Best San Diego Homes Guide

Janet McCarthy

My family moved to San Diego in 1965. Over the many wonderful years that I have lived in San Diego I have explored this beautiful city from the Palomar mountains, Julian and Ramona to La Jolla Shores, Del Mar and Pacific Beach and just about every place in between.  It is easy for me to say this is Americas Finest city. 

My love of houses began at an early stage when my father retired from the military and the hunt for a house began.  I think my mother looked at houses for two years.  I learned a lot about house hunting in those early expeditions.  Later, I bought my first house; a condo in Mission Valley when I was only 22.  I still remember the thrill of getting the keys to the house.  It’s a great feeling to own a home. 

Now that I am in the business, I understand the tremedous complexity of the buying and selling process.  It’s not easy to buy a house and it’s getting harder, especially with anywhere from a third to half of the properties being either bank owned or short sales.  Patience, perseverance and determination are required in order to win the deal and it is very important to have a seasoned savvy Realtor to pave the way. 

San Diego real estate is a tough business to be in, especially during these last few years when the economy suffered and housing took a big hit.  Trying to compete with established agents who have been working successfully for years is often overwhelming.  The tremendous amount of new skills; computer programs, real estate contracts,electronic devices, people skills and mortgage information is mind-boggling.  Often as soon as I learn something and begin to achieve a level of mastery “it” changes and I have to start all over.  When I meet a person who shares that they are studying for the real estate license and how excited they are to start working I have to restrain myself from saying “Are you crazy?” 

For the general public who often scoffs at the real estate commission I challenge you to find another profession that would work for free for months with only the hope of someday getting paid.  I can’t even tally the number of hours I have held an Open House in the hopes of getting one new client only to pack up at the end of the day without one single person walking through the front door.  I have had more character building experiences then I care to remember but, am truly grateful for.  I have suffered the challenge of putting up signs in speeding traffic and I have stared in the face of more people who said NO to the idea of allowing me to help them.  Like I said, Real estate is a tough business.  In many, many ways the rewards and benefits come in the same small ways that gratify a weary parent.  Finally getting through the customer service automated line to hear a real persons voice after holding for an hour is a Victory I can’t adequately explain.  Closing a complicated short sale escrow after months and months of work and finally handing the keys to the owner is a wonderful day.  Helping a homeowner get their taxes re-assessed so that they can save over a hundred dollars a month and countless other happy times that unfold in the my Realtor life are the experiences I embrace and hold dearly. 

When I suffer the struggle and become challenged with this career choice I read the thank you and customer recommendation letters I have received. My buyers and sellers who I have had the pleasure, no honor of helping them find or sell a home, have shared very kind words that I greatly appreciated at the time and often revisit to bring my smile back.  Real estate is a people business and the ironic moments of discovering that the buyer knew the seller from church or that the seller hired you because they read your newsletter that you dropped on the door step are often the moments that re-energize my spirit.  It is the people who feed me both real food or insights that I have cherished and felt empowered from.

In the final analysis if I had known what I know now about real estate I may never have chosen this career.  If they taught a class about putting signs out on busy corners and how not to get killed I would have laughed and said, I’m out of here.  If I had known about the long lonely days with no phone calls or emails from clients or the hours I have sat alone at an Open House I would have never joined the ranks.  But in that same light if I had known that I was to meet some of the most fascinating, kind-hearted, generous people  I might ever meet I would have worked harder that I already do. 

Thank you for believing in me,  thank you for allowing me the opportunity to help you with the single largest purchase you will probably ever make, thank you for allowing me to help you make your dreams come true, thank you for sharing your life with me – your profession, your ideas, and your insights.  I might never have learned about Feng Shui, or Yoga or mediation, or pedigree dog breeding, or scientific reasearch or aviculture or respiratory therapy.

Real estate is a tough business filled with very rich moments and intrinsic benefits that are precious.  If I had know what I know now about this hidden benefit I would have taken the test many years earlier.