Become a Real Estate Agent at Keller Williams!

In these uncertain times it's more important than ever to be in control of your career and your income. When you're a real estate agent with Keller Williams, you reap the freedom and rewards of having your own business with the support, training, coaching and reputation that can only come from the world's largest real estate brokerage.

If your ideas of what being a real estate agent is like come solely from shows on HGTV, please attend this FREE orientation session. I'll give you a more complete picture of everything this career has to offer. And I'll tell you how you could have four income streams working for you when you join our office.

Don't worry if you don't have a college degree or have kids who will be attending school from home this fall. This is a job you can do from home, and around the family, social and other commitments you have.

Join me for this casual orientation and Q&A about real estate careers with Keller Williams, August 24, 2020, 12pm-1pm (PST).

Please RSVP to rebeccad@kw.com.

I Never Imagined...

A few weeks ago I hosted a Zoom conversation about how I got into training. I wanted to share it with you too.

When I started in real estate in 2003, there were many things I didn’t anticipate. I didn’t anticipate that it would be the key to four streams of income. Click here to hear more about that.

I didn’t dream that it would give me another career as an educator. And I sure didn’t dream I would find that teaching would become such a source of joy for me. But it has.

It might be the same for you. So, if you’ve ever been curious what it takes to become a Keller Williams trainer please watch the video below. And as always, reach out to me with questions. rebeccad@kw.com.

The Thing We're Not Supposed to Talk About...

There's a list of things that we're not supposed to talk about in polite conversation, right? And money is one of them. But sometimes things need to be said and we have to get real and get honest because when we do we can help other people save money or make more of it.

The former is the reason for this post.

When I meet with aspiring agents, or with people who are starting to consider real estate as a career, I share the information that I think is critical for them to know. And some of that is about the costs associated with studying for a license. (There are others associated with actually being an agent, but I'll address those in another post.)

The online course I recommend, and the course we follow in our office when we teach the live version of the class, is Rockwell. It's not cheap. As of this writing, it runs approx. $489 plus tax.

Yeah.

That face you're probably making now is the same expression I see on the faces of many of the people I meet with during career orientations.

And some of them look at other education providers, many of which are less expensive than Rockwell.

So why do I recommend such a relatively expensive study program?

It's really, honestly because I think Rockwell is the best. That's all. The curriculum is comprehensive and strong; you get access to online courses AND textbooks with quizzes and final exams; and their test prep (the CRAM section and 12 sample exams) set you up for success on the real thing like no other system I've reviewed.

I have had students who chose one of the less expensive options succeed on the exam. But more often than not, I'll get an email or call from them because they're frustrated by the material or because they took the licensing exam and failed after weeks or months of studying. They then usually end up paying for the Rockwell courses, so when it's all said and done they've paid the $489 plus another $200-$300 for the other course and a failed licensing exam.

Not a huge savings after all.

Success rate-wise, Rockwell boasts an 86% and 87% first try pass rate on the National and State exams, respectively, in Washington. The average for the others is 58% and 63%, National and State. So, if you're a person who prefers statistics to anecdotal data from an agent and blog writer, that's for you :-)

(By way of a disclaimer, I'm not on Rockwell's payroll, they don't send me free stuff and they have no idea I'm writing this post.)

As always, feel free to leave your comments and questions below or watch my 1+1=4 Math Video here. Thanks and I'll check back in here again soon!

Today Was Not a Great Day

I sat down today to write a post I've had planned for a week now, but instead I'm writing this one. I'm writing this one because, today, I am burned out. And frustrated. And tired. And today, this whole thing feels impossible. Or maybe not impossible, but close to it.

Today I tried really hard to study. And today I just couldn't.

Today I am overwhelmed. Maybe you are too. Or maybe you aren't today, but you were yesterday. Or will be tomorrow. Anyway, it seems dishonest or disingenuous to me to write a post with study tips when I'm struggling so much.

So, I'm not going to write that post. Instead I'm writing this one.

I'm writing, in part, because writing is how I express myself. It's how the jumble of thoughts and feelings get out of my brain and I release myself from the burden of carrying them around with me.

That's my first tip for recovering from a bad day. Whether you're a write-it-down kind of person, like me, or whether you're a talk it out person--do that thing. Vent your fears, or frustrations in whatever (healthy) way appeals to you.

But I'm also writing it down because that's how I figure out whether this is just a bad day, or whether it's the culmination of many days of doing too much with too little rest.

I chose to share it on the blog because there's nothing worse than struggling with something and thinking you're the only one. Or thinking that because it's a struggle, it's a sign you've made a huge mistake and never should have pursued whatever the thing is that you're overwhelmed by at the moment.

So, if you're having a rough day or a rough week: I'm with you. This is hard.

Social media, including blogs, often only show the parts of our lives we want other people to see. The pretty parts. The parts where it looks like we've got it all together. The parts where we make it all look easy. And effortless.

Sometimes life is pretty. And easy. And effortless. And sometimes we do have it all together. But sometimes we don't.

I don't. That doesn't mean this was all a big mistake. Or that I'm failing.

If this is more than just a bad day for you too, it's okay to re-structure how you're studying. I think I committed to too many hours, given the other things on my plate. I probably should have added in an extra week or two into my plans, to avoid burnout. I also didn't incorporate days off (despite advice to the contrary).

Where to Go From Here?

I'm at the tail end of my studying process, but I'm going to make some changes for these last days.

I'm taking days off each of my remaining weeks. I might look at some flash cards if I find myself with a few minutes of time waiting for a friend or for an appointment or something. But I'm going to have two days where I don't have any scheduled study time.

I'm rewarding myself with some of the things that bring me joy and/or relaxation. I loaded a non-real estate book onto my Kindle and I'm giving myself permission to read it a little bit each day. On one of my days off, I'm going to read a lot of it!

I scheduled a massage at a day spa. Sitting at my study desk all these hours is wreaking havoc on my back and shoulders. So, Monday I'm going to my favorite day spa for a massage.

I'm committing to taking a break when I first notice my attention start to wander during a study session. If my concentration is going, it's time for a 5-minute break.

I'm cleaning-up my sleep habits. Screen time stops at least an hour before bed. No caffeine in the evenings. No more pushing to stay awake long after my eyes are telling me they want to be closed.

And finally, I'm changing my plans for the day before the exam. I was going to have a big cram session that day, but I'm re-thinking that now. My current plan is to take the day before off from my other jobs and have a relaxing day at home. I'm going to get a workout in, eat well and get as much rest as I can get. Then the morning of the exam, I'll review those few concepts that continue to challenge me before heading off to the testing center.

Have you had any tough days as you go through this process? What are you doing to take care of yourself and make sure you get through it in a healthy way? Please share any tips you have below!