I am often called an introvert, which is not the best personality type for someone in the real estate business, where we constantly have to reach out to people in very uncomfortable ways like through cold calling and door knocking. But the real estate business needs introverts. We are the ones with our heads caught up in the clouds, but it takes that kind of birds-eye view to see the problems that are too big for the people on the ground to see. In fact, the problems are so big we can easily get engulfed by them. It takes someone who is willing to disconnect from everything to see these big problems, because that's often the only way not to get sucked in by their immense pressure.
What problems? For one, real estate has become too niched. The problem is, it's too big a subject matter to be a niche. Everyone has to make big real estate decisions multiple times in their lives, and they now need to rely on a real estate professional to make those decisions, because real estate has become too complex and esoteric with its regulations, required documents, and exclusive knowledge. We shouldn't need a specialist to buy or sell a house. I understand, it is a big decision and we want to make sure no one takes advantage of us, so we want someone who represents our interests. But when there's a whole economic sector trying to make money off representing your best interests, it becomes so competitive that it's hard to know when your interests end and theirs begin.
Secondly, real estate specialists have made our hometowns into a marketplace, where every piece of land has a price tag that could be bought by the highest bidder. When I started learning about the investing side of real estate, I was disheartened by the advice I was hearing from multiple places. Several mentors told me that real estate investors aren't even really in the real estate business. They're in the marketing business, and their product is real estate. This was an illuminating revelation for some of the fellow novices in my classes, but I just shook my head in disagreement every time I heard it.
I thought maybe I'd get different advice from real estate agent coaches, but that wasn't the case. While they didn't admit the same reality in the same words, the things they taught me alluded to the same problem. I call it a problem, while the agents and investors just called it the reality, dealt with it and did business while acknowledging it. The problem is, saying real estate agents and investors are just marketers is like saying musicians just make music for the money. It's like saying writers just write to be bestsellers. It's like saying architects just design buildings to get hired for a project.
There's a false dichotomy today between art and practicality. But here's the true reality: there is an art to every profession and vocation; and to ignore the art of it is to omit the essential element. The art of a profession is in its essence. It's not about the work we do to make money at the job. It's about who we are when we do the work. It's kind of like what Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger say in their time-honored classic, Do What You Are. Character precedes action. Essence precedes matter. The work is what we do, but the essence of the work is why we do it. If we don't have an underlying reason for doing what we do, it doesn't matter how much money we make doing it. The material element of our work is insubstantial and betrays the art that is intrinsically present in the work.
So, thirdly, the problem with real estate today is that---in essence and for the most part (there are exceptions)---real estate professionals have forfeited their identity. We've exchanged it for more commissions and recognition. We've lost our character, and as a result we've lost the plot. That is why, while trying to succeed in the real estate business, I've been so uninspired. There is no story in this profession, because a story needs characters. The real estate profession just lacks character these days. Everyone is just chasing the cheese, and that's why they call it a rat race.
My goal is to change this in whatever ways I can, no matter how big or small. In addition to bringing some character to the art of real estate, I want to bring in another element that is essential to both storytelling and this business: the setting. You've heard it before, the three most important factors for a property are location, location, location. It's not important just because of land value though. Location is important because localism is important.
I'm advocating a more community-oriented approach to real estate, one that promotes the values of the local culture in every transaction, every interaction. With this philosophy I hope to strengthen local communities, which will help everyone in the real estate business. Strong local communities lead to higher property value. Higher property value in one area spreads to the neighborhoods and towns around it. When we respect the essence of a profession, everything else follows and falls in place. In this way, I hope to share the art, character, and universal value of the real estate business. I'm in it for the love of it, not just the money.
We are all called to love in specific ways. Some of us are called to combine a handful of our passions into one unique purpose. I've spent the past few years trying to carve out a unique purpose in my life, only to find that the fabric of modern society is not very conducive to carving out one's own path. Therefore, I decided to be "everything to everyone, that by all means I might save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22). My work is not what I've chosen as much as it is my attempt to fill the needs I see when I can and where I can. I saw the need to share the truth with clarity, so I started writing. I saw the need to provide transportation and delivery services, so I started working with driving gig apps. I saw our towns and neighborhoods deteriorating, so I became a real estate investor to rehab distressed properties. I saw people struggling to sell their homes or find a home, so I became a real estate agent. I do all of these jobs out of love for the profession itself, and out of love for my neighbors. What Pat Green says is true, "If you're not in it for the love, you're in it for the money."
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