Even before I graduated from Washington State University, I
had pretty much decided to go directly into Real Estate Sales. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a good
degree. It was simply the realization
that journalism wasn’t going to be the best fit for me as a lifelong
career. My college professors would
probably say I never really gave it a chance, it was nonetheless what I felt
was best for me. Regardless of what I
did, I knew my degree in Communications would be a benefit.
Other factors which pushed me in that direction were, my
family’s history involved real estate ownership. We weren’t wealthy, but that didn’t matter. Growing up, my folks always owned their home
and when I was attending the university, they got into rental properties. Additionally, my mother’s parents were cattle
ranchers in Montana where they also owned a home and a rental near where they
farmed. In other words, real estate
ownership wasn’t exactly foreign to me.
But before I could officially get started I got my draft
notice. Before I had graduated from
college, the draft had been reduced to a lottery where birthdays were assigned
a lottery number. Mine was 49 which
meant I was certain to get my notification.
But when I went for the physical, which was surreal in every sense of
the word, one of the examining doctor took one look at my eye glasses and told
me I was legally blind and was classified 4F.
That meant I didn’t pass their physical and would not be drafted.
Knowing there would have been so many things other than combat
I could have done, I felt a bit cheated.
But that was their ruling and I became determined to get my adult life
in gear. But the next question was, I
had to get licensed and associated with an existing broker. While I don’t’ know why I choose Alvin J.
Wolff in Spokane, I don’t exactly recall.
But I got an interview and was told I was too young. Of course, in so many words, I immediately replied baloney. They took me on as a real estate salesperson
and my life as a Realtor began. I was 22
at the time.
