Category Archives: Work

Boring

Ok, so clearly I’ve fallen off the NaBloPoMo wagon… too much going on. I’m still pleased with my frequency of posting for though considering…

Martin is doing better after the second lug of subcutaneous fluids. He is eating again, but dang, that mental cognition is definitely starting to go. He’s constantly bumping into things and getting all tangled under the chairs, and then it seems like he doesn’t even know to go potty anymore! Like I have to force him outside and THEN in the process of walking in the yard, only then does he remember he has to piss or poop. Sigh. It’s frustrating and tiring dealing with his old doggie special needs, but shit, what else can be done?

I met with a sitter tonight. She was the only one of 12 sitters asked who agreed to a meet and greet. Technically, there was one other sitter who sounded totally on board via phone but then after I told her I was meeting with one other person, she like totally gave up. Was it a fear of rejection on her part that she’d rather take herself out of the running? I mean, what can I say, I need a super deep bench for this shit. Anyway, the lady from today works 20 minutes away with the hours 6:30-4, so she wouldn’t be home with him much except at night. But at this point, we’re out of options. And frankly, the last sitter was out nearly the entire day also, and he did great! I just hope the sitter confirms the booking tomorrow. The trip is still a month away, but I’ll feel better knowing someone has agreed to care for Martin.

Saturday’s magic show in Martinez was so much fun. It was a long drive 70 min each way but so totally worth it. The small venue. the California Magic Club, was super cozy and charming… just a complete labor of love for the owner and his posse of magicians. As we were served dinner, strolling magicians performed at the various guest tables. Then by dessert time, the stage show began. I realized that a lot of magic involves storytelling during the sleight of hand… and sometimes I don’t like the distraction, bc I want to keep my eyes focused on the tricks!! But I suppose it’s all part of the entertainment. There’s def some element of cheese to it, but at the end of the day, I just love the good, wholesome fun. Seriously, I’m so thrilled to have found this gem and for sure, my bucket list contains all of the other magic parlors across the country (there’s only a handful). That Southwest Companion Pass is gonna get used to death!

Related: I had the disappointing realization that magic is a craft that takes thousands of hours to master. One dude said his premier trick took him two years to master. And every single one of the five magicians was old, like over 50. In other words, there’s no chance that magic is gonna be my next hobby. I def don’t have the patience nor dedication. I’ll just have to continue as a spectator.

So speaking of hobbies, I met with the managing broker today– the  California native/surfer dude. I like him, but he was trying to talk to me about all the networks to tap… like what are your hobbies and activities?? Ummmmm. Yeah, I came across so boring and lame.

Uh, I do dog sitting on Rover. My hubby and I like to travel. We like to go to wineries. We like national parks. I used to work in nonprofit tech so I used to attend a lot of events in that arena. But man, judging by his stoical countenance as I rattled off these things, I could tell he wasn’t impressed. His advice to me though was to get involved in things that I would normally want to do and through that process, build my network. Ideally, these activities will involve a lot of people and people with steady income. Like my nonprofit crowd? That’s gonna be hard. And the dog clients… well not enough numbers. So I gotta think big, huge events… I see what he’s saying. But man did I feel like an anti-soc afterwards. My best idea at our meeting was to partner with a lender to hold a home buying/real estate education class for business and professional women at orgs and places where I used to take all my career and self discovery classes, i.e. Deborah’s Palm. Honestly, I felt deflated afterwards.

But later that night, John suggested that I have made good connections though classes in the past (like my friends W and I), so maybe now would be a good time to take up my Spanish or riding classes again. I think he’s onto something. The point is, I have to be planting seeds all the time… and since they’ll be at activities that I’m interested in anyway, it’s like a two birds, one stone deal. For a moment, I felt nostalgic for an older version of me: the one who used to have an activity booked every single night of the week. I used to do yoga and rollerblade and host game/craft nights, and ride horses and attend all kinds of classes– academic, language, community, etc. I was happy back then… and then circumstances shifted and things changed. I changed.

