2020: A Year in Review

To say that my first year as a REALTOR® has been eventful would be a tremendous understatement, especially amidst COVID.

When I made the decision to become licensed, I thought I had an idea of what to expect, but that was far from the truth. I decided to begin a new career and form a new partnership and team all within not only the same year but a year that the world was flipped upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instantly, I thought I may have made a huge mistake. However, I formed a new business with a teammate that believed in me from the beginning and ensured me that I would reap a benefit – I chose to trust him. And so, this year has been filled with learning the basics of Real Estate and the basics of being a business owner, in simplest terms.

Our marketing strategy was thrown for a loop – HoneyWay went from preparing to be the corporate sponsor for all Old Town events to not having any events to sponsor,  and the already unknown became an even greater mystery. Regardless, I put my nose to the grindstone and took any opportunity I could to contribute to our partnership on the back end of operations while we re-routed our plan for 2020. But this turn of events helped reinforce that the Real Estate profession is not all about the and glimmer and gold, it is about building relationships with people and finding the home everyone deserves. We relied more on social media for exposure and marketing, mainly Facebook and Instagram, and even incorporated Tik Tok like so many others did throughout quarantine.

As the days went by and I was [safely] exposed to more experiences, I naturally started tackling more front end operations and gaining confidence in my skill set. Rather than working on tasks that were assigned to me, I was creating lists of tasks that needed to be done and completing them in routine. Rentals have been a very big blessing in learning the process and procedures of a transaction, also allowing me to gain traction and build my expertise. I gained my first listing from great friends that put their trust in me and built my knowledge even deeper – this also ignited a love for listings in me! However, I still love the Selling Agent side of the business and helping clients find properties they’ve been dreaming of. This was also where most of our business stemmed from over this past year. Turns out homeowners were ready to move despite Coronavirus, and I was happily shocked at the strength that the market upheld. A seemingly unnerving year turned into one that provided bountiful opportunities and the allowance for me to reach personal and professional goals.

As a whole, despite the heartache and despair that this world has endured, I’m eternally grateful for this year. I’m grateful for the opportunities, the experiences, the support, the relationships built, and the partnership I have. I felt both triumphs and obstacles, appreciated and undervalued, pride and disappointment – almost every emotion I can think of. But, every single one has led to a sense of reward. I’ve been humbled and honored to work alongside and serve my community. As this insane year comes to a close, I can truly say that I’ve grown from confused and scared to excited and in love with my young career. I plan to get even more of the job done in 2021!