Why I Decided To Become A Realtor

Since becoming a realtor over the last year, the number one question I am asked is why I decided to become a realtor. I will have to say that 99% of the time people are truly interested and I give my best answer. And I am going to share that with you.

You see, I grew up with new paint. I grew up with saw dust. I grew up with the smell of varnish in the air. I grew up as the daughter of an immigrant working his way to become a successful American citizen. I grew up seeing my father prosper in his painting business, launch his custom home business and see it boom. I also saw what the 2008 recession did to my community and my father’s colleagues in the building industry.

I saw the challenge, I saw the drive and I knew I had it in me. I have always been OBSESSED with Trading Spaces, TLC, HGTV, you name it! I took a class in interior design in high school, and was pretty bummed out that it took an old school approach to interior decorating and decided to table my plans of getting involved in any sort of home industry.

Fast forward to my twenties.

After graduating at overachiever status, countless years of Student Government and internships volunteering, I decided to make my way into the world. I worked a variety of jobs, and just like every other millennial…I worked quite a few jobs. Some I loved, but didn’t pay enough…some that paid enough, but didn’t have a great culture/balance…some that had neither…and at least one that I wish I had never left. Regardless, the idea of owning my own business was always lingering in the back of my head. The number of pins on my Pinterest board dedicated to home furnishings and fixtures was overflowing. The wide-eyes I’d get anytime I’d go into a Home Goods or World Market, dreaming of what I could do with a space, had I had a home larger than a studio.

It was time.

The thoughts of becoming a realtor felt too risky for someone so used to a cushy desk job. I himmed. I hawed. I floated around unhappy with the work I was doing until one day, I came home to visit my parents in November of 2018 and my dad sits me down. He tells me that I am going to do this. I am going to become a realtor. I am going to work hard. Earn my keep. Pay my dues. And be successful as hell because this is what I am going to do. So that night, I signed up for classes and began my first lesson. It almost felt like record timing, but by January 26, I was officially a license real estate broker in the State of Illinois.

But it was more than just growing up in the industry, watching HGTV, and having the drive to create my own business.

I am more sure than ever that I that this job is right for me. It was that exciting feeling when I got my first client. It is the complete joy I share with my client and his family move into his new home just in time for their transition to Illinois to begin. It is waking up everyday and knowing that I am going to work hard.

I am going to hustle. I am going to make people happy. I am going to help them find their home where they learn, love, and grow. I am going to help people make both some of the most important, tough, and exciting decisions of their life…handling each situation with care and compassion throughout the way. The feeling you get when you witness a person imagining themselves creating a wonderful life in a home is just priceless. And I am just beyond excited to see what’s ahead.

Mary McMahon is a real estate broker with @properties in Chicago, IL. Learn how you can work with her here.