The Tribune

By MIKE LIGHTBOURN

Today I'm going to shatter a myth.

Real estate is a very difficult career.

Successful realtors are married to their jobs. That means showing properties on evenings and weekends.

Realtors don't earn a penny until a sale closes, but each one has expenses. There are payments on cars and gas needed to show homes.

There are grocery bills, school fees and mortgages.

A realtor's income can swing dramatically, especially in a soft economy with high unemployment.

The industry is extremely competitive. There are approximately 600 licensed agents and brokers in the Bahamas.

Those who succeed do so because they work hard and they don't mind going the extra mile to help people.

A realtor's biggest concern is whether a client will remain loyal until they make a purchase.

Will a buyer value the time the realtor has spent working for them - the research, the negotiations, the weekend and evening showings? Or will they use several different realtors who will draw from the same inventory?

Will the client keep their appointments, or will the realtor fight the traffic and wait around for a no show who won't even give them a phone call to let them know they have a legitimate delay?

Realtors make a living by selling properties - whether listed by their company or another one.

All of the leading realtors co-broke with other agencies in an effort to sell your property in the shortest time possible or to find just the right home for you.

Real estate is not a career for the faint hearted.

Mike Lightbourn is

president of Coldwell Banker Lightbourn Realty