My Journey to Becoming a Real Estate Agent

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My Journey to Becoming A Real Estate Agent - How to Become a Real Estate Agent

My Journey To Becoming A Real Estate Agent

For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in becoming a real estate agent. My Dad likes to tell the story of how I would beg and plead for him to take me to open houses on Sundays when I was growing up. In the 90’s, there wasn’t Realtor.com, or Zillow, or Trulia– the real estate magazines were how you knew what was listed. I remember picking them up at the grocery store and pouring over them for hours.

After high school, I attended Ashland University and graduated with a Marketing degree. Real estate kept calling though, and I found my 22 year old self working as a leasing agent for a huge 1,000 unit student housing community near Ohio State. We moved 500 units out and in every year.  I. LOVED. IT. I worked in property management in various roles for about 5 years including leasing agent, marketing manager and even some condo sales.

 

Dream Job At Hondros

All that time though, getting my license was always something in the back of my mind. I was ready to leave property management, but scared to take the jump into real estate cold turkey. Job searching one day, I stumbled across a job posting for Marketing Director at Hondros College of Business. I remember thinking how amazing it would be to work at the school that teaches just about everyone who gets their real estate license in Ohio. I interviewed at the school and was just so impressed by the caliber of professionals that ran the school. They cared so much about the student and their success, I knew I had to be a part of it. I took the job in 2011, and was able to get my real estate license a few months later. I learned the industry inside and out for my Marketing Director role. The job was absolutely amazing and I learned so much during it – about problem solving, digital marketing, social media, communication and more.

 

Taking The Leap

Life called though, and in early 2015 I knew I needed more time to focus on my family.  You see- I live in beautiful Richland County, I have three wonderful kids (all under 7 years old!) and was driving 2 hours a day to commute to Westerville and back.

I craved more time with my family, to be able to pick my son up from preschool, take my daughter to swim practice, and honestly just be able to hold my newborn baby as much and as long as possible before she grew up.

My husband and I were in agreement. It was time to take the leap. I made the tough decision to step down from my dream job. Luckily, Hondros is wonderful and transitioned me to a part time, real estate marketing consulting role.

I also jumped into real estate sales with both feet. After all, I have three colleges to pay for! In just the first 8 months of 2016 alone, I have sold over $3.3 million dollars of real estate, received the 2016 OAR Presidential Sales Club award, and am currently ranked in the top 20 agents in sales for 2016 in my area. My life is exactly how I want it to be. I am able to see my kids all the time, volunteer at Church, and be in a career I love.

 

Thinking About Becoming a Real Estate Agent?

You see, I am a real estate agent, who is constantly exposed to cutting edge trends and topics through my role at Hondros. I have the best of both worlds. Fellow real estate agents, you could too with the Hondros Alumni Association, but that is an article for another day! If you are thinking about a career in real estate, my advice to you is don’t wait! You can do it. I have spoken with so many other working Moms who, just like me, are desperate to see their kids more but are afraid to take the leap. All I can tell you is, I’m so glad I did. That’s all for now, I have to go get the baby up from a nap and show a house later 😉

 

About the Author

Stephanie Webb Realtor

Stephanie Webb is a licensed Realtor in the State of Ohio and a Hondros ambassador. She loves all things social media and is extremely passionate about real estate. Follow Stephanie’s weekly blog on Hondros.com for real estate stories, marketing ideas, social media tips and more!

 

 

 

 

 

** information as of 8/16/16 from the Mansfield MLS and Sluss Realty Property Volume Tracking numbers

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