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!

The long, long road

This is my 250th post! Wowzers! Yay me!

I start my new job tomorrow and I am a little apprehensive. I did the journey run for the first time on Friday morning and took a lil look around my new 'patch'. Despite it being a little bit more 'inner city' than where I've been used to working, there is definitely an insular village feel to the area. In fact I been told by someone who lives around there that it is now known as Hackney Village.

This past month I've not been able to go out as my cash flow is lower than I've ever known it. I've not one penny in my bank (I lie really - I actually have 17 pennies!), my credit card is totally maxed out, so no leaning on it as I have been in recent months. I've actually squeaked through so far this month by spending my Christmas and birthday money, but even that's all gone now! I'm gonna have to go bowl in hand to somebody....

Also in both good and bad news, giving up my job has meant giving up my car which is good because I wouldn't even be able to put petrol in the bugger right now, also having no car helps to keep me 'hermit-fied' and conserve money over the next 6 months whilst I build a pipeline in my new job which will hopefully translate into an improved pay packet come June. The downside of having no car means I'm now 'hermit-fied'!! (with no money to boot!). The internet and my PS3 are likely to become my new best friends.

the space my car used to go in

I recently bought 2 Hedkandi albums seeing as I've now gotta do all my raving indoors; Hedkandi - The Mix:2008 (I've got Axwell's, I Found You, on constant repeat (choonage!)) then when I need the chill-out room and some mellow vibes I slap on Hedkandi - Kandi Lounge.

choonage

Last night I was out for my and fellow colleague Neil's leaving drink. He arranged it all so I can't really claim it to be mine, its just that any leaving drink I would of arranged, would of been on the same night and featured the same people. We went for dinner in the fish restaurant 'Ark' in South Woodford. I had a tasty bit of salmon. We finished of the night in Switch bar, formerly Jets. I'd never been either before but Switch is defiantly worth going to again. I lost my wallet last night and had to walk home (no money) but luckily I had left in someone car and I have it back now. I was worried for a bit there and couldn't sleep soundly.

The end of an era...

3 weeks ago I quit my job....

...and today was my very last day with my current employer. Although, it didn't blooming feel like my last day. The phone still rang just as much, the problems still spewing out of the earpiece with their everyday regularity. Seriously you would not believe the amount of ways buying a property can go, and does go wrong. The slogan 'Same shit, different day' really does apply in my job. Most folks will move twice, maybe 3 times in their lives, so every problem they encounter during a sale becomes very real and a mini disaster as the experience is either new to them or long forgotten since the last time. However, with me selling 8 properties a month on average, and with the gestation period for an agreed sale being 3-4 months, it can mean that I could be problem-solving for some 30 odd transactions at varying stages, all with vendors and purchasers with little or no experience in the conveyancing process but seem to feel they know more than me just because its their property that's involved. All whilst I'm trying to sell my next 8 properties!! Being an estate agent is more like being a counselor!

It was also with a very heavy heart that I had to say 'goodbye' to my car. And I'm not sad because I no longer have a car and will have to take public transport, but because I got attached to my little car. My little Corsa that I'd had since new last March. I'm gonna miss the little tike!

I start my new job on Monday, and its more of the same! I'll be working for a much smaller company, but in a more upmarket area so I will sell less, but with property prices being higher, I can make more per unit. Put it this way, moneywise, 1 sale in my new office is equivalent to 7 sales in my old office!!

So 'goodbye' and 'thanks' to the five years with my old company and 'hello' to my new job and new challenges.

Birthday, Birthday

As has become standard in the last few years I combined my birthday celebration efforts with my, slightly better looking baby sister, as her birthday falls 2 days before mine. I know I probably said this on my blog last year but its always worth saying; my birthday is part of what is a modern day Holy Trinity. In the Bible you have the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but now you have Christmas Day (Jesus' birthday (allegedly)), New Years Day (the year's birthday)and capping it all off, my birthday (naturally the most important of the 3!)

Some months ago Sarah had told me that she didn't want to do anything special for her birthday, a quiet drink with a few friend would suit her: and at the time I wanted to go to School Disco which has moved from Hammersmith to Kentish Town (I will still wanna go too!), but after Paris and Christmas wiped out my finances I had to scale my ideas back. At which point Sarah wanted now to make something of her birthday and set about organizing a night out.

In fact Sarah got fed up with the planning, as every planners nightmare kicked in, trying to please everyone, and eventually dumped than plans on my lap the day we were going out! I table an idea which became our night out. Start off in the George in Wanstead then onto O'Neils in Leytonstone. That move also drew Greg (Pimp Daddy Blanc) out for the night whom I hadn't seen in ages and ages.

2k7 to 2k8 (aka NYE)

Now that all is said and done I can come clean on how much I spend on my New Years Eve ticket; £111.50 (including p+p and booking fee!). I did miss out on the £40 tickets by virtue of wanting as much money left available for the Paris trip. Who knew the NYE tickets would sell out so fast! Nevertheless, it was worth the money; Hedkandi, in the Indigo down at the O2 Arena. It was a bit of a no-brainer when Melissa came up with the suggestion early November. The Hedkandi Ibiza weekender we went on earlier in the year was my single most enjoyable moment and any way to relive those 2 1/2 days would get my vote.




