Real Estate Broker 

(Female, Age 55) from Northampton, MA

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 55 who works as a Real Estate Broker in Northampton, MA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Real Estate Broker
Salary $39,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 30
Company Size (not answered)
Location Northampton, MA
Years Experience 24 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for a small property management partnership that owns the properties I manage.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Advertise vacancies, meet with prospective tenants, follow up application info, coordinate cleaning and repairs (sometimes do that myself), collect rents, handle all communication with tenants.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
None

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Well compensated

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I don’t work in an office environment, but I do work with tenants, contractors, etc.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Home, in the field, at the properties. I do sometimes miss an office environment and the social aspect it can have.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 8
Hours: 2
Co-Workers: 6
Supervisors: 7
Job Title: 5
Level of Responsibility: 3
The Actual Work: 4

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am I do not generally start work before 8 am.
8am to 9am Check voice mail. There was an emergency leak with a water heater at a townhouse. Call plumber as soon as they open at 8 am to make sure the repair is scheduled as soon as possible. Contact tenant to advise them to expect a phone call this morning from the plumber for access.
9am to 10am Since today is the 3rd of the month, I continue monitoring the online banking account where tenants deposit their rents. Rents will be late after today, and will be assessed a late fee.
10am to 11am I field 3 phone inquiries for a vacant property. I put an ad in the local newspaper on the first of the month, and it was published today. I screen the calls, asking basic information about pets, employment, and agree to meet one of the callers after 5 today. I give drive by directions to the others.
11am to 12pm Have an early lunch at home.
12pm to 1pm Go to the vacant house to inspect and make sure it is ready to show at 5 pm. I verify that the electricity is back on, that the carpet was cleaned and turn the air conditioning on to make sure it works. I change the a/c filter, and head to the store for light bulbs, and some air freshener.
1pm to 2pm Return from the store with supplies, replace the light bulbs, do a little light cleaning and plug in air freshener. Two more calls come in about the rental. I set up another appointment for this evening at 6 pm
2pm to 3pm Return home to have coffee, check email and follow up on water heater repair. Plumber has already emailed me the invoice, which I send on to the owner. I will pay the invoice for them from the rental proceeds this month but wanted to let them know. I check rent status for properties again, all but one are paid.
3pm to 4pm Print out a supply of applications, get showered and dressed for my showings this evening.
4pm to 5pm Leave at 4:30 for the property showings. Return another phone call when I reach the property.
5pm to 6pm Show the rental property to both prospects, and give them applications and my business card. Contact the tenant with the broken water heater to follow up and make sure they are happy with the new heater. They thank me for getting the plumber out so quickly.
6pm to 7pm The second applicant wants to stay at the house to fill out the application and give to me right away, so I stay to answer their questions.
7pm to 8pm Head out for dinner with husband.
8pm to 9pm Check email and bank account, send email reminder about late charge to tenant that has not yet deposited rent.
9pm to 10pm No other emergencies, so my day is done.
10pm to 11pm
11pm to 12am

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
Referrals

What was the application process?
There was no formal application, I was recommended by other owners.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I did not have a formal interview, but met with the owners to discuss my track record and present my credentials. I was already highly recommended to them by my previous real estate company.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
About my work schedule, how I would submit financial records to owners, make bank deposits for them, keep repair records, etc. Nut and bolts of running their business and reporting to them.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, I initially worked for a small real estate office, and frequently rode with the owner so I could observe her dealings with clients and situations. Good business ethics were also highly emphasized by this person, which has been a huge help to me in my current job.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes, I went back to take classes in real estate, and also learned on the job.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, my business degree made it much easier to obtain a brokers license.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
My first boss in real estate was an excellent role model. I was taught to do the job right first, then worry about what I would be paid for it.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
They would need to get a real estate brokers license to manage for other people (education) then should work in a real estate office for a few years to learn from others with hands on responsibility.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Social skills, to be a good judge of character of prospective tenants and get the best work from contractors. Organization skills are a must to competently manage for an owner and maximize their investments for them. Skill with numbers and excellent record keeping are also very important to run a business properly

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, a business degree is almost a must, plus specialized real estate training for a license to practice.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
The first few years working in a real estate office to gain experience will probably be at a lower rate of pay, you could do this while getting your license. Once you have the license and experience you can be more independent managing properties for absentee owners.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, I will be able to do this until I retire.

What are your current career goals?
My goal is to purchase more properties of my own for retirement.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Although I did not set out to get into real estate, I have been working in this field for nearly 30 years because I enjoy the freedom and flexibility it affords. It does not have the stress of real estate sales, which I have also done. It is not for everyone, since there are no benefits, (health care, etc.) and can be hard to get into. But for me, it has worked out well.

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 Assoc. Broker 4 years varied
Prior Job 2 Agent 2 years varied

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
cum laude UMass Amherst Asian Studies, BA
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)
3.8 ? Thunderbird MBA

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