Well this is exciting!
I've been keeping a little secret, and it's finally time to share it!
I JUST GOT MY REAL ESTATE LICENSE!
I'm so excited to share with you guys when this happened, why it happened, and how I plan to use my business and photography skills to really stand out and offer something special. But first things first, I want to answer what I presume will be the one question I'm going to get:
What does this mean for your wedding photography business?
In short, it doesn't mean a thing. Wedding photography is my heart. Serving my clients, telling a wedding day story through my camera, and educating other photographers about financial management (shameless plug HERE) fuels me every day and it will never stop. I am happiest when I have about 12-14 weddings on my calendar every year. It allows me to have lots of quality time with my couples, I don't get burnt out, and I have a lot of freedom. With that freedom comes a desire to fulfill a dream I've had for the past few years, and that's getting into real estate!
Last year when we bought and sold our third home I was even more interested in the process than I have ever been. I wanted to be so involved.. honestly I wanted to list it for sale by owner but I was too pregnant to deal with it haha. This year I took so much time to be home with Elliott, and it made me a little stir crazy. I would look at real estate classes, and then do nothing. Eventually I just signed up earlier this summer, and with the help of friends and family watching the kids, I took the course, passed the national and state exam first try, and got an offer from the company I wanted to work with most! (If you're curious about which one that is, it's Keller Williams! Why not go for the top, and join the most successful firm in the country if I can, right? Well I did!)
I have always felt like real estate would be a great fit for me. Over the years as I've built this wedding business, I have acquired so many skills that will be awesome to have in my back pocket.One, I know how to run a business. That means I'm not going to struggle with things like social media marketing, creating web or print based advertisements, and managing my time or my finances. I am so excited to learn all of the new things I'll figure out along the way about this specific venture, but a lot of these business skills will be the same (or at least, very close). I know how to be diligent for my clients already- whether that's anticipating what may come and preparing for it ahead of time, going the extra mile to make sure clients understand what their options are, and having the motivation to get things done as soon as they can be done. If you've experienced what I've experienced in the past, a real estate agent can just disappear after they have your listing agreement, and you're left having to ask "why aren't we getting showings?", "should we have an open house?", "are we priced right?"... this has been so frustrating to me. I am not going to be the agent that has so many clients that she can't give them the attention they deserve, because I am not that wedding photographer either. I would rather have a handful to give 150% to, then have a large number that get half of me (or just have to deal with an assistant because I'm impossible to get in touch with- no thanks). That's how I've structured my wedding business, and it's exactly how I'll structure this as well. A small selective number done right.
Two, REAL ESTATE PHOTOGRAPHY. How many people find their house by browsing internet sites like Zillow? And how many of those people browsing homes decide if they like or dislike a home based on the listing images? With the right skills, a photographer can make an average house look amazing. Without those skills, a great home can look cluttered, smaller than it should, dark and dingy. As a seller, this means that a ton of buyers are overlooking your home because the photos aren't doing it any favors. As a buyer, it means you're missing out on what could be the right home for you, because the pictures are so bad you don't even consider making a showing appointment. I'll be coming into real estate with the ability to photograph a home WELL, and that's honestly rare in this area in my opinion. That's just because real estate agents aren't photographers; it's not their fault, it's just an opportunity missed that my clients don't have to miss. I'm ready to stage it, shoot it, and sell it.
..I'm wearing pajama pants in every single one of these photos..
Three, before the wedding business I was Jessica Roberts, paralegal. My Bachelor's degree concentration was actually contract law (which, if anyone has been my client before, you know how crazy long my wedding contract is- this is both for me and for you!). This isn't a huge perk really, but it's definitely going to come in handy because I'm comfortable understanding the elements of a valid and enforceable contract, the power of negotiation, and how to explain the wordiest and most insane-seeming dozens of papers that everyone has to sign in a way that makes sense. There is a lot in this area that I won't be needing to figure out, and that's going to be a nice benefit.
So there you have it, the new adventure! I am so thrilled about it. Sometimes you'll see me update how it's going on my Instagram, and if any of my past clients are looking to buy a home or sell their home, you KNOW where to find me if you need me! I can't rest, I don't know how. And if anyone thinks I kept this expensive $140 blazer from Loft, you should know I'm wearing it with the tag in all of these and it's going straight back to the store.
Photos taken by my fabulous friend Narissa Carver <3