Some Thoughts on Porn
posted by 4th Dwarf
This is a guest posting from our dear friend Audrey:
I was on a patio on Elgin Street recently with friends, including Conch Shell and Painted Stick. Conch Shell told me that, the evening before, she had been at home, working on her new laptop computer, when Painted Stick came into the room and asked her what she was doing. She said, "looking at porn". He went over and saw she was looking at a real estate website.
Conch Shell and I share a love of real estate. People tell us that we should be agents! We are always delighted to hear this. This summer we checked out the requirements and we were completely daunted by all the steps involved. Is there a way of being an agent without taking a course?
Others in our circle of friends do not share this passion for real estate.
They do not, daily, review homes for sale in the Glebe and Dow's Lake on the Multiple Listing Service. They might even find it odd that neither I, nor Conch Shell, is actually looking to purchase a home. (We are just keeping an eye on the market!)
They do not spend hours in cramped auction houses assessing the beauty and possible utility of hundreds of items.
They do not lust after the sublime furniture at Van Leeuwen's in the Ottawa Byward Market.
They do not order British pottery online from Bridgewater.
They do not share my already-admitted addiction to house magazines.
I recently met a couple who had owned 23 houses over the course of their 25-year marriage. They told me that this was unintentional! They admitted that they had a passion for homes and that they fell in love with the possibilities of a new home - the new canvas, the new location.
And so, my question, dear readers, is this: What should Conch Shell and I do to take our love of real estate to the next level?
Labels:
addiction,
house and garden,
Ottawa
Posts
4 comments:
If you don't want to/can't become a real estate agent, and if you want to keep it on just a hobby level, you could start a blog about real estate in the Ottawa area. Or maybe you could become a quasi-agent...maybe some people wouldn't mind shelling out some cash to someone who's working to find them just the right place, but isn't motivated by commission percentages. Maybe you could become an agent for people from out of the country who need to find a home in town, but can't come here to do it themselves. Your interest in real estate could turn into all kinds of opportunities for you.
You could be a home stager. You could work as an assistant to a licensed agent.
It really doesn't take that long to become an agent...three courses that are a few weeks each but you have to wait for your marks from each one before you can register for the next...it would take 8-9 months probably. One thing you have to be aware of though is the expense involved in being an agent. You have desk fees, MLS fees, Insurance fees, advertising, signs, cards etc... My expenses run about 90-100K per year. The absolute bare bones expenses would be about $50,000. Plus you have to be prepared to have no income for about 3-6 months. It is worth doing if you love it (which I do) and put a full time effort in (which it sounds like you would).
Patti,
Thank you for the super advice. I will make a plan. I like the idea of helping others with their property searches.
Deb,
Your comments were really helpful. Thank you so much. I had no idea that it was so expensive to be an agent. I like the idea of having the basic know-how, but I don't think I could manage my regular job and the enormous responsibilities of being an agent. I'm glad you are enjoying your work - it must be exciting!
That is expensive, $50,000 in expenses to be an agent. I guess it costs money to makes money. Still, maybe someday.
Post a Comment