Fear and Apprehension in Atlanta

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Lori Bee’s goat wearing @RealtyMan’s tshirt

Real estate has never been a process for me of stepping into an established circle and picking up the listings that came about because of these relationships. I started late- two years ago, in fact, and the circle in which I travelled was already established. No first time home-buyers there, and everyone had a family real estate agent. As much as they may have liked me, they did not trust that I could push a transaction through to close. Honestly? If the shoe had been on the other foot, I wouldn’t have wanted to work with a newly-licensed inexperienced agent either.

So real estate sales has been a matter of me, for the most part, learning to read my clients quickly and establish a true rapport with them based on my sense of them. Frankly, this has not been the easiest thing for me to learn! A true daughter of my engineer father, I am not gifted with immediate character insight, and was not the most outgoing of people. I easily learned the real estate process, but the people process was more intimidating to me.

When I went to RE Tech South, I was- I have to admit- a touch apprehensive. These people, by and large, are dynamic and intelligent, and just the sort of people I love to be around- but there were 400 of them!! I had met some at Inman NYC, and become friendly with others through Facebook and twitter. I had gone to Inman with Gerry Bourgeois, a broker-owner in Leominster, and he eased the way for me, introducing me to many of the people that I would be seeing- and this time I would be going alone.

Things fell into place, and my apprehension melted like our snow. I ended up rooming with the best possible roommate- Lori Bee of Bee Realty- and loved the whirlwind of connecting and reconnecting with the Realtors and others who are part of what has been called Real Estate 2.0.

At the actual conference itself, we were given many gems- both tools and information. But one thing stood out for me. One of the speakers said- and I am paraphrasing- when you are planning on implementing something, don’t plan and plan. Mark it on your calendar- then do it. Ignore it if you feel uncomfortable. Become comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.

There is a difference between being uncomfortable- internally oriented- and being frightened, which has basis in external factors. I took my first airline flight on the way down. I saw pictures of Lori Bee’s children- and better and richer, heard the pride in her voice as she described them to me. I spoke with young entrepreneurs and brilliant lights- people whose ideas had carried them through the success of a first business and on to another, and whose ideas reignited the fire in my belly. The experience was fantastic and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, in retrospect.

Social media is daunting to many people. But I feel like being online is like entering a brightly lit hallway, with doors and doors leading off of it. You can refuse to enter the hallway altogether, you can carry your lounge chair in with you and sit once you are in there. Or you can look for the doors, and going through those is where the real pleasure lies. One of those doors for me was real estate, another was the conference on Thursday. I am still looking for the door marked “Secret of Life”- I don’t know if it exists, I don’t know what is behind it, but I know I will be sustained in the meantime.

Real estate or social media questions? Find me
...On Facebook where you can access a home search
...All of my online links
...On LinkedIn
...Email me at diane@realtyman.com
...or call 978-840-4014