The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-23
LET WOMEN TRY REAL ESTATE
ADVICE OF A WOMAN WHO DID
TRY 1T AND SUCCEEDED.

f
Thinks advantages They Have Over
> Men-Her Rise I'm Five Years OF work,
THE best field for a woman wishing &c
earn a living In New York to-day Is reaI
estate said Mrs. NJ. Enola Alexander, who
has been In the business almost Ave year,
and has made more than a comfortable liv.
ing. 1T Is a little less than five years since
/ was left a widow without money or bust
ness training and went TO work.
MY first step was to ask a letter OF intro.
duotion to a real estate dealer from a rich
woman friend Of mine
"What can you do?' he demanded, after
reading the letter.
Anything, l answered in spite OF the fact
that | had never don't a days work In my
life.
Its a good thing you can. he replied, for
l a no time to teach you
He tossed me a list Of houses in which he
had never been able to keep tenants and told
me to look them over and see what was the
matter with them, why the people wouldn't
stay. When l came bach and made my re-
port he looked me over and gave q grunt OF
approval. / learned that he had sent more
than a dozen men on the same errand and
none of them had been able to report suf-
ficient reasons.
Having found what the trouble was, he
commissioned me TO see thatit wasremedied.
When that was accomplished | was told to
get tenants.
Il was with that real estate dealer just one
month. My pay was $50 a month and my
hours from 8 to 9 o'clock. At least those
were my office hours. but every waking
moment l was planning and thinking
about my work.
AT the end Of the month / told my en-
ployer that l had decided TO try working for
myself.
Good said he. You've got pluck.
you'll succeed. II at any time l can be Of
service to you. let me know
1--we never had to call on him to ask a
service. but he has sent me several clients.
So in that first month I gained his friend
ship and enough experience 10 set out in
the world for myself.
when / made that venture alone i was
living In a hall bedroom Of a boarding
house and my business equipment con-
sisted Of a table, a writing pad, a fountain
pen and the daily papers.
Every morning would look the papers
over. read the property offered for sale
and then turn to the columns in which the
buyers advertised their wants. As a rule
l would write to all Of both kinds OF adver-
tisers. Unfortunately they didn't always
answer my letters. Where / did receive
answers l would set about to bring buyers
and sellers together.
it alone / made a sale of a pieoe Of property
on Riverside Drive for SOC, 600. On the
strength Of it ! hired desk room in an Office
on Twenty-third street.
Soon after that the second red letter day
in r>v business career was celebrated.
l had a telephone put in. on a party wire.
l have several telephones now. but they
don't give me the pleasure that party wire
did in the early days Of my venture,
THE next year / moved into an office Of
my own and since then it has been a steady
uphill climb. / made two rules when be-
ginning bushes for myself: TO be. always
honest, to lose a sale rather than me good
will Of a client and to handle only respect
able houses.
ITO At myself for the business I began to
read and study the very day i entered the
Office Of that real estate man. j am still
at it. ! read every book, paper and pamphlet
bearing on real estate that comes my way.
ITO be able 10 draw my own contracts
and deeds, as well as understand those Of
others, l took a night course in the New
York Law School. While have a regularly
employed lawyer. such knowledge is alb
solutely essential for a successful real estate
broker.
Il am fond Of my business and perhaps
that is the reason ! take 30 much interest in
everything pertaining TO it. | have my
recreations, Of course. just as every one
must. but my business is always my first
thought. 1t is my contention that it is
necessary for success in any line Of work.
"A woman's know ledge of the details
OF a home makes il easy for her to see the
defects in houses as we'll as their advantages.
That is an advantage a woman has over a
man in this business. / have rented fur
nished houses and apartments TO persons
who had refused to take them from a man
when il comes 10 making sales that is
matter. While a knowledge OF
detail may not be necessary, both buyers
and sellers like to feel that their business
is being handled by an honest agent. Per-
for their honesty. but as individuals believe
you will find them ahead Of men.
Another point in woman's favor as q real
estate agent is her neatness. Some women
property owners won't have men coming
Into their homes and leaving a trail Of stale
smoke after them.
Then, too, women are more courteous
az inspectors of real estate than the men
employed for the same purpose, l have
seen a man inspector tramp through an
and without taking the trouble Of removing
his hat. :
at is through fear Of these offensive ,
habits in the average man who makes an I
application for such work that ! make a i
point OF employing only women inspectors. {
Il Ia not sentiment, but business with me.
have tried them both and found that
women make the most courteous and most ]
'eliable inspectors. G
For the same reason ! employ a woman
awyer and a woman printer.
My last sale was for half a million dollars, {
nut it didn't give me anything like the G
.atisfaction OF my first sale. This last was
he plot on which a large cooperative apart !
nent house is to be erected. Il
After / made the sale the purchaser .
vas talking over his plans with me, and on b
that | had made a speciality OF {
ubletting furnished houses and apartments a
nd handling property for women he pro- Z
'osed that | become the agent for his com n
They intended to erect several Of n
hose cooperative apartment houses and d
that a woman agent would be more n
more acceptable 20 their
than a man. p
THAT is a new opening for women wish a
az to earn their living. There cooperative {
ouses are going up all over the city. II d
1ake n euoceEs of these built NV the com- NJ