Admittedly, sometimes I get into such a zone about focusing on my work/career that I drop all my hobbies… and now that I see what has happened, I need to re-tap into that older version of me who is curious and fearless once again….

Tonight I emailed a ranch where three years ago I had thought about taking new classes. I do want to get back into the (literal) saddle. Meanwhile, I’m learning a lot about my new career by watching tech webinars and attending trainings. There are a ton of software programs to learn… Also today, I joined the national, state, and regional real estate associations and obtained my lockbox key so I can start scoping out properties. I will be ramping up for a long long while, but the lesson of the day is that I still need to balance learning the formal knowledge and tools with building my pipeline and with feeding my curiosity and nurturing my soul. With John and I both being at home, the hermetic way of life had really started to become the norm. Now, it’s time to get out and about again.

Hence, I joined a couple of meetup groups. I did meetup.com several times before in the past, like when we first moved to California and when I left my govvie job. Sadly, many of the groups were duds, but I’m willing to try it again. I signed up for a board games group and a couple of women professional groups. The board game group is actually meeting tomorrow night in downtown Mountain View. We’ll see how that goes. I’ve also rejoined the Palo Alto Lean in Circle whose meetings I used to attend regularly two years ago. Get busy living or get busy dying, right?

Mood Swings

My mood has been all over the damn place lately. This week, I was feeling super energized work-wise. Every time I’ve gone into the office (just 10 minutes away!), I’ve met some really nice and friendly people. The vibe is so welcoming and cohesive! Also, the staff are on it! Like as soon as I submitted my formal paperwork, I was set up with the email account, website, intranet access, etc. Same day service! On Friday, the office also hosted a holiday party, and it was a lovely spread. I asked about taking something, and the organizers were all like: oh no, we’re ordering food so don’t worry about it. Mind you, this whole last month or two, bc I couldn’t formally submit my docs, I haven’t even had to pay any business fee or anything to attend all the trainings. They don’t care. They seem to really understand the concept of building goodwill. Anyway, I feel really good about my decision to join this office.

Of course, just as all of the work stuff is ramping up, Marty is not doing well. He is uncomfortable/restless at night. We administered 400 ml of fluids two days ago, and yesterday, he started eating again but his legs are increasingly weak. He’s been trembling a lot more, and then this morning, he was too weak to do much beyond going into the backyard. I just gave him another 350 ml this morning. If he’s not better by tomorrow, I’m going to take him to the vet. The decline is inevitable and yet my mind is still in some kind of denial… Thank goodness we aren’t traveling for Thanksgiving.

In other news, John and I are on weird sleep schedules again. I try to sleep in (wake up between 8-9AM) while he’s up early, but by mid-day, he’s all crashed out. He’s been reading a book lately about dictatorships and the principles of power and then watching new tv series like Narco and Black Mirror. All really thought-provoking, disturbing content about the crazy world we now live in and the hurdles that will come in the future. I’m still very sad and disillusioned with the elections to the point that I don’t feel emboldened or empowered at all. I signed a few petitions, but I’m still so disheartened. All the news about the potential cabinet members… it’s all fucked up. And I have lost faith. Even if we were to speak out and march and protest and write letters… ultimately, he and his cronies just DON’T CARE about the opposing point of view. You know what I mean? They think what they think and they are absolutely unapologetic, so how then do the pressures of protest change their minds or actions? I honestly do not see a way out of this fucking mess.

My friend J invited me to join her and the hubs for the Women’s March in DC the day after inauguration. Right now, that kind of action seems utterly pointless. And then Bubs keeps wanting to talk about all this stuff he’s reading: I cannot deal with the world right now!

And so, I can only proceed by focusing on my new business and on Martin. Otherwise, this shit is too damn overwhelming and paralyzing.

Tonight, we’ve got tickets to a magic show and dinner at the California Magic Theater in Martinez. The theater is like 70 minutes away, but I’m looking forward to the distraction. The world sure could use some more magic these days.

