My First Day in Real Estate
I’ve been in real estate for roughly 22.5 years. My last day in hospitality was Sunday, September 21st, 2003. My first official day as an agent? Monday, September 22nd. And I was petrified.
The whole industry was completely foreign to me. I didn’t have some lifelong dream to sell property. I simply lost a bet with Maria and ended up here, kicking and screaming.
For those who don’t know our story, I turned up in casual clothes – what is now the infamous denim suit, while everyone else was appropriately suited and booted. I didn’t even want people to recognise me as an agent.
The ‘if only I could turn back time’ feeling
The reason I share this is that one line keeps coming up again and again in conversations with agents: “I wish I could turn back time and start again”.
I get it. Knowing what I know now, I’d love that opportunity too. I did plenty wrong in the early days. It took years to figure out what actually mattered and what didn’t. I would have loved to sell my first property at 25, not 40.
But here’s the reality: You can’t regret what you didn’t know.
Trust me. I look back on those early days and still think: “What was I thinking?” But beating yourself up over it achieves nothing. You can’t turn back time.
Stop letting the past hold you back
What you can do is stop using the past as an excuse to delay the present.
Too many people fall into this trap. They say: “If only I’d started differently, I’d be further ahead now”. And that becomes the reason they don’t push forward today. But it’s a lie you need to drop.
It’s never too late to get your approach right:
Clean things up. Strip away the clutter and distractions.
Simplify. Get back to the basics.
Run a structured day, week, and month.
Do the right things consistently.
Nobody gets it perfect at the start, in the middle, or at the end. Perfection is a myth. The people who move forward are the ones who do things well enough, consistently, and commit to ongoing growth. They understand that progress compounds over time.
Today is your line in the sand
And here’s the kicker: it’s never too late to see today’s work pay off in the future.
Twelve months from now is both a long period and a short one. Long enough to build serious traction. Short enough to actually enjoy the results.
You don’t need a time machine. You don’t need to rewrite your past. What you need is a line in the sand.
Today works just fine. Start where you are. Commit to doing better, a little every day. Focus on what you can control and take action. Daily. Different. Better.
Because the truth is, it’s not about wishing you’d started sooner. It’s about what you do right now. And that’s where your future begins
About the Author
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency, Australia’s first multi-brand real estate network, ‘the only fully integrated solution for you and your people to create an unforgettable experience.’
For all enquiries and more information on how the Agents’Agency can help you take your career to the next level, click here to get in touch.
