On an Tangent

Yesterday afternoon I was out with clients showing property. These clients have a delightful 5 year old son who loves chatting with me. He asked if he could ride with me to our next property and as I have a booster seat in my car we agreed that would be just perfect. On our short trip to the next home we chatted away and then he asked; “Gemma, did you go to work today?” I paused reflectively and responded “This is my job, I’m working right now” he said “You look at houses for your job?” “Yes” I said, “I have a great job don’t I?”
We finished the rest of our viewings and as I drove the 45 minutes it took me to get home I reflected on our brief exchange. I thought profoundly about how truly fortunate I am to have found a profession which I genuinely enjoy and which affords me the opportunity to meet such wonderful people. One of my goals in life has always been finding joy in my work and thankfully I do. I tell my children it is easier to be great at something you love than to fake it.
Of course not every day is a pure blissful occupational delight but even in the midst of a challenging negotiation or trying transaction I still love what I do. There are many times when I spend an entire day with clients and it feels more like a day with good friends; we laugh, we chat and generally enjoy each others company. In many cases my clients do become good friends with whom I have ongoing, lasting friendships.
It isn’t only the clients that make this such a fabulous profession but also the other Real Estate Agents that I encounter day to day. There have been numerous occasions when other REALTORS® have gone out of their way to help me. There is a true sense of camaraderie that branches across the various brokerages. Working with such wonderful professionals makes it easy to be proud to be a REALTOR®.
For the balance of my journey home last night, I reflected on some of the other tasks that Real Estate often entails, funny little things that you don’t necessarily consider in the standard job description. There have been times when I have carried babies so mom and dad could look more carefully at a home. I have cleaned up my share of pet accidents in the course of showing or open housing property. I’ve noticed leaks while showing and shut off the water so that the other agent could alert their client and no further harm would come to the home. There are hundreds of funny stories and I tell my clients that when I retire I am going to write a tell all book…of course I’ll have to change names to protect the…innocent!
That short conversation with such a little boy made me reflect on my gratitude to my clients and colleagues for everything they do to make my life more joyful, entertaining and full…Thank you all, for making real estate such a great job!