Phil Dunphy

John and I finally went back to the gym last night. Twenty minutes on the recumbent bike was enough to get my lame heart rate going. Yup, back to Square 1! Of course, I was back to using all the gym amenities: sauna, towels, shower, toiletries, hair dryer, etc. Fuck man, our last utility bill was through the roof, so you know I’m playing my game again!

The new tankless water heater is working out so-so, to be honest. I mean, the purpose was to create more space in the master bath, but I guess neither one of us really thought through the part of having a delay in getting hot water. In retrospect, duh: there ain’t no 40 gallons of water kept hot at all times… It’s not a deal breaker, but it’s definitely an adjustment. The delay is maybe 30-40 seconds? maybe a minute?

The plumbers are coming back tomorrow. You see, last week before the install, they ran a pressure test and detected two gas leaks. (See? There WAS a gas leak on the Houseboat!!). At the time, the plumber fixed the big leak outside, but he said the smaller one was behind the old water heater, and he expected the removal of the old tank to make it a moot issue. So after the crew finished up yesterday, I texted the foreman just to be sure: do you need to re-test the gas pressure to make sure the second leak was indeed resolved by removal of the old tank? He said he wasn’t aware there were leaks detected before (poor internal communication) and that yes, they need to test again. That’s the thing with contractors. Bubbey was home the whole time they were here, and he never asked them a single question about it or anything else! I won’t be home again tomorrow, but I’m going to leave post-it notes. Bubs was also supposed to ask about running a water line to the fridge so we can hook up the ice maker.

I got a pretty late start today. Marty was restless last night, and he’s been trembling more than usual. Then his diaper was too loose, so early in the morning, it came off and Marty shit in the kitchen. Ugh. Thankfully though, after cleaning up, I was able to sleep in and wake up when rested.

I did more of my real estate training videos, and then I made Bubs do a photoshoot, so I could mock up my business cards. I’m not very keen on pictures of myself, and I’ve never really had formal/professional headshots taken, but hell, this is the new industry I’m in: the mugshot is standard. So we shot pics all around the house. In the end, Bubbey even whipped out his light diffusers from the garage and had me stand against a blank wall in the living room. With a little bit of Photoshop post-production, ONE pic came out ok. I mean, I am doing my usual Mona Lisa smile (Sorry, but my smile with teeth is AWFUL) and standing with a smug Stanley Roberts stance, but seriously, out of a gabillion pics, this is the best I can do. Now I’m just waiting on that damn license number from the BRE. Arrive in the mail, already! Sheesh!

Through all of this, I can’t help but think of Phil Dunphy in Modern Family. Shit, before you know it, I’m going to have my mug on signs and bus stations and vehicle wrappers all over town. JK! Hopefully, potential clients will see beyond my resting bitch face and give me some business!

 

Square One

OMG, the tasks just never end. Just as I started getting comfy with my newest favorite dog sitter, turns out she’s not available for Christmas. Whatdya know, dog sitters go on vacation too. So this morning, I launched another exhaustive search, inquiring with 11 new sitters. Thankfully two are maybes: I have a call with one this evening and a meet and greet slated with another person for Monday. See? Turns out it’s a good thing I labelled everything all around the house, bc now it’ll be helpful for the newbie.

The good news is that Marty is mostly stabilized. His appetite has been good and his legs are strong enough to carry him in/out of the doggie door and on multiple walks to the park. I’ve even got the bedtime diaper routine down, such that by morning, it’s only filled with urine. Poor Marty: sometimes I hear him use the doggie door in the middle of the night… little does he know, there’s no need to venture outside just to pee in his diaper. Ah well, old habits die hard, right? But dang that thing gets heavy by morning. My poor Marty. Aging sucks boat loads.

