Being in the Housing Market

So I'm a Realtor's Assistant. Been one for over a year now. I really didn't know what this job entailed when I first got hired. I'm part-time and I make $8.50 an hour. My hours are extremely flexible, and I can pretty much come in and work when ever I feel like. On the other hand, when houses aren't selling, I have no work to do. The hours I work can very as much as 10 hrs a week to 25 hrs a week. Just depending on the market.

I really like my Boss. He's a cool guy, even if I think his hair style and 'stach are pretty dated. He goes to rock concerts with his wife and teenage daughter on a regular basis. He has a Jazz and Rock band that he runs. He also teaches music at a private school. Even when he's not working as a Realtor, I think he's gotta be pretty busy!

One of the things I've discovered is that Realtor's are "masters of disguise". They can put on smiles that are worth 10 million dollars and be thinking how much they loathe and despise the person they're talking to. It's a wonder to behold, because it's not just the smile... it's the whole body language too. They really know how to send of all the right signals to make you think they're really genuinely interested in everything you have to say, even when they're not. Really, quite amazing!

I don't think most people realize how Realtors work. They get money on commission. So if you don't sell your house, they don't make any money. And if the price is lowered, they're commission will be lower too (since their commission is % based). We had one client dump us after their home wouldn't sell, even though it'd gone into contract 3 times at that point. (It was really not our fault that the buyers kept having problems getting the banks to mortgage the house... which was also over priced. ~_~; ) We wasted $500 on these people and they had the nerve to blame us for the house not selling.

Anyway, when a Realtor says "The price you want to sell is to high. Lower it to XXX amount and people will buy" you should listen to them. They have nothing to gain by insisting on a lower price. It's actually a good sign that you picked an *honest Realtor* when they tell you what you don't want to hear and are willing to take a commission hit to get your home sold.

My Boss actually offers a lot of services for a Realtor. He's really good at what he does too. (He'd be even better if people would listen to what he's saying!) As an Assistant I handle a lot of the technical--none legal and financial--aspects of his job. I take photos of the houses, I make the Virtual Tours, I'm his website manager, I send in the info for all the adverts online and on paper (magazines and newspaper and things). I make every House Flyer "by hand" and use no templates at all. (Very rare in this business.)

I also do a lot of things I don't expect. I do a lot of research related to what other realtors are doing and advertising techniques online. My Boss is constantly sending me FW emails from companies who are trying to get his business. He doesn't have the time (or inclination I expect) to look up whether these companies are worth it, so he makes me do it for him. One of these days I'm just gonna have to tell him straight up "These are just spam. Please just ignore them! If I needed help in these areas I'd have brought it to your attention already."

Ah, but frankly I'm too much of a pansy to say that. I really am. *cries*

That's also something I'm not sure how to deal with. I really don't know how to talk with my Boss. Or it's more accurate to say: I'm terrified of saying something really stupid or obnoxious without meaning to. I'm one of those people who just says what's on my mind at the WORST POSSIBLE TIMES. I also don't know when to shut up. Or I don't speak up when I should and end up in a conversation where I'm suppose to know something and I really don't. This makes things awkward for me when I talk to my Boss. I think I send up multiple prayers weekly that go something like "Oh God, please help me not to sound like an idiot today!"

I really genuinely want to do an excellent job. I want to be the type of worker that any Boss will be sad to see go. I want to be the type of person who clients can trust. I want my work to reflect my respect and love for God, ya know?

When I make mistakes or do something really dumb (and I have, trust me) it makes me want to just curl up and die. It's times like that when I wonder if my expectations are just too high. But lowering them seems like a bad idea, because I'll likely end up being a slacker.