The very beginning

It was January, 1999 and my then-husband told me I should get my real estate license because I loved houses.  Now, twenty five years later, I realize how little the business of real estate has to do with the brick and mortar structures.   And  everything to do with people.  

 I joined a real estate agency in Summit, NJ which I chose because I loved the manager, Betty*,  who reminded me of the mom of one of my childhood friends.  Betty was kind and warm and had clearly been a grammar school teacher in a former life.   She prized education and hard work above all else.    I would like to say that I went into the business as a seasoned businesswoman, but really I was just a young mother who had little business experience.   My major in college had been Spanish Languages and Literature, which proved highly unhelpful in the business arena.  

Every week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the big event was called “Caravan.” I would head into the office excited to review  the open house list, which had been printed for each of the agents.   Driving to open houses as a back seat passenger of Judy A’s sleek black luxury sedan, I had zero knowledge of the things the “front seaters” spoke of, namely, pricing, clients, inventory, location, etc.   but I loved soaking it all up.

Each of us agents had a coverage area of 5-9 towns, and there were usually 5 or 6 open houses in each town, so it was a whirlwind to try to view 25-30 houses within 3 hours.   Caravan is something that is long gone in the industry.   Agents in general are not previewing homes for their clients, possibly because tech has become so good that it veritably replaces the first showing of a property.    But back then, it was everything.    Because I had no buyers to work with, I would “caravan” to learn what the seasoned front seaters would say about each house…..”That was priced well!” … “Did you see that painting in the living room?”  … “That backyard could hold a football team.” … “No garage for $1M! They will never get that!” 

I began very slowly to understand the nuances of pricing between the various towns, and why one three bedroom house was listed for $500,000, while another at $1.5M.    I would hear other agents talk about their buyers and their sellers and I found myself daydreaming about the day that I would actually have a real live client of my own to work with.  

*Names changed to protect the innocent.