Today the plumbing crew came to install our tankless water heater. I’ve used this plumbing company twice before, and they are always clean, neat, and just plain good. The work took most of the day and we had to shut off the water completely, but by 3:30pm, everything was done. I also managed to find a $300 federal tax rebate for our unit! It’s kinda annoying bc every time I ask contractors about energy/appliance rebates, they never know. Sure would be great if vendors tracked that sort of thing, but then again, I suppose it changes so much year to year, it’s easier to just push that responsibility onto the customer. The work did require a puncture through the roof to add a vent, and oddly enough, it rained lightly this afternoon. I’m not worried though. I’m sure the roof wound is all patched up. Next, J will be applying for a permit; after that, we’re going to scout out vanities and contractors for when we knock down the wall and move the toilet. Argh so many details. I can’t even imagine the level of project management involved for G&J’s place where they are remodeling the entire basement, like almost an extra 1000 sf! Plus, they are both working full time with an active toddler and a baby on the way. Ambitious people.

I swung by the real estate office today. Pretty much, I can’t submit any paperwork until that damn license (with the BRE number) arrives in the mail. However, I have started watching the recommended videos, and I also took the Tony Robbins’ DISC profile test (again). Yup, I actually took the test a few years ago: my results this time are different in scale/intensity but essentially the same with regards to rank/priority of the categories. In other words, I have super high D (Dominance), then next highest is I (Interactive), then low and leveled off for S (Stabilizing) and C (Cautious). Here’s a quick summary of my profile. The report is quite fascinating as it also delves into your natural vs. adaptive state (how you behave/perform under stress). Anyway, here’s a breakdown of what my scores reveal for the four categories.

Dominance: Your score shows a very high score on the ‘D’ spectrum.
· You are very decisive and a risk-taker.
· You migrate towards difficult assignments and opportunity for advancement.
· Your approach tends to be forceful and very direct.
· You are a great source of innovation and new solutions, even if radical sometimes.
· You may be perceived as somewhat egocentric by others (i.e., others who you feel are less confident than you).
· You love a good challenge, seek freedom, and look for a lot of variety.

Interactive: Your score shows a high average score on the ‘I’ spectrum.
· You tend to meet new people in a confident and appropriate manner.
· You like democratic not dictatorial relationships on the job.
· People may find you charming to meet and to converse with on a variety of topics.
· You appreciate an open-door policy with both peers and supervisors.
· You present yourself in a poised manner to both small or large groups of people.
· You prefer an environment with ample people contact.

Stabilizing: Your score shows a low average score on the ‘S’ spectrum.
· You respect the established ways, but are open to change when it is deemed necessary.
· You are comfortable acting alone to determine the best course of action.
· You prefer a faster paced environment, but one that is not frantic or chaotic.
· You can multitask fairly well.
· You are flexible enough to deal with change openly and without fear.
· You like being mobile and on the go, but you like a home base to return to from time to time.

Cautious: Your score shows a low average score on the ‘C’ spectrum.
· You are flexible enough to work with or without a lot of structure or order.
· You can easily work independently when it comes to completing tasks and assignments.
· You may be perceived as being non-committal by some when it comes to deciding on how to proceed.
· To you, rules are guidelines, not concrete.
· You prefer to act as your “own person” rather than follow the norm.
· You are persistent in trying to get a message across, even in the midst of resistance.

These are suggestions for me to be more effective: You could be more effective
by:
• Becoming more aware of your approach to others, and it’s impact on others.
• Trying not to over-react.
• Being aware that your level of aggressiveness and tenacity may be off putting to others.
• Having support staff to handle the detail work.
• Reducing your competitive edge when dealing with others who aren’t as competitive as you.
• Becoming more sensitive to the climate or the situation, and adjusting your intensity accordingly.
• Learning to follow as well as you might lead.
• Remembering to negotiate difficult matters in a real-time, face-to-face manner, rather than through electronic means.

Interestingly, I don’t even consider myself competitive, but the other items are pretty spot on. For example, I wanted to negotiate my commission split via email, but Bubbey told me I had to do it in person. Haha.

Other tasks for this week? Bubs is going to do my photoshoot for my business cards and web materials. Argh, I kinda hate pictures of myself but apparently, homebuyers and sellers want to match the name to a face to build trust. Fuck. Phil Dunphy in da house! We’ll see what I come up with.

