Guest contributor Pamela Dittmer McKuen of REALTOR®Mag says:

I believe everyone should go to law school and not practice law. Law school teaches you communication skills and a thought process that are very advantageous in anything you do.

My parents owned a Century 21 franchise, so I grew up in the business and knew our market. I graduated from Fordham Law School in 1985 and spent the next four years as a real estate attorney, mostly working in the area of conveyances. But I realized I wanted to be involved in the entire transaction, not just part of it.

At that time RE/MAX was new in our area. I liked its business model, which I see as more of a salesperson-oriented business than a broker-oriented business. I got my broker-owner license and opened our office in 1991. My parents were in the process of shutting down their business, so I moved into their space. They had 150 agents, and about 20 of them stayed with me. The rest moved on.

Productivity Starts with Prospecting

Our fundamental belief is that prospecting is the key to success. Technology is important, but it can be stifling at times. It's easy to get caught up in activities that are not productive. Real estate is a people business. You have to be out meeting people and shaking hands.