A few months ago I took two real estate courses in order to educate myself before I did battle with a real estate firm in Canada. On Friday I saw an ad on my local CraigsList from a leading real estate broker looking for new agents. I decided to see how good my chances were of associating myself with the agency as a home stager or licensed agent. We met and I shared with her some of my property selling experience that I could bring to her agency: hosting a real estate radio show, writing a book on selling homes, working with an author on a book about buying condos, owning a real estate advertising service (which I later sold), selling 3 homes, raw land of my own and a timeshare of my Dad's, studying housing construction, and being a home stager. I hoped this would demonstrate what a go-getter I am and how much I could bring to her agency and her bank account.

She went on and on about the benefits of home staging - Great, I thought! She'll ask me to stage her listed homes for bigger profits - and I asked if she would refer me so I could help her agents sell their listed homes faster so I could increase her revenues and at the same time earn enough to cover my licensing exam fees and professional real estate fees. She said NO.

Huh?

Did you get that? She wasn't willing to let me bring her income faster that would also allow me to cover the expenses required to earn her even more income.

Instead she told me I should stop writing, consulting, speaking, selling books, and home staging, and go get a $7 an hour retail job working full-time as a shop girl for a florist or department store. "What?," I thought to myself, "Is she insane?" I was speechless. I simply looked at her and smiled, a frozen smile, but a smile nevertheless. In a store I would earn in one day ($45 after deductions) less than I can earn in one-half hour ($75) as a consultant or a day as a home stager ($280). (My home staging fee is 1/2 what others charge.) I was insulted.

I understood her intention was to crush my spirit. For what purpose I could only guess. I haven't worked for that low a wage since I worked to put myself through university earning 2 degrees, one in business/marketing. That was 4 decades ago. I do far better as an entrepreneur and consultant than as an employee.

Why anyone would want to demean or demoralize a person willing to give her half her (my) earnings - agents split their commissions with their broker - is incomprehensible to me. I can't work for anyone who enjoys crushing the spirit of any human, and certainly not for someone who is blind to the prospect of additional income I could bring her agency.

I didn't tell her - and she obviously didn't take a few minutes to check this web site as I had suggested - that my PR firm has created high profiles for realtors, among other professionals and specialists, so listings and home buyers would come in faster and in larger quantities. So, I decided to re-open the Personal Public Relations firm I closed a few years ago, and see if one of her competitors would like me to bring them tons of business. I will still crowd-fund my book, The Generosity Experiment as I do.

PS. On a warm, sunny Saturday the agency's phones should have been ringing off the hook, but they were silent; there was no staff working at 11 AM, the lights were off, and the large parking lot was empty. What does that tell you? And what does it tell you that the firm is advertising on Craigslist.org for new sales people? Could it be that the broker of record is killing business for the agency? I can only guess.

Andrea Reynolds
www.AndreaReynolds.com (work-in-progress)