Back to the Bubble

Seattle was a great time. On Saturday, we hit up the Boeing facility up in Everett. We attended a 90-min Future of Aviation tour. Really. cool. And I’m not even an aviation geek. But we got to see the assembly floors for the 747, 777, and 787 Dreamliner. That carbon fiber, man. It is a game changer: so much lighter and stronger than steel, aluminum, or titanium. Amazing. Seriously, air travel never ceases to blow my mind: I mean, to get hundreds of people up in the air: living, breathing, eating, shitting– and transporting them thousands of miles all over the world- it is freaking magic!! Anyway, I highly recommend the tour.

Overall, our time was spent hanging out, playing board games (three new ones!), walking around, and eating. Yes, LOTS of eating, and John insists that the food in Seattle is better than the Bay Area. Then again, we’ve always felt that Bay Area food is overrated. Among our culinary delights in Seattle:

  • an amazing beef/lamb gyro + baklava dessert from Sultan’s in the university district,
  • doughy-crusted pizza and Italian apps at Mio Posto near G&J’s house,
  • cupcakes from Trophy,
  • yummo fresh doughnuts from Daily Dozen,
  • raw oysters and seafood at Elliott’s Oyster House by the water,
  • Mexican chocolate pie (among others) from A la Mode,
  • an amazing burger (crimini mushrooms and swiss cheese) at Uneeda Burger
  • more doughnuts from Top Pot,
  • vermicelli noodles from Dong Thap noodle shop in Little Saigon

And no, that is not even the comprehensive list. As you can see, the no-gym, carbo-loading theme continued for the entire trip. As for city attractions, well, the weather was wet– intermittent sprinkling but consistent wetness/dampness. We still stopped by some parks– Kerry Park, Washington Park Arboretum, Discovery Park, and Magnolia Park but aside from a longer stroll with Baby O and his parents through the Arboretum, our outdoor time was brief. I imagine the locals are completely undeterred by the cloudy skies and perpetual moisture, but I was pretty much paralyzed without sunshine.

I think the other couple and their kid H had a good time too. We hung out less with them: I think H is maybe on a stricter schedule. I’m not exactly sure. He isn’t quite as well-traveled as Baby O, so maybe the process was just a bit more tiring for them. He’s also in a different growth/development stage where I think he’s a bit more difficult.

The funniest thing is that J and I are the only child-free couple, and yet we were exhausted. J thinks we’re still recovering from our cold (eh, maybe, kinda), but I think it’s just the exposure to constant motion/chatter that causes mental fatigue. Then again, it could be a combination of factors. I’m sure the binging and minimal exercise did not help. Anyway, I’ll have to debrief with J&J to get their thoughts on traveling with the little man. Seemed like they enjoyed the break/escape esp following a very emotionally trying and depressing week (Trumpocalypse and all).

[FAG id=7494]

Regardless, we’re happy to be back in the Bubble. Marty did well again. This new sitter, I’m telling you. I hope she’s always available until the end, bc she has been a Godsend.

What’s on tap this week? We’re heading back to the gym. Also, I’m thrilled to be getting our new tankless water heater installed tomorrow!! J & I have def been pushing our luck with the old 40-gallon. For real. There is all kinds of rust/corrosion/water ponding on the top of it (signaling it’s imminent demise), so I can’t wait to get this old sucker (dated 1998) hauled outta my house! The work should just take a day, so fingers crossed! We removed all the junk (supplies, shelving, shoes, etc.) out of the hallway washer/dryer area to make room for the plumber. He’s supposed to mount the tankless unit on the wall above the dryer, and then he’ll remove the old tank. Phase 2 for us will then involve finding a contractor to bust out part of the wall and then we’re hoping to move the master bath commode to where the water heater sat so as to make room for a larger sink/vanity. We’ll see. I haven’t even contacted any contractors or anything. That’s later. First things first. Gotta remove the exploding bomb!

