TEAM Hughes Real Estate School Blog

Licensed in 1983 at the age of 10 (okay, so that would make me 42 – yerright!!!). Okay, let me start over with a bit of honesty here. Licensed in 1983 at the age of 34, I experienced a bit of arrogance, a bit of excitement, some anticipation, and a whole lot of fear! Prior to that, I had worked in the legal field since 1966, but I knew money was on the other side of the desk. Someone convinced me that I could do it, so as a single mother of two, with no child support in sight, I thought, “What the heck,” I had nothing to lose because I had already lost everything.

The first couple of years of being a REALTOR® are the hardest on your bank account, but they are the easiest for pleading ignorance each time a mistake is made. Believe me; I certainly made my share of mistakes! There was a time I had to split the cost of a refrigerator, another time I bought fireplace accessories, and let’s not forget the ceiling fan that had to be installed at my expense. Yes, I’m human, and I mess up.

My first sale was 30 days into the business and was an owner financed doublewide mobile home for $39,900 at 14% interest. It turned out to be my listing and my sale, so when I got paid, I thought I had arrived! That was more money in one check than lawyers had ever paid me. Admittedly, the lead for the listing came to me through a friend, but I found the buyer myself, or rather, the buyer found me, so I took credit for being good at my craft. What arrogance I had!

Throughout the years, I’ve managed, trained, owned a franchise, succeeded, failed, sorta kinda made it financially, and then got broke. I’ve owned over 25 homes, and I’ve made money on most, not all of them. I’ve been a landlord, a note holder, a partner, an entrepreneur, and I’ve never looked back. When I finally realized how much I loved teaching real estate, it was liberating! After all the years of selling, listing, leasing, managing, recruiting, and solving problems, I was free to give back what others had given to me!

Students sit in awe of my classroom stories. They’re like little kids being told an exciting story and they can’t wait to hear the ending. I love that about them. I love being the dream weaver, the storyteller, the one who’s been there and done that. I don’t just tell them good stuff. I tell them some of the mistakes that cost dearly. They need to hear them. They need to take caution. They need to know pitfalls, and they realize I’m human, I make mistakes. I love this part of my job.

Bonding with my students is not unusual for me. We become a team and the goal is to get them licensed. Contact me if you want to know more. I’m here for you.