In May of 2006 I was officially a licensed real estate agent
in Las Vegas, Nevada. We had made a huge
lifestyle change and decided to leave our hometown of Sacramento, California to
go on an unknown adventure! I was so
determined to be a successful real estate agent in another state because
everyone I knew was in the real estate industry where I lived. I barely could find a client who wasn’t
already a real estate agent! LOL!
I was referred a client who is a very wealthy doctor who
wanted to buy investment properties in Vegas. He
was completely into Feng Shui as far as purchasing properties and so I had to
really pay attention and study all I could about that topic. My husband and I hit it off with the Doctor
right away! We were just so fascinated
in all that he knew and everything he was teaching us. We invited him to our home and right away he
started giving us tips on how to ensure our home was “lucky”.
The Doctor says, “First off, you have to remove all fake
plants and flowers in your home. Most
especially fake flowers! Fake flowers
represent fake people who may be in your life.
Keep fresh flowers and fresh plants only in your home so that good
energy and good people come around you and your family!”
I was stunned considering I bought a few plastic flower
arrangements and I just didn’t want to get rid of them!!!
After a few other tips, he said our house is now in a good
position for our family. Before he left
Vegas to go back to his home in Roseville, CA he gave us our very first Pachira
Plant.
He says, “This is a money tree! Many Asians believe it brings good luck and
prosperity. Love it, sing to it, talk to
it and take good care of it. As it grows
so does your pocket book!”
Sure! I like the
sound of that! I wondered if dollar
bills would grow on the leaves! I was
excited to see it grow since it was just a little plant.
In August of 2007 it was time to move back to
California. My husband and I discovered we
were expecting our 2nd child and realized we really needed to be
back home near our families so our kids could grow up with their cousins and
see their grandparents more often. At
that time our money tree had flourished and well so did our pocket books. It was the perfect time to go home to
California, as the real estate market had shifted and so what better time to
move back!
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| Our Pachira Tree in June 2012! |
The move from Vegas to Elk Grove was crazy! We were almost home and I was devastated to
find out our huge money tree had broke in half!
2007-2009 began the rapid crash of the housing market and the nations
economy and the parallels I could see looking at our beloved money tree, well
it was struggling to come back to life!
January 2009 I decided it was time for me to work after
being a stay at home mom. I wanted so
badly to go back into real estate, but everything you heard on the news and Internet
about the real estate industry was just so horrible! Who in their right mind would want to be a
real estate agent in such a tough market?
I explained to my husband that there is nothing more I would love to do
then go back selling homes, but he himself was unsure if that was a wise
decision for our family. It was such a
huge risk with no guarantees, but I was so determined to go back! My husband said he would give me 6 months to work
hard to generate income and if I did not do it within 6 months, well I had to
find a “real job”.
There was no way I could ever go back to work at a “real
job”. I had no idea what clocking in
means for a shift?! I could not even
understand what a 15 minute break would really give me a break and of course a
one hour lunch just seems so wrong! One
hour?! Who takes one hour lunches?! LOL!
So I shifted my focus.
I decided to study and learn everything I could about real estate. I needed to understand the past and present
of the industry so I can understand the future of real estate. I asked lot’s of questions from the top
agents who were successful in a “horrible market”. I took classes on everything and anything I
could! I made sure I didn’t spend time
with negative people, because I didn’t want my mind to be weaken and taken off
my path. As soon as someone would ask me
“How is the real estate market?” I would
quickly reply, “It’s Amazing!” Because
that’s what I wanted to believe and honestly that's what I truly felt! All in
all, I didn’t want to have to ever work a “real job” because it just wasn’t for
me!!! More importantly I got rid of any
fake flowers or plants inside the home and only kept our loving pachira tree! Crazy enough what the doctor said about that
was also true!
Looking back and reflecting on 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 &
now 2013, I truly can’t believe what an amazing journey it has been. My family has been fortunate to be aligned
and surrounded by AMAZING people! People
who are so loving, giving and kind! Successful
people willing to share with us, encourage us and grow with us! Motivators to push us and guide us! Each year since 2009, my real estate business
continues to grow and every year it becomes my best year ever! Not only for
myself, but for my husband as well! My husband was able to experience opportunities he had always hope for and dream off, literally fall in his lap! Every year we set goals and we surpass every one of them! I had set a CRAZY goal for 2013 and I can’t
believe I achieved them!
I wanted to work less physical hours to spend more time
with my husband and kids, yet double my income!
How could I possibly do that?
Well by June 2013, I made as much money as I did my entire 2012 AND I
worked half the physical hours I did in 2012!
I nearly took off the entire summer of 2013!!! HOW DID THAT HAPPENED?!!
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| Already Planning for 2014! |
I set goals, I had dreams and I envisioned every morning
what I wanted. I used a calendar to
block out my time. I set appointments
and blocked time for work and for family.
I prayed every day, if not all day!
I had faith! I focused on ONE
expertise! I didn’t do 5 businesses at
once for multiple streams of income. I
trusted in the ONE thing I knew, understood and loved which is Real Estate! Most of all I had faith! Faith in myself, faith in my work and faith
in my passion for what I was really meant to do and above all Faith in GOD. I had the understanding that I was serving people through real
estate by educating them to make great decisions for the most amazing purchase
of their life!!! I continued to work
hard, knowing that as an agent no matter how hard you work, if the deal doesn’t
close, you don’t get paid. My husband ensured that our lifestyle was simple enough that I didn't have to worry about getting paid. We learned to live on a tight budget so that I can focus on my clients and not about the scarcity of money. I tried to do my very best to take care of my clients and just had faith the money would come! The friendships developed from past clients
have been even more rewarding! They have
taught me so much as I hope I have taught them!
Setting crazy goals for my family and business for this
upcoming 2014! I truly believe anything
can happen when you believe. 2014 is
going to focus on quality of life especially my health. That’s the toughest thing for me as it’s
where I am weak, but I just have to stay focused!
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| Our Pachira Tree- December 2013! |
***Just know that you can't buy a plant for yourself. It has to be given to you as a gift! The good luck is then given to the giver and receiver! How awesome is that!***
Dream Big folks, because Dreams really do come TRUE!!!
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| Side by Side Comparison! Left Side June 2012 and Right Side December 2013! |
Joy Yip
Keller Williams Realty Elk Grove
joyhyip@kw.com
http://www.joyyipsellshomes.com
http://www.facebook.com/SacramentoElkGroveRealEstate
