As an aspiring RES at the age of 23, I have always set my eyes towards success in the Industry. Coming from a background in RES, has heavily influenced my passion for Real Estate. I strived to do my best even before I took the CEA Paper.
As someone who has studied intensively for two months to pass his license the first try, I was excited to push myself in this industry. With my confidence as a ‘one-time pass agent’, I signed myself up for as many courses as I could. My hunger for success pushed me to the best I could prepare myself before I conducted actual RES work. I paid close to $600 on the day I joined the industry for courses and went for every one of them.
Strangely enough, it felt as if that however much prep work I did. It never felt enough for me to lunge into actual RES work with worries in my head. What if my client ask me something I don’t know? How many schemes or grants do I need to know just in case my client asks me, what if my client is about to divorce but they are interested in buying a new launch? All these noises creeped into my head whenever I was close to conducting work with actual human interaction. How many more courses and training do I need to start?!?
Fellow new RES who shares the same sentiment, fret not. Let me share the secret recipe to this dilemma. The secret recipe is that there is simply never enough preparation. As an agent, you just have to embrace the fear and face it. Go for the appointments, have a go at cold calling, and door knocking. Even an experienced agent of 20-30 years will face difficulties. By embracing the fear, you will learn through your failures, understand what is your strength and weaknesses.
I had thoughts that I was knowledgeable because I passed the exam on my first try but so what? The learning curve is very steep from the paper itself, not to mention the soft skills required that were never tested in the paper. The only way to grow as an RES is to just do it, embrace the fear and go for it. You will find out what you do not know and what you can do, only by embracing your fears.
For all the new RES out there, rest assured. You can do it.
Nicholas Lim
