Sunday, February 03, 2008

My first week as a REAL Estate Agent

Introduction

Well, I made it through. My first week in my new job, and it was a week of many ups and downs, all of them internal as I got to grips with my new environment.

This ain't Kansas anymore!

I am used to a paper based office; applicants filled out on cards and kept in a box on my desk. Viewings logged in a monthly book (with the month's applicants logged at the back), and the property information kept on files which had to be noted up with every viewing. Lots of writing and no computer in sight.
In my new job all of the above is recorded on computer, sitting on my desk and only for me to use (everyone having their own). Now I know computers aren't new, but as I said on my interview, "I've never used a computer to do my job". It all comes as a bit of a culture shock and will take a while to become intuitive.

How much?!

Now I knew going in that I would be selling more expensive properties now, but hadn't anticipated how the sizing up would actually feel. First of all if you are looking for a 3 bed house and can afford a budget of £850,000, then A, your gonna have a better job than definitely me, and probably anyone I've sold a house to before, and B, arguably cut from a finer cloth. The true shock came on my second day when I registered a lady looking for a house near a station and her budget was 1.6 (millions of pounds)!! I panicked and wondered if I had to pass this lady onto a manager or something, but no, these are the people I'm now here to help!

A deer in headlights

Needless to say I so far haven't been to anxious to take a look around some of these properties I'm supposed to sell, that all look like magazine specials. I asked jokingly if I need to curtsy when meeting the vendors! And I already find myself trying to speak as properly as I can on the phone and in the office as the people I've dealt with so far are extremely well spoken! I'll eventually get used to it all and soon wont pay it any mind; and 'yes', I know they're just people and 'yes', I know they're not better than me because they have money but you can't help but be a little circumspect the first time round.

Fingers crossed

It's all a little scary because I'm on probation and only have 3 months to prove that I'm good enough to be there. I'm the only one on sales in my office, but my manager can sell too plus there are 4 more offices in the company, and with the database being open to all, I'm actually in direct competition with every sales negotiator employed! No pressure. No longer do I have to just beat the guy on the desk next to me, but the guys in the other offices!

Long ole week!

I've never had a Monday to Friday job. Never! Well not till now that is. I am so used to having a day off every 2 or 3 days that my body just ain't built for the 5 day run. That's probably gonna be the hardest thing for me to adjust to. Come Friday last week I was dead in the water, and I have had no energy this weekend. The thought of having the work another 5 days before getting another day off has practically broken me already!

No pain, no glory!