The Working REALTOR®: Transitioning Careers into Real Estate

The beautiful thing about real estate is there are many avenues to success and even more ways to approach it. Bringing over skills from other industries can be a major benefit for people making a career transition into becoming a REALTOR®.

Just ask Ryan Elliott and Katharina Lenz, two REALTORS® who have experienced the professional and personal benefits of making the switch from previous careers into real estate. They share the motivation behind their move, the skills they were able to transfer into their new careers, and why the decision is one they’re proud of today.

The conversation kicks off with these two east-coast-based REALTORS® discussing their previous careers. From woodworking and interior design, to occupational health and safety, Elliott and Lenz brought a wealth of experience with them when they started their journeys as REALTORS®.

I've always been interested in homes, how homes are built, how families actually make a house a home. That's what drew me to start real estate.” 

Katharina Lenz, REALTOR® 

After discussing the factors that led to their respective decisions, both becoming REALTORS® in 2020, they discuss the perceived barriers that they overcame. 

For Lenz, an introvert, coming out of her shell was a big step to being successful. “That helped me a lot here with that feeling of actually wanting to help families and that urge of how I felt during the pandemic, being [in New Brunswick] alone, not having my family,” she says. “Wanting to help those families build something for them, that helped me to actually get out and start pursuing that.” 

For Elliott, he references his own ignorance in not fully understanding the complexity of being a REALTOR® before starting. “You look at it and you think, ‘Okay. Well, you're just showing houses, your phone's going to ring,’ but that's not the case at all,” he says. “Now that I'm in this and I'm looking at all the hats that I have to wear.”

So, how did they make it work? To hear our two successful guests share their journeys with REAL TIME host, Shaun Majumder, we invite you to listen to the full episode. A transcript is also available on CREA.ca.

Interested in joining the REAL TIME podcast as a guest? Fill out this form to express your interest.