Beyond that, I’m planning to hit up the kw office tomorrow and the rest of this week: I’m submitting my paperwork and kicking off my first 100 days. Woohoo!

Of course, just as I’m ramping up for real estate, I’m also getting a ton of requests for Rover for Thanksgiving. So far, I’ve turned them all down though. Mostly bc the dogs are too young (< 3 y/o) and I don’t want the added stress on Martin. Don’t worry: I’m still hustling via eBay and Craiglist. In fact, a Palo Alto techie is coming by tomorrow to buy J’s old Apple monitor! Yeehaw! More Bubbey bucks! 🙂

Decision 2016

Surprise, surprise, I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was just too damn wired about a gabillion different things. Two pills of Calm Forte didn’t do Jack! Ah well, luckily another restless night didn’t void out today: today was a pretty good day even though this evening the presidential election results still loom over our heads…

I tried a new carpet cleaning service this morning, and the results were superb… even better than the company I used in the past (recommended by a friend). Actually, that service wasn’t that great, to be honest. But yeah, this dude today got all the stains out, so we are back in business! Who knew a little bit of citrus pre-treatment followed by water heated to 230 degrees and applied at very high pressure then extracted would get all the gunk out? Very impressed and all my earlier worries about how to get the house “ready” were way overblown. Dude was able to get underneath the bed without even moving it, and he really didn’t need to move every damn piece of furniture. All came out clean with very little pain or inconvenience!

In the afternoon, I attended a real estate training at the office. It was led by a title company agent who used to work at Nordies for 8 years. She was a calling whiz and so, so personable. We clicked right away (Yes, it helped that she complimented my hair), and she’s offered to meet up in December to introduce me to their services and offerings. Very cool. After that, I waited around for my instructor/coach to discuss an entire list of questions… he ended up getting hogged up by another student, so I hit up the office comptroller instead. She was very pleasant in answering my questions. I think my inquiries actually impressed her, bc she said no one else had ever asked her those questions, about the business model and incentives, etc. And of course, as I had intended from the get go, I ended by making my ask. And whatdya know, I fucking got it, much to Bubbey’s surprise. So, I’ll be signing on with that Santa Clara office… Hee, hee. So nice to wrap up my due diligence (though I still have two calls tomorrow with newbies/his coaching students– I’ll still be able to glean valuable info from them) and arrive at a decision. I feel really good about it.

Of course, coming home to Election night is a bit unnerving. I went into the day feeling pretty confident: in Hillary, I think we have an amazing candidate, but it’s now 7pm and well, the results are not looking as promising as anticipated. Bubbey is already calling the end of the world… Many of the key states are too close to tell, but you know what? This election is like the real estate license exam. It doesn’t matter what score you get, you just have to pass. Likewise, it doesn’t matter how close the individual states are, Hillary just has to win. And I still believe she will.

On the Cusp

These days I really vacillate between feeling completely overcome by doom and disbelief to feeling some lingering and stubborn kindling of optimism and fire. Tonight we are on the cusp of something historic. Sure, we continue going about our daily routines: I’m thrilled to have carpet cleaners coming first thing tomorrow to get this sty back in shape; I’m going to another real estate training then meeting with the office recruiter; I’ve got more calls slated for the afternoon, a repeat doggie daycare client the next day… nothing ever stops, but tomorrow I will go to bed reassured and proud and happy, knowing that for the first time ever, this country will have a smart and accomplished Madam President come January. I’m with her, and she will win.

I’ve popped two Calm Forte this evening: I look forward to waking up well rested and hopeful for a brand new day ahead.

It’s Gou Time!

Since returning from overseas, I have been on the go. Big. time. John insists that this Powerpill mode was all precipitated by my father’s assertion that he works waaaay harder than I do. I’ll admit, statements like that– albeit true– do rile me up, so yes, that partially lit a fire under my ass. But aside from my father’s remarks, I’ve also been getting super antsy, you know? It’s time to get going full force. After all, I like to hustle!

