Why Teaching Made Me a Better Buyer’s Agent

I didn’t know it at the time, and I didn’t plan on being a REALTOR (Who does?), but it was my teaching experience that laid the foundation and added the building blocks to my real estate career. I don’t think I would have lasted as an agent all these years (37 & counting) without it.

Early on, I devoted several years teaching high school Biology in Evanston, IL and years later not being able to kick the teaching bug, I taught a variety of real estate courses on the Community College level. Each was clearly a different kind of experience: High school students are a captive and somewhat involuntary audience, while college level, professional-types were attending on their own dime and on their own time.

Why Teaching Made Me a Better Buyer’s Agent

My teaching experience left me with many valuable and transferable lessons in life. I learned that:

• I must be on time no matter what happening in my life
• I must effectively multi-task because doing one thing at a time won’t cut it
• I must be organized or chaos will rain
• I must know my subject thoroughly and not just the test answers
• I must learn to connect with each person in a unique way to be effective

Teaching is About Guiding a Thought Process, Not Telling

Looking back I know I was not a very good teacher until I discovered that the real message is not what I said, it is what the other person remembers of what I said and how I said it. I also learned, not quickly enough unfortunately, that teaching is about guiding a thought process and has virtually nothing to do with telling someone what to do. And, that an effective guide does not answer until one gets a clear understanding of the intention of the student’s question.

Teaching Has a Lot of Parallels with Real Estate

In my real estate career, some of the very best agents were former teachers who seem to share this emphatic spirit to listen. I know listening is the first step in learning about a client’s goals, intentions and concerns. We focus so much on helping our clients come to the best decisions for them by walking them through the thought process. In real estate and life, there are lots of pros and cons and you can’t always make a black and white decision. But, you can weigh your options and make the best decision for you at the time.

Looking for Guidance When Buying a Home in Austin?

We’re definitely the right Austin buyer’s agents for you. Instead of trying to hard sell you something, we’ll take the time to explain all of your options and walk you through the process. At Eleven Oaks Realty, we believe buying homes should be about you, not about us. And, we’ll put your interests above all others – including our own. Check out our Austin Home Buyers page to learn more about who we are and how we work. Then, call us at (512) 827-8323, email us at info@11OaksRealty.com or fill out our Austin Home Buyer Survey to get started.