Real Estate is a notoriously volatile industry. Things can turn around in a fortnight.

That being said, the housing market has been on a steady upward trend for years, and consumer confidence is high.

So I was surprised last week when my company, Real Living Lifestyles, announced that it was shutting down.

I knew the owners had taken some big loans to start the business, and I knew they were running the operation with a lot of overhead in order to provide excellent support for their agents. But I didn’t know that they weren’t hitting the numbers they needed, and I didn’t know that they were working out a deal to be bought out by a larger company called Carrington Real Estate Services.

I didn’t know… Until they told us all that deal had fallen apart at the last minute due to a third party, and that they, the company with whom I’d entrusted my embryonic real estate career, would cease doing business within a month or two.

Now, don’t go getting too worried… This wasn’t actually terrible news for me. Being brand new, I had very little skin in the game, so to speak. If I were to find a new company to work for, it wouldn’t be as though I would be losing much ground. It was, in a way, exciting. With the connections I’ve made in the last few months, I was almost afforded a fresh start — A chance to choose a new brokerage that would be truly the best fit.

The situation was slightly complicated by the announcement that the company, Carrington, that had originally been working toward an acquisition was still committed to expanding their San Diego presence. They had an offer for us Real Living Lifestyles agents that went something like this:

“Real Living Lifestyles is shutting this office down, sure… But we’re going to open up our new Carrington office in this exact spot! And we’re hiring your office manager and support staff! So not that much will even change! And here’s what we’re willing to offer to you agents in order to sweeten the deal…”

So while I was getting approached by a few other brokerages, including one very tempting offer to team up with another agent that I liked who offered to give me leads and an excellent commission split… I ultimately decided to stay with Carrington.

The person who has taught me more than anyone about real estate so far has been my office manager, Joe Martinez. The opportunity to continue working with him is certainly worth a slightly smaller commission. I have no doubts that with him as a mentor, I’ll be equipped to provide my clients with service that will exceed their expectations in every way.

Furthermore, Carrington is a nationally established company that has the resources to support its agents with some very exciting technology that will de-clutter my workday and free up my time to do what I love: help people buy and sell houses.

I could go on, but suffice it to say: the past week has been a bit rocky, but the future is bright.

If you have any questions about how I made my choice or about my new company, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

And, as always, I’m never too busy for you or your referrals.