Second thoughts

It’s definitely a heart breaking experience looking at jobs in property management. Although I have not left my current real estate position yet, it triggers a heart string reminding me of everything I have worked up to and everything I am letting go of.

Yes, it is a pain being called on my day off and in middle of the night. However, I believe the most rewarding part of the job is building up that rapport. I will miss going out of my way to exceed expectations. Even the late nights I stayed back at the office, there was always a reason why I stayed – will I ever find job that gives me that drive? Sometimes you can’t have it all; you either have the stress along with the drive or have the calmness without the drive. We can pick and choose; weight and contemplate. My old colleague used to say to me, the grass is always greener on the other side.

I’m going to miss:

• all the weird conversations I have with my prospective tenants on the way to property viewings
• negotiating rents between landlords and prospective tenants
• securing tenancies and hearing that gratitude from the landlord
• getting mad at tenants who annoyed me
• sounding happy and cheerful when I am not
• last minute surprises that changes everything (because only then I feel like I am doing work, whereas everything else is a duty to complete)

Awww… I’m going to miss all the stress so much.

Is this the path I have chosen? To let it all go?

A sales agent once told me. ‘Love comes, love goes. People bid at auctions with everything they can possibly give for a property that they believe will never show up again. They lose, they swallow. A few weeks later, they fall in love all over again bidding everything they have to offer on another property.’

Will I fall in love again?

Is real estate for me? Sometimes it’s like there is no room to breathe due to all the stress, as if I am being suffocated underneath all the piles of work. I just want to be reminded there is larger world out there beyond the properties I see every day. Am I the only one in real estate with that problem, or do other people don’t mind that?