Real estate agents wander into the industry from all walks of life — and for one agent, the journey started in Iraq.
First Team Real Estate agent Beau Beardslee, who served as an infantryman during the Iraq War, earned his real estate license after an honorable discharge from the army due to health problems convinced him to seek a new way to occupy his time following his return to civilian life in Orange, County, California.
“I had this energy inside of me to do something,” Beardslee told attendees during an Inman Connect San Francisco session that was streaming live on Tuesday from the Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel.
Beardslee’s first steps involved finding clients and an agency, which he accomplished by attending classes and shadowing agents. Eventually, he built a base of clients and found open houses to show them each day.
In his first year in the business, Beardslee set a goal to sell 12 houses, but after doubling that quota he never looked back.
“I said ‘I need to take what I learned as a disciplined infantryman and put that into real estate,’” said Beardslee, who believes his military training helped motivate him even as he transitioned into an industry so different from the army.
Now living by the army motto “learning to love the suck,” Beardslee hopes to inspire other agents to endure, even as they struggle to find their own clients or sell homes.
“I think we as agents can sometimes hide behind our phones and computers,” he said. “If you have a buyer, go out and find them the house yourself.”
