Are you a blue collar worker looking to break away from the 7-3 or 9-5 job? Well if so, this might inspire you to get out of that dead end job and go off on your own.
As a kid, my first job was a paper route. I worked for the Southtown Economist delivering newspapers in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago. It was a love, hate relationship because — 1. I loved money 2. I hated to work.
I eventually knew that I had to get over the hate part if I wanted to keep making money. But what I really wanted was to make a lot of money quick and easy. I searched high and low and tried many get rich quick schemes but eventually came up empty. Can you relate?
Since the quick and easy road to riches didn’t seem possible, I ended up spending years working blue collar jobs. Working for the family cleaning business was dreadful.
Laying tile, building decks, unloaded trucks, stocking shelves and working 5 years at the Railroad wasn’t my idea of the ideal job either. All of these jobs left me feeling empty inside.
Some might say: “The Railroad”? That is a good job with a great pension! This is true. With the Railroad job, I would not only get my social security check upon retirement but I would also receive a solid pension as well.
The Railroad was the best paying job with the best benefits up to that point in my life and I was in my early 20’s.
But my lifetime goal wasn’t to continue picking steel all day while wearing Herman Munster steel toe boots and a back brace. I guess the Herman Munster Show that aired in the 1960’s ages me a bit there.
I Am A Dreamer
Are you a dreamer? I have been a dreamer my entire life and I was determined to figure out how to make my dreams come true no matter what anyone else told me. Failing and being dead broke was better than working for someone and being miserable.
Daydreaming started when I was about 5 years old and it didn’t matter where I was. I would daydream in class, at home, in church, wherever.
It continues to this day but it isn’t a distraction or looked at as a negative through my eyes. Because I am daydreaming about the things I want to achieve and some of those things have come true!
When I daydream, I don’t actually Zone Out and pull a Walter Mitty because I still know what is going on around me. Thankfully, right?
The Real Estate Agents Postcard
Luckily, I stumbled upon my big break while calling a real estate agent from a postcard that was in the lobby of my condo building. There was always one real estate sales postcard in the foyer of my building. When I decided to sell my Condo, it made a lot of sense for this one agent to be my first choice.
Right around this time (and pretty much always), I would research ways to get out of the grind and make Big Money with my own company. In the magazine I was reading, I saw an ad on how to be a Stockbroker and on the next page, it was how to be a Real Estate Appraiser.
Both pictures showed an astute gentleman type wearing a tie and glasses while working on some type of problem. This made me feel intimidated because it seemed so far off from who I really was at the time. Regardless of the magazine pictures, I was still intrigued.
The Realtor Meeting With Bill That Shaped My Future
The Agent Meeting: When the agent Bill arrived at my condo, I felt relatively comfortable because he lived in my condo complex. He was just a few years older than me and he was a calm, cool, and a collected type of guy.
We had an immediate connection and there was a synergy between us. Maybe he was just a good salesman but that’s okay, because he made me feel comfortable enough to ask about the Real Estate Appraisal Industry.
To my surprise, his older brother was an appraiser! And when I asked him about it, he immediately said: “I am having a get together at my house with some friends and my brother will be there. You should come so you can pick his brain!”
Real Estate Appraiser Gave Me Motivation To “Just Do It”
When I went to the gathering, I was super nervous but when I finally asked his brother Mike about appraising, he was incredibly positive! Mike said that making $100,000 per year is no problem! He also told me that he was going in another direction soon — he claims where the real money was at. I asked “what is it”. He casually said “selling real estate.” The rest is history….
Appraising Real Estate During The Biggest Refinance In History
Being an appraiser in the biggest refinance Boom in history was extremely rewarding and busy time. My appraisal business grew to 10 appraisers and office workers to boot. With the constant appraisals of foreclosures, I began flipping houses too. There were consecutive years in a row of $100,000+.
It was a great time for mortgage companies, lenders, home inspectors, appraisers and real estate agents for sure!
When the refinance market really starting to pick up steam in 2000, it was a bit overwhelming.
I am sure your heard the phrase “feast or famine”. Well it was a FEAST for quite a while!
Property values were increasing at an accelerated rate in many areas and interest rates were at one of their lowest levels in history.
We are at a similar time now where interest rates are at an all time low but for different reasons. These are unprecedented times in the world.
If Bill’s brother Mike wasn’t a positive person, I don’t know if I would have even taken the plunge into real estate. I am forever grateful to my friend Bill and Mike for giving me this great gift. Bill and I remain friends to this day.
Were you ever given a special opportunity like this in your life? Hopefully this story sparked something inside of you — in order to take your life to the next level. The next time you see an opportunity, reach out and grab it.
The Refinance Bubble & Burst That Stifled America
In the United States, the refinance bubble started to burst in late 2006. Home prices continued to drop through 2012 but experienced it’s largest decline in December 30, 2008. These were trying times for the U.S. and there was a ripple effect in other countries.
Particularly, the appraisal work flow that I had went from 40-50 appraisal orders per week to roughly 4 orders. These orders were being distributed to my appraisers that included my mother, my sister and my sister-in-law. It made it very difficult.
At the time, I was making a transition to online ventures and that saved me from losing my house. Thankfully, this was also a new found passion so it was an easy transition.
Flash Forward To Current Times
Today, after a long hiatus, I am back in real estate with an appraisal license and a real estate brokers license…
Getting back into real estate was an easy pivot because I learned online marketing strategies over time. If you know how to get leads online, you can do very well with a service related business.
A service business such as real estate appraisal or even a service business like house cleaning, is something people either need to have done or desire to have done. There is a strong demand and searches online are abundant.
Service related businesses continue to increase every year. They offer many opportunities to licensed professionals and non-licensed pro’s wanting to start a business from scratch.
Real Estate Licensing Changes
As of 2019 and 2020, the real estate appraisal education and real estate agent education in many states has eased. For example, the age to become a real estate broker in Illinois has changed from 21 to 18!
To become a real estate appraiser in Illinois, you are no longer required to have a bachelors degree and the licensing education hours have decreased from 90 to 75! You can find out more at the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation here: IDFPR
Be sure to check with your state department for education requirements…