[quote author="PANDA" date=1253098128][quote author="mssunshyn" date=1253069016]So it finally happened to me, I had my working-mom melt down the other night. My son is a year old and I have your standard 7am-4pm job. To be honest, I?m not one of those women who must be in an office to feel better about myself. I?d much rather stay at home and care for my child. But the reality of the situation is that we can?t afford to not have my paycheck ? we were one of those starry-eyed first time home buyers who bought at the high of the high. And now here I am, envious of those moms that get to join mommy groups and meet up at the park while I?m sitting in my little office and my son is at daycare (and don?t get me wrong, I?m VERY thankful that I have such a stable, well paying job, but still?). I?ve recently got my Broker?s license and I would like to eventually transition to a full time career in real estate when the market is a bit more stable. I think a career in real estate would be much more conducive to the life that I would like where I can still work hard, earn a good salary, but set my own hours and be available for my family. Would the other Realtor moms agree that it?s a good career for someone with a family?</blockquote>
mssun,
First of all, congratulations on passing your broker's exam.Though i am not a realtor mom, I'm sure what you are feeling is probably very common among the working moms in OC. I've always had a very traditional view that the man needed to make enough income so that my wife can have the option to work or not. These days I think it is very difficult for both the husband and wife to have an ambitious career and also have a great family life. I respect you for seeking a more flexible working situation to care for your child and family.
I would think that becoming a real estate agent would allow you to set your own hours and have a more flexible schedule for your family and career. I think you expressed that your passion is in real estate. If this is true, everyday you should move closer to this goal of eventually having a full time career in real estate. Of course you should keep your stable government job and work some transactions on the side until you can make this full-time transition. Both IR2 and Trojan are very friendly so i am sure they wouldn't mind sharing with you how they first got started in their career as an agent. Right T-man??? Anyways, best of luck to you and I hope that other working moms here will post to sympathize with you.
Panda</blockquote>
I can't speak for IR2's hours, but I know that they vary a lot for me. Sometimes there will be something urgent that pops up like a new listing at a good price or a client will e-mail or call with questions so you kinda have to be available 24-7. I guess I'm fortunate that I don't have the demands of a wife and kids because there have been times where being a reatlor takes a good bit of your time. I would say that if you have good time management skills and can multi-task you'll find that it's easier to get everything done in a timely manner. Prepare to give up your weekend mornings/afternoons as that is when most buyers have the time to view properties.