January 2011 - Michele

My name is Michele. I am a mother of two and a Royal LePage real estate agent in Vancouver. As I read through the stories
of the previous Moms of the Month, it is easy to find that many have a common thread of trying to find the right balance for her family. Of course, some days we all feel like a Mom of the
Month and some days we don’t. Being a working mom has its own challenges and when you keep non-traditional working hours, like I do, you have to always be resourceful.

I have been asked if I chose to become a real estate agent because flexible hours are great for moms. I actually decided
to become an agent 22 years ago, many years before
becoming a mom, and my desire to be successful in helping people find the perfect home drove my passion for real estate. Watching clients get excited about a property is contagious
and helping them make that dream a reality is very fulfilling. I meet new people every day and no two days are the same.

This has always the constant in my career. However, when I started planning a family, I also thought that I was in the right field to balance a career and motherhood. I quickly learned that you can try to be a real estate agent part time but, it’s very hard to be successful. You have to be fully committed and available, so part time was not an option. I was able to take 8 months off when each of my children were born and leave my business with a colleague who had a similar style and a successful history of running a mature  practice.

Of course, things change as your children enter their teens. This year my second child, who is in grade seven, just started coming home from school by himself. Both of my children have even started helping me with my business – mainly mailouts and technical assistance. I can see their interest grow the more they learn about how things work. My daughter has started helping me support a local women’s shelter through the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. This is very different from the early years when at times I was forced to drag them along with me to appointments (if I knew it was okay with the client) or the time when I brought clients to pick-up my son from school when we were out viewing houses - those clients in particular are now good friends of our family.

Having flexible hours did have its benefits. I was able to enjoy my children in a way that other mothers couldn’t with their traditional hours. I had the freedom to do activities with my children such as field trips or special events with school or friends.

The advice I have for new moms trying to balance a career with a new child is to be resourceful and build your support network. There have been many times when I couldn’t bring my kids with me in a pinch, but I could rely on my friends or a close colleague to jump in. Until the past couple of years a nanny was a must. Whenever I was “in between nannies” or away on a much needed family sun vacation, I had a colleague help with the workload, I chose one that had a similar work style and an equally successful practice. This not only helped ensure that my clients were getting the same level of commitment and attention to detail, it also made transitions much easier.

Over the years I have learned to be flexible, no two days are the same and each day continually evolves. Being able to go with the flow has been the key.

Sincerely,
Michele
www.michelecollins.com