Since Wednesday, I’ve been in full-on real estate networking/research mode. Then, I’ve also been trying to catch up with friends and you know, get back into the swing of home improvement, activity planning, and dealios. Real estate-wise, a decision on where I’m going to work is coming soon (after I do a tad bit more research and squeeze in some negotiating, of course).

As for my personal life, I am still floating on Cloud 9 with my Southwest Companion Pass. Shit man, I had already scored our Seattle tickets for dirt cheap, but then I called yesterday to inquire if I could refund John’s ticket (for travel credit) and instead use the Companion Pass option. Yesiree! I also learned that his travel credits can be applied towards taxes (~$11.20/flight) on the comp ticket! I know, you don’t really give a shit about the nitty gritty: long story short, we now have three trips on the books where he’s using the deal (over $500 worth!) . I’m going to get addicted to this BOGO travel arrangement big time!

What else. J and I have been talking about upgrading to a tankless water heater, so we can recover some space from the hallway and expand the master bath just a tad. We’re getting estimates from 2-3 plumbers to see what that entails. The timing is just about right too: this week, we noticed leaking/moisture on the top of our existing 40-gallon water heater (dated 1998!!). Yup, at this point we are really playing with fire. And given the last plumbing debacle, we’re kinda pushing our luck. Anyway, the project might have to break down into phases due to the urgency of getting in a new heater… we’ll see.

I’ve also been feeling rather grossed out by our dirty carpets, so I gathered numerous quotes last week for carpet cleaning. I’m planning to schedule a thorough deep cleaning on Tuesday/Wednesday, bc I need to see start seeing some sparkle around here!

Oh, and I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), which is basically an event/movement where bloggers post daily for this month. I’ve done it before. Blogging every day is a good habit for me since it’s essentially my therapy, which you witnessed in full view last month… Stay tuned for more.

 

Due Diligence

Omg I am pooped! A week later and I’m still battling this pesky cold I acquired in Taiwan, plus jet lag still has my sleep schedule all messed up.

That said, I can’t be stopped. This week I’ve met with four brokers and made numerous emails/calls to active newbie agents (about 15 of them) trying to get their scoop on the various offices and companies. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by nearly everyone! The brokers are all really sharp and sassy; then, the agents have been incredibly gracious and candid. I’ve kinda been going all over the place in figuring out where to join, but after today, I am feeling some more clarity. While I think I could work in any of the places, some do feel like a better cultural/personality fit as I’ve clicked more with some people than others. Regardless, I’m getting excited about starting up soon.

I also caught up with a couple friends this week. It’s pretty crazy how fast time flies. It’s gonna be Thanksgiving just like that. We’re still deciding whether or not to host dinner. It’s been a tradition for many years, but we’re really tired from all the recent travel and maybe this year we’ll just do the two of us (and my Nuwave turkey of course).

Man, I hope I get my license issued before Thanksgiving. Power pill’s getting antsy.

Wired

Ugh, Day 2 and I’m still suffering from jetlag. Of course, in typical fashion, I scheduled an interview with my real estate instructor for the very next day after touching down. Last month, after meeting up and attending trainings with the Burlingame realtor I met through LinkAges, I was finding myself quite enamoured with that office; however, after being away and thinking things over, I started getting second thoughts, mostly about the schmooziness of the trainer and other agents in that office. After meeting with my instructor this morning and seeing some of the other associates in the Silicon Valley office, the vibe here just feels much more my style. And honestly, that works out better, bc this Santa Clara office is a far easier commute (10 minutes), plus it’s located in the region that I want to cover: Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Palo Alto.

