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Strategies & Market Trends : The Residential Real Estate Crash Index -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Don Green who wrote (14567)	10/27/2003 5:30:35 PM
From: Tradelite	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

<<I have seen a great deal of ex-housewives apparently prospering in the real estate business >> The reason you see so many housewives (and military retirees) in the business is pretty simple. It's not a job easily undertaken by someone who doesn't have a good backup source of income/health insurance, or who doesn't have plenty of money saved up. Real estate income for beginners can be spotty and uncertain. Upfront money has to be invested just to be in the business. Definitely not a good job choice for a recent college graduate or the guy with a couple kids and wife who are waiting on his first commission check to buy dinner. I don't think I'd have gone into it full-time and quit my government job when I did, except that I had already gotten some experience and knew some of the ropes, and it was definitely something I felt I could do pretty well. Plus my wife could provide the health insurance policy through her job, and I was able to be around for the kids a lot more by juggling my appointment schedule.

To: Don Green who wrote (14567)	10/27/2003 7:43:17 PM
From: Mr. Sunshine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

<<A reservist, wouldn't that be kind of like a part time real estate agent?>> ??? Not sure what you are trying to say here. <<Wow, military life certainly sounds like a great deal!>> I can argue, rather well, both the benefits and the downside of the military. Since you are emphasizing one side, I simply took the other. The military goes to the extreme in both cases. I had had many of the best times of my life in the military, and many of the worse. I have never been as bored -- or as scared (at different times, of course) as I have been in the military. I have met some of the best friends of my life - and the worst enemies - in the military. There have been times when I could not believe that I was getting paid so little to do so much, and times when I could not believe I was getting paid so much to do so little. Again, in my experience, the military has all the extremes. It can be made to sound like hell on earth, or as the easiest job anywhere. And at times it is both. <<Should you also consider how many years of that 20 plus, military members spend thousands of miles from their loved ones. How often those military families are moved, often without a choice in the matter to locales where the housing allowance doesn't come close to the cost of living in that area? How often a member has to leave home for a 6 or 7 month deployment, a few days before his wife is going to have a baby.>> Been there & done that. Those reasons, mostly valid, are justification for the excellent benefits. And, believe it or not, many civilian jobs require travel away from home, sometimes for long periods. <<How about all of the military members receiving food stamps.>> It happens, and of course it makes the press, but it is by far the exception, not the rule. Mostly very Junior people with a wife & kids. Were you ever on food stamps? <<Being on a ship for months at a time, working,living and often sleeping next to people you really dislike. You can't go home at night, leave work after a bad day and have a cold beer to relax. There is no escape. You can't tell your boss to pack it or quit.>> Stop sugar coating it - you know it is not nearly as pleasant as you make it sound! You are bringing back some bad memories! <<Yes there are a few benefits, but if they were so good there wouldn't be a need to pay bonuses to try to retain the best and brightest.>> The best and brightest are always hard to keep. They jump around in the civilain world too, that is why some executive recruiters are so successful. Many simply see the military as a phase of life - it is something they are very glad to have done, but also something that they never intended to make a career of. <<I don't see anyone waiting in lines to join!>> You are not looking very hard. I know numerous reserves who are back on full time duty. They found civilian life was not as easy as they thought and took the first opportunity to get back in. <<It is a hard life as anyone who has ever served, let alone made a career of it can relate.>> It all depends. I know some military who have never deployed, or have "homesteaded" in the same local for 20+ years. I know many, many Navy people who have never served (in many cases never even been on!) a ship. Disgusting, IMHO, but true. Often it is as hard as you say, but often it is a relatively easy job also. <<But I must also say I have seen a great deal of ex-housewives apparently prospering in the real estate business? Hmm?>> Rather sexist. Are you saying that a woman cannot start and succeed at her own business? <<BTW I am lucky enough to have totally retired after the service and enjoy raising my children. Certainly a rare situation for most who have served.>> Congratulations. You either planned well financially or have a wife who partially supports you. Either way, BZ. (that's Navy talk for "well done"). But you also rather excellently make my point - you have never had to make it in the civilian world. Uncle Sam may have used and abused you, but he took care of you in more ways than you realize. Trust me, making it in the civilian world is a lot harder than you think. Do not take that too personally, I & my fellow Junior Officers thought it was going to be easy before we got out. We found out different. <<Most retire with little savings and must try to find a new job often with little success. In this day and age starting a new career at 38-45 isn’t an easy task.>> If they have little savings that is poor planning, and I disagree that "most" retire with little, although certainly some do. If you have the right skills, (and the Navy not only gives you many of the right skills but gives many opportunities to get an education) getting a job is very possible. Granted a few military jobs do not give you skills that are needed in the civilian world (e.g. the infantry) but most military jobs do have civilian applications. Most people need to look for jobs several times in their life, unlike the military where you get some say into what you are going to do, and at least know you will have a job for 20-30 years. When the military member does retire the Navy has classes on how to get a job and will even help write the resume - help the average person does not get. Many employees are sympathetic to a veteran and in most cases the vet will get the job over an equally qualified non-veteran. <<But with that said, I think society makes it's biggest mistake by totally underpaying workers who work in some of the worst working environments.>> Capitalism rewards skills that are scarce and in demand. If those workers are indeed underpaid, they have the right to look for other jobs. If society mandates specific pay for a job rather than letting the market determine the pay, it is called socialism at best and communism at worse - something you probably devoted several years of your life to prevent. <<Food handlers and health care workers! As we should all realize safety and health conditions are only as good as their “weakest link”. Next time you visit your favorite restaurant or food store look around at the food handlers there and try to imagine their working conditions and how much they are getting paid and how much of a problem there could bring to your health if they are having a bad day.>> I have no opinion on food workers, but will agree that I am surpised that educators and many health care workers do not make more.