Since announcing that I earned my broker’s license, I’ve had quite a few people ask me why I decided to get it and what I plan to do with it. Am I opening a brokerage? Is something changing? What’s next?

They’re fair questions, especially because I asked myself those same things throughout this process. The answer took me a little while to figure out, but to explain it, I have to go back to the beginning.

When I first got my real estate license in 2020, I remember hearing that a large percentage of agents leave the business within their first few years. That stuck with me, and I told myself I wasn’t going to be one of them. I was determined to build a career in real estate, even if I didn’t fully understand yet what that would take.

After getting my feet wet, I realized that opening my own brokerage wasn’t something I wanted to pursue. I did, however, want to keep learning. There was still so much to understand, and I wanted to continue growing beyond the education required to get my initial license. That’s what first led me to look into becoming a broker.

Virginia requires experience before you can apply for a broker’s license, including being actively engaged as a salesperson for 36 of the previous 48 months. As I gained that experience, the idea stayed with me. Eventually, I enrolled in the course, which took me a little longer to finish than I’d like to admit. But I finished, and all that stood between me and the next step was the exam.

Unfortunately, that was also where I got very good at getting in my own way.

I kept asking myself why I even wanted this license. What was I going to do with it? If I didn’t want to open a brokerage, what was the point? I had already spent the money and completed the coursework, but somehow I was still trying to talk myself into finishing what I’d started.

Looking back, I think I was using those questions to avoid admitting that I was afraid to fail. At the end of my course, we were told that roughly 40–50% of people don’t pass the broker’s exam on their first attempt. I imagine that was supposed to reassure us that needing another try was normal. My brain mostly heard, “Well, there’s a very real chance you’re going to fail.” Super helpful, brain. Thank you.

My broker and friend, Ashley, eventually asked me why I was waiting. She reminded me that I just had to try. If I didn’t pass, I could take it again. It didn’t need to be this enormous thing I had built it up to be.

She was right, but there was a little more behind my hesitation than a difficult test.

The honest truth is that I’ve had moments of feeling like I’ve failed in real estate because I haven’t figured out the secret sauce for consistent, sustainable business. I care about my clients and the work I do, but building a business has been its own learning experience. There have been times when I’ve wondered why I haven’t figured that part out yet, or compared where I am to where I thought I would be by now.

That’s probably not something you see agents talk about very often. We share the listings, the closings, and the happy moments, and those things absolutely deserve to be celebrated. But there’s a lot of work and uncertainty between those moments, too. When I was already questioning my progress, the possibility of failing the exam felt more personal than it needed to.

Eventually, I had to give myself permission to try without knowing how it would turn out. Ashley’s advice stayed with me, and I finally took the exam. Now that I have my broker’s license, I’m proud of the work it took to earn it, including getting past my own hesitation long enough to take that next step.

As for what I’m going to do with it, I’m continuing my work with HomeGrown Real Estate as an Associate Broker. My goal is to keep putting my education and experience to work for my buyers and sellers while building a business that feels sustainable and true to who I am.

I love helping people understand their options, work through the questions, and find a path forward with something as significant as buying or selling a home. Continuing my education is one way I can keep growing in that role. I don’t need to have plans for my own brokerage to see value in becoming more knowledgeable and capable in the work I already do.

I’m still figuring some things out. Apparently, the broker’s license doesn’t arrive with a recipe for the secret sauce, which feels like a missed opportunity. But I’m learning to give myself credit for the progress I’ve made while continuing to work toward the business I want to build.

So that’s my why. I wanted to keep learning, invest in my future, and become a better resource for the people who trust me. Somewhere along the way, I also needed to prove to myself that being afraid of failing didn’t have to keep me from moving forward.

 

Amber Fleck | Associate Broker & Realtor at HomeGrown Real Estate

amber.fleck@homegrownreva.com

540.273.6673