules and no minimum transaction count.
Next time you are feeling bogged down, irrationally busy or inadequate, remember that women bring unique aspects to the real estate table. We are compassionate, empathetic and masters of multi-tasking. What we do now empowers future generations of women REALTORS®.
Sarah Vance is the marketing manager at REeBroker Group. For more information, please visit https://reebroker.com.
