WHY (I started this blog)
When I started working in real estate after many years as a teacher, I took a lot of classes. Almost every week I had something going on. How to sell, how to be a self-starter, how to drum up business, how to schedule my time…. You name it, I took it. I really wanted to be good at my job and I had no idea what I was doing. I tell you this because from those early days, something that happened in class struck me and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
Me in 2016, back when I had no idea what I was doing.
One day, the trainers wanted us to keep asking ourselves, deeply, what our “why” was. The question was: Why are you in real estate?
I said I wanted to help people find their home. Everyone deserves a home.
They kept asking us: But why, why, why?
So, I started riffing, as I tend to do when pressed. I pontificated about my love of the wacky architecture in Queens and how fun it was to do something different every day, and my fascination with meeting all kinds of people. “It’s like I’m an anthropologist except I’m a real estate agent!” I exclaimed.
Someone cut me off. “No, that’s not what your why is. Your why is the money. You are doing this job for the money. That’s why anyone works.”
I shrunk down and kept my mouth shut for the duration of the course because it was back when I didn’t have thick skin. Although I’m much tougher now, as a general rule I don’t like to run my mouth unless I’m confident in what I’m talking about. But, nope. Upon further reflection, money is not my ultimate why. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like money. I like having money to live and take care of my family. Travel is important to me and you need money for that. I definitely don’t want to work for free, and I cringe when financially able clients try to talk me out of my fee, because damn it, I work hard and I know my worth.
However, money is not everything to me at the expense of doing the right thing. I feel it is possible to do both. I believe in karma. I also really like helping people. I like connecting with people because it’s beautiful to connect with others, and a connection makes the world a better place.
Anyway, I have been thinking about all of this for a long time now. Being squarely in my late forties, I have been taking stock as many do at that point in one’s life, on what kind of life I want to have. This led me over the summer to take a part time job at an anti-poverty organization in Brooklyn called Neighbors Together, where I am a housing advocate, working with people who are struggling to find a place to live with a housing voucher. It’s not easy for people with vouchers to find housing, and I have many observations to share about all that. The discrimination I witness on the regular is heartbreaking. There have also been success stories-- lots of them-- and that is exciting, too. So I’m going to share some of them here, along with some other ideas that interest me. I will also write about the NYC real estate market, and about places I love in Queens, and about being a mom. So I hope you will check back often or subscribe to my newsletter.
Until next time!
Suzanne