Did I Choose Real Estate, or Did Real Estate Choose Me?

Have you ever wondered how your Realtor got into real estate or why they did?  Today, I’ll answer that question about me.

I “started” in real estate back in 1976.  At that time, I had the huge job of copying my mom’s loan files.  In between, I was selling lemonade with my sister at our lemonade stand, learning how to run a business.

I remember being about 9 and asking my mom why Fannie and Freddie never joined us for dinner.  I was convinced that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae were friends of my moms since I heard about them all the time.

As I got older, I got more involved with my mom’s business. By the time I hit double digits, I was processing her loans.  By the time I graduated from high school, I was convinced that I did not need any more real estate in my life.  Instead, I ran off to Berkeley and then off to law school.  Like any good little graduate, I became an associate, then I became a partner and finally started my own firm.  Then, I started getting those phone calls.  The ones from my friends that went something like this, “I know you don’t do real estate but, I want to buy/sell a home, and I need your help.”

Alright, so I like to help my friends, and maybe I knew a little about real estate. So, I would give them some basics, and then I would tell them to find a knowledgeable real estate professional since I wasn’t licensed to sell real estate, and really they should call me to help with legal issues.

One after another, the friends would call me back and again ask me for help.  I’d tell them again that I wasn’t licensed and didn’t do this for a living.  It turns out that all those years in the office, at the copier, on the phone, at the dinner table had actually taught me a lot about real estate.

Each time this happened, I would mention it to my husband, and he would say,”You really seem to enjoy real estate.  Why didn’t you get in to it?” 

My answer? “It’s what my family did, and I wanted to be a lawyer.”

“Do you enjoy it more than law?”

That stopped me.  You know.  I might.  As I thought about it, I realized that I really did enjoy it, and further a real estate practice allowed me to meet a lot of new people and come up with creative marketing ideas and fun ways to interact with people.

So, fast forward a dozen years, and here I am, a Costa Mesa Realtor who really enjoys what I do.

Did I choose real estate, or did real estate choose me?  I’m not really sure, but it’s been quite a ride.