My conversation with the instructor M went for a long while, and then he gave me a packet with tons of information about business fees (for use of the office), commission splits, coaching fees, membership dues, etc. Real estate really is a whole other world, and with it being so sales-based, there’s just a lot to learn. After our meeting, I attended one of his tech trainings that covered creating graphs on the market data: pretty easy stuff given my level of comfort with web tools and Excel. Still, it was a really good reminder that I have a lot to study up on. For example, all during our time in Taiwan, Dad was tracking real estate: like he knows which construction projects are new in the city, what the prices are per sf, what the unit sizes are per building, latest sales prices… he is constantly moguling. And my instructor said today, to be a good realtor, you have to become your area’s real estate economist. Ugh. So many things to remember! Also, I sucked at economics in college! Long story short though: I felt pretty good about the meeting: this could be a strong fit.

When I got home, J and I grabbed lunch and I shared some of the info. From the get go, J has always pushed for me to join an office closer rather than farther from home. We talked over some of the numbers. The business model at this particular company is actually really different from other real estate companies so then of course, business-minded Bubbey had all kinds of questions about how this company is even able to make money, etc. My Bubbey is so damn smart. I dunno how it all works: I suppose I just go by word of mouth, magazine articles/rankings, and cultural vibe.

By the afternoon, we both hit the wall again and fell asleep. I still managed to shoot off some emails, setting up interviews with a few more companies and offices (to gather data points) and reconnecting with my own realtor/friend D. She’s the one with three kids, all under 6 y/o, also the former owner of Buddy. She’s always super last minute with scheduling, but she said she could meet tonight after 7:30pm. I was feeling really tired, but I figured it would be a worthwhile meeting to get her feedback on the package my instructor gave me and just to see what other insights I could glean.

Of course, my relationship with D is sometimes complicated. She was an awesome agent for us, but as I’ve blogged about before, her style can be very assertive and borderline pushy. She gave good advice today, and then we talked about Tony Robbins, who is doing his Unleash Your Power event in San Jose next week. I really do admire her passion for pushing outside the comfort zone, and I find her to be quite astute business-wise, in terms of leveraging money and trying to grow wealth (using money to make money)… She reiterated the possibility of working together in several months, after she figures out what she wants to do with her real estate career that is currently on hold for the kids (she homeschools). I think we could potentially be a great team, but I also have reservations. We’ll see. Certainly, I can deal with that bridge when I get there.

But now I’ve been up again since 4:30am, and I’m just feeling anxious. People keep telling me real estate isn’t rocket science, but I’m afraid. I go back and forth, questioning my people skills, whether I’ll be able to understand what clients need, esp when what they verbalize may not necessarily reflect their true thoughts… I wonder how long it’ll take me to ramp up. Maybe my negotiation skills aren’t that great… there are so many factors. My instructor made an analogy today about people’s “why,” essentially their motivation and goal behind entering real estate. If real estate were a seafood restaurant, are you wanting to be a cook; are you wanting to be the owner; will you go out and fish; do you want to own a bunch of seafood restaurants? Those motivations don’t have to be clear or defined immediately at the start; sometimes, they emerge later. I suppose for me, I’m just tired of working for other people in an office monkey kind of capacity. I want to have more autonomy and control over what is possible– this idea that I can throttle and control how big I want this to grow appeals to me. And then ultimately, I want to be successful at something, to the point where I don’t feel like my life is simply me riding on the coat tails of a wealthy father or a successful husband.

But I worry. About so many things. The fears won’t stop me from trying. They won’t keep me from pushing myself to do things that are uncomfortable. But I still feel uneasy. And I’ve been feeling a bit more skeptical lately… perhaps it’s the influence of J who is always questioning things from a business and motivation perspective. I’m not super savvy and sohpisticated with the complexities of life and the world, you know? Like I tend to take things at face value and I understand things in a very black and white manner. Will I miss something? I don’t know an exact scenario that I’m fearful of, but that whole Advocare thing comes to mind… sometimes I think of sales in those contexts: either I’m easily charmed and too trusting, or I’m totally on guard. How will I tell the difference for the right circumstance? Argh!

Well, first thing’s first. I’m going to continue with a few more meetings into next week, and then plan to hang my license (hopefully, it arrives in the mail soon) with a broker by the middle of November. Meanwhile, I am starting to study all the housing numbers and trends for Mountain View. One step at a time.