As even the greenest recruit can tell you, military life is as different from civilian life as salt is from pepper. From the rigid, inflexible routine to the mandatory dress codes and endless sea of red tape and regulatory paperwork, every aspect of your daily life is a far cry from the comparatively easy, laid-back style of living you experience as a civilian.
This being the case, it’s easy to see why some former military personnel have such a difficult time reintegrating into civilian life. After the rigid routine and methodology that pervades every aspect of your life in the military, it can be difficult to reintegrate into the freeform society that we as civilians enjoy.
But what if we told you there was a business where your experience in the military can be used to benefit your career? A business where you can use the skills you learn in the military to further your career and earn a generous salary while doing it? That’s right! As it turns out, Military service can prepare you for the real estate game!
At this point, you may be wondering what part of military life might have any bearing on a career that seems about as far removed from service as a career can be. Whether your deployment had you sitting in a tank in the Al-Hajarah desert, directing air traffic on a Nimitz class Aircraft carrier or pushing paper back stateside, real estate might not be the first career you consider once your enlistment comes to an end.
How service prepares you for real estate
While it may not seem obvious at first, there are a lot of ways service can be the perfect prep course to ready you for a successful career as a real estate agent! Whatever you found yourself doing during your time in the military, there are dozens of different ways that your service has prepared you for this job. Let’s look at a few now!
When you begin to compare the life of a real estate agent and that of someone in the armed forces, you will quickly begin to see a lot of similarities. You spend lots of time is spent reviewing paperwork, for example. In the service, this paperwork may be a request for vacation leave or an inquiry regarding your medical records. In real estate, it will usually be the standard boilerplate legal forms, such as bills of sale or letters of intent.
Fortunately, there are more similarities between military life and civilian life than banal red tape; we’re here to share them with you!
You’ll also understand the VA loan better than most realtors!
Work ethic
In the military, work ethic is prized above nearly all. Whether you’re a greenhorn recruit scrubbing latrines or a grizzled gunnery sergeant, you are expected to model the diligent and industrious worker. Work ethic is one of the most important factors when you’re being considered for promotion, and lack of it is sure to bump you down a few notches on the list.
In real estate, things are no different. Since the money you earn is directly proportional to the amount of work you put in, industrious former servicemen and women will no doubt find their steely work ethic invaluable in the real estate game. The more listings you move, the more commissions you will receive, and the more money you will make.
Improved judgment
Another thing you hone to a razor’s edge in the military is your sense of judgment. Whether you’re in a combat environment with tracers whizzing past your head or the engine room of a 42,000-ton warship, the ability to make good decisions based on your current situation is taught to you from the beginning.
You’ll soon find that this improved judgment is one of the best assets you can have in this business. When you’re selling homes, you have to make dozens of split decisions to tailor your approach to selling a listing. You’ll have to know which listings to take, and which to pass on. When making these decisions, your sense of judgment will prove invaluable.
Ambition
Yet another thing service helps you develop is a strong desire to succeed; in a word being in the armed forces makes you ambitious. In the military, the level of success you achieve is largely dependant on how ambitious you are, and how hard you push yourself to achieve your goals.
Similarly, in real estate, it’s all about ambition. No real estate agent will go anywhere without a good sense of direction and a drive to succeed. Fortunately, after a stint in the U.S. armed forces, chances are you have both in spades. The harder you push yourself, the further you’ll go; and you might just find yourself pleasantly surprised at the things you can accomplish!
Creative problem solving
Yet another military skill you’ll quickly come to appreciate in real estate is the ability to solve problems creatively. Wherever you were stationed, whatever your post on deployment, creative problem solving is something everyone learns during their time in the military, and that skill will be put to good use in this business.
When you’re living life as a real estate agent, you will regularly be put in situations where your problem-solving abilities will be put to the test. The world of real estate is fraught with quandaries and dilemmas that will give even the most critical thinker a run for their money, and in these situations, you’ll come to rely more and more on your problem-solving skills.
Military Service Can Prepare You For the Real Estate game – Conclusion
For many, joining the military was the best decision of their lives. There are plenty of reasons you may have joined the military. One reason almost all recruits share is the desire to realize their full potential. After completing their service, many struggle to find that larger sense of meaning in their lives, feeling as if they are no longer realizing that potential.
After hearing us out, we think you’ll agree that there are a surprisingly large number of ways you can apply the skills you learned in the military to a career in real estate. In a job where your only limitations are those you set for yourself, individuals unfamiliar with such limitations are sure to go far. The only limit to how much you can make is how much work you’re willing to put in!
If you enjoyed this article, or have any feedback or questions, we’d love to hear from you! Just leave us a comment down below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
About the Author
Andrei Geist was born the son of a U.S. naval intelligence officer. From a young age was taught the values his father learned in the military. Now, he is pursuing his dream career in diplomacy, studying to earn his Master’s degree in International Relations. To cover tuition and living expenses, he works as a full-time content writer for RealEstateAgent.com, a job he enjoys immensely.Â
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