Sadly Dani missed out on the tickets too but either, she didn't have pockets as deep as mine, or, she wasn't as dumb as me (delete as necessary), and Gemma wanted to spend the night just with her boyfriend. The rest of the bunch made it though and for this adventure Cat came along too.




Dumb ole me, left my camera at home that night. I thought it a wise move seeing as I intended to get good and drunk and didn't fancy minding a £250 camera, plus I'd just taken delivery of my new phone; Sony Erricson K850i, a 5 megapixel camera phone. I thought that would do a good enough job for the occasion. Boy was I wrong. The bloody thing is rubbish in night situations and New Years Eve celebrations happen at night. D'oh!




The night started off in the Val, then moved onto the Dome. The Indigo was not what I was expecting, a basic theatre hall design, not the open hall I was expecting, with tiered upper level and seatless stalls area, which was the dancefloor for the night. Our first mission upon getting there was getting a drink. The mission of the night! Each visit to the bar cost at least 30 minutes. I was actually 1am before I'd got my first drink! The tunes were banging though! Only one tune sucked and that was that Faithless rubbish!



Light shows, indoor fireworks, dancers; Hedkandi is all about the performance of the night and I sorely missed my camera to capture the experience. Oh well there is always next year!

Christmas with Squish

Now I know I said this once before in an earlier post but I'll say it again, 'Christmas not only sucks, it blows too.' Over commercialized and full of fakeness! I guess I'm the only one, but I usually eat less over the festive season, not more. I'm not a big fan of the Christmas menu and can never wait to tuck back into my usual foods.

Now you might say, 'Boo! Bah humbug, you Grinch!', but you'd be wrong, because I love the giving part. I love knowing that I've got someone something that is needed and wanted. Plus I aways treat myself to a present, and this year it was my.... PLAYSTATION 3. Yeah baby!

As usual all my Christmas presents where bought just days before Christmas Day out of my December pay packet, and it was a successful shopping trip, gathering all the presents (bar mine) in one day!

My new nephew Tai, decided that he wanted to spend his 1st Christmas at home opening all his presents so went visiting on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day me and my Dad went round my brother's house for drinks and present opening. His partner's immediate family had made the trip too as had now become tradition. The rest of the day was spent getting to grips with my Playstation, now more of an entertainment system than a games console; what with a 40GB hard drive capable of storing any media I like, photos, music (burned off my CDs), movies etc. CD, DVD, and Blueray playback, and an internet browser (which obviously means downloadable possibilities). It was a good few hours before I actually popped in a game!

My next day out of the house was after Boxing Day when I went shopping with my lil sis, Sarah as she sought out an outfit for NYE and a new phone. Friday afternoon I had to go into work, only for a few hours. My next day out after that was on New Years Eve where I met up with Dan (Dan H not Dan B who came to Paris) and Gregg. We went to the Turner Prize Retrospective and then had lunch in Covent Garden at a pizza restaurant with a twist; toppings influenced by world cuisine. I had a crispy duck topping!

Squish's Birthday

Happy Birthday to me.
Happy Birthday to me.
Happy Birthday dear Squishman!
Happy Birthday to me!

As usual I took the day off today. I consider it tantamount to blasphemy to toil on the day I began to exist. In fact, I was thinking today, (and 'no' it didn't hurt); technically we existed from the day of conception. So that means we should celebrate our day of inception. Only problem is we then have to ask our parents on which day they did the deed. Ah...... on second thought, lets just stick to the day we sprung forth!

Also, mucho thanks for all the birthday texts and Facebook messages today. Much love back to you all. Mwah!

New Faces; same good times.

It's a little known fact, but today is my BIRTHDAY. Yep. tha Squishmiester is a year younger! Yay me, but more on that later.

First. I need to continue my mission to catch up......


Saturday 22 December.

Bless Charlene. She tried so hard to arrange a night out with over one month's notice but it still didn't happen. Her plan was for everyone to travel to Bas-Vegas (Basildon Festival Leisure Park), for eats and a night of merriment in Jumpin Jaks. In hindsight it think that plan failed because the 'eats' was to be on the fly rather than a restaurant meal. In the end I think only Charlene and Kirsty ended up there.

The alternative night was no easier to arrange with some going for an early dinner in Romford and others going to the face lifted Faces nightclub; that team being me, Catherine, Melissa, Dani and Jon. It was may first visit to Faces in months and the first since the reopening. I have to say I do not know what they spent the 4 million pounds on exactly, but that ain't stopped the play being popular. It definitely thinks of itself as a West End club.

I drove as I needed all my spare cash for the Xmas presents I was getting the next day, and went to get Catherine. She was not ready, needing have a few drinks before leaving. We met the others in the Val(entine), and it was the first time I had seen Dani since Ibiza. It was good to see her, and her outfit was way cool too!





It was a good night. Although I don't think we found a 'spot' and flitted between both rooms. The girls spotted the celebs that night; James Alexandrou (Eastenders' Martin Fowler) and Jade Goodey.




Ther rest of the photos are Facebooked here