Newbie with a Newborn.. Part 1

Hello! This is going to be a multi-part blog series that I have been contemplating starting since just before my little girl graced us with her presence on March 1, 2023. It is June 30th, 2023, so she has been distracting to say the least!

Newbie with a Newborn..

What does that mean? Well, it is my second year selling real estate. If you read my intro blog, you will find that I am not new to real estate in general, but new to sales none-the-less. And now I have a little one to care for on top of still trying to find my niche, so Newbie with a Newborn is a blog series I wanted to start to 1) recount these magical moments with my little lady and 2) put out there for other women (or men) in my position to read and connect if you so choose!

It has been a whirlwind of a three months, you guys! She is nearly twice the size as the day I brought her home, and I want to cry. It’s going super fast, and I was back to work super fast. Those of you reading who live a commission based lifestyle know exactly what I mean. Those of you who are salary, we envy you to some degree. But when you survive completely off commissions, you have to have a strong will to save or a strong ambition to get back to work. I opted for both.

The time from delivery to when I picked up my phone to make that first client connection postpartum was all of 2 hours. I kid you not. A client I had been working with for a few weeks found a house and made an offer the Tuesday my water broke, and there I was 2 hours post delivery, calling the listing agent back to confirm it had been accepted before calling my client. And I had two listings go under contract the week before. Zoey was less than a month old attending her first three closings at the end of March. And it has not let up since!

Grateful.

Those clients who all closed in her first month of life, I am so grateful for you and the smoothness of your transactions! I am grateful for the clients who hung in there with me while I rested my bones, going to look at houses with other realtors in the office while I adored my baby’s tiny fingers and toes. I am so grateful for those other agents who took those clients to see those houses. I could not have gotten through the last few months without such an awesome team! And to my mom, you are my rock taking Zoey even for just an hour so I can stay on top of things for my clients. I am so grateful for you all!

Networking with a Newborn

Fellow realtors, you know our referral network is our bread and butter, but nothing prepared me for how difficult it was going to be to attend networking events with a newborn at home! It starts at 7? At night? Nope, that’s bedtime these days! Seven in the morning? I can totally swing that. New schedules make for new habits, and I have quite enjoyed going from meetings over cocktails to meetings over coffee the last 12 months.

By coffee, I mean unleaded… Not only do they send you home with a new human with zero instructions, they advise that you do not over consume caffeine. Especially if you are nursing. My eagerness to be that all natural mom with the nursing and the homemade baby food fizzled out quickly when I realized in the first month how much effort it took to provide my baby with breastmilk. And when they advised to restrict my caffeine consumption to under 300mg, I just about cried!

Nevertheless, we are still hanging in there minus skipping a session here.. Squeezing one in on the way to a showing – oh yea.. They have made a lot of advancements for us moms on the go! Then there’s always when you get stuck somewhere too long, and you just pray there isn’t a wardrobe malfunction! But networking is much more fun with a newborn.. It’s built in adult time that you don’t feel guilty about because you are doing it for work purposes. Plus everyone loves a cute baby picture or story! She’s a great ice breaker!

Having a Newborn as an Assistant

The day to day is much more difficult than I imagined. Don’t get me wrong… I am still able to give my clients the attention they deserve! In fact, this year has been great for sales! I am able to do showings, host open houses, and all of the other things I did last year. We have some great listings coming to market and closings are filling up the rest of my year. Feel free to hop over to Facebook and follow me (sometimes us) along! But I am talking about the real day to day.

Sometimes the phone rings, and I am mid-feeding.. It’s not ideal for clients to hear suckling on the other end, but we make it work. Other times, she is mid nap, and I am trying to silence the ringer and get away so we don’t wake her. Once in a great while, she throws a tantrum while I am on the phone. She is a fantastic first baby! Her fussing is so few and far between that it’s rarely an issue. I am still accessible.

The parts that are slacking are the farming new business. Would I rather schedule social media posts or stare at my baby’s tiny fingers and toes? That’s the kicker! What I have learned is to read the changes in the market and talk out loud about to Zoey. She obviously cannot understand me, but she smiles back just hearing mommy’s voice. But I have not found a way to incorporate her into creating new posts to keep all of you informed! So any feedback you can provide… I am all ears!

Client and Peer Agent Reviews

Clients have been so receptive to Zoey! She went on her first showing at 9 days old. Hey, what are you going to do when you have a client relocating in just under 20 days? You gotta just pack up the baby and the hand sanitizer and hit the road in this business! Or pass them off to one of your team members for the showing. But in this instance, I had a wonderful comfort level with the clients, and they were requesting to see her. So off we went!

Other clients comment “Oh I can hear little miss in the background! How is she doing for mommy today?” New Clients are happy to allow me to bring her along.. As this couple last week said “You know, it just adds a whole other level of comfort that you brought your baby. It just shows that you are going to be a great person help us find a home since we don’t know what we need for future children yet!” Now don’t freak out! This was not the first time I met this couple. Little miss does not get to go to every showing and especially does not go to first “dates” with clients. I am definitely more cautious than that.

Real Estate is a relationship business, and I am glad it brings a level of comfort to growing families to work with a new mom. She is my why for selling real estate and a huge part of me as a person now. And as far as other agents, you all have been nothing but receptive! Many of you know the drill and have done it all yourselves.

If you would like to read some reviews about my team and myself, click here!

Real Estate with a Newborn in Nutshell

Bottom line is she has changed my entire perspective. Network groups look a little different. The things I used to do on my own and prep for alone, I now have the cutest assistant in the world to do them with. Sometimes things take a little longer with her, but I am enjoying having her at my side. I am beyond blessed to have team members who help in a pinch and family and friends around to take care of her when I have those situations where having her along just isn’t feasible.

Thank you all for reading! More to come.