Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-19

I no GnAsluE at hlls lneIe are ONueI QhgS
when 1 scarcely have time to eat my din
ner. When it Is a question Of keeping a
social engagement or an engagement with
a prospective purchaser. the social engage
ment suffers every time.
Now the trouble with women l have
known in the real estate business was that
they wanted regular hours which would
permit them to keep up with their social
engagements, Appointments with Gus
toners we're always made with this in
view. One who really had the makings of
a splendid saleswoman told me one morn
ing: Mr.. H. wanted me to go to his house
in The Bronx at s o'clock last night to
talk over with his wife a bit OF property l
had shown him. and 1 consented. But later
in the day had a chance to go to the
opera, so I telephoned him 1 could not
come. I wanted to make another appoint
ment for tonight. but he said the time
wouldn't suit his wife and that he would
let me know when she would see me-
LAS It turned out, Mr.. H. never tried to
make another appointment with that real
estate woman. who probably would have
made a sale which meant a $500 commits
sion for her and increased courage to con-
tinue at the work. Needing money, she
decided not to waste any more time as
she put It, on real estate. From my point
Of view the wasted time in her case was
those hours at the opera.
"A woman who is easily discouraged or
one who expects to make sales at once or
who has not sufficient money to live on
for at least three months while getting
some experience need never hope to sue
coed In the real estate business.
TT is only about three years since women
began to be heard Of favoraby in selling
go --a-- - A.. -
resentative OF a Long Island estates com
pany remarked, although the suburban
real estate woman in business for herself
has been heard from and of for many years.
Personally am of the opinion that there
Is no choice between a first-class mar and
woman. 1 must add, though, that high
class women are not easy to get.
Il must say, though, that 1 have not dis
covered that because woman is the natural
home maker she is any the better adapted
for negotiating the sale or the renting Of
a home, an argument not long ago ad-
vanced by a woman purchaser. on the
contrary, 1 have met women who showed
a lamentable lack Of Imagination when
dealing with would-be purchasers.
What has Imagination to do with the
sale of a house? A good deal. Suppose,
for instance, a man or a woman is taken
TO see a ten-room house which comes within
the figure he wants to pay. In his minds
eye the customer has pictured the sort Of
house he and his wife have talked over as
being suited to their needs. 1t has pan
tries here, a certain size bedroom there, a
piazza opening at a particular angle from
the parlor. a foyer hall maybe and stair
case OF some one pet design. The house
he is taken to see has ten rooms perhaps
and a piazza, but the architecture is en-
tirely different from his preconceived ideas.
At first he is disappointed and he will re-
main disappointed If he is in the hands Of
an agent lacking Imagination. Gifted with
some imagination the agent will so skill
fully point out the good points of the
piazza, hall, bedrooms and pantries that
before he parts with his customer the lat
ter will be persuaded that the house he Is
looking at is more to his taste even than
the one he had been dreaming about.
Here, l say, is where 1 have found men
agents superior to women; but am will
ing to concede that the reason may be
that I have had dealings with compare
lively few women"
At the New York office Of the country
estates concern which now is employing
more woman agents than any other in
the city, having six in the field, the man
ager stated that today there is no better
or more remunerative occupation for wo-
men Of the right sort than selling country
real estate.
VIVA is the right sort of woman" he
was asked.
"A woman who has intelligence, refine
ment-I mean to put refinement first-tact,
no end Of perseverance, who is not easily
depressed and is modest in department. /
admit frankly that 1 am much more cri-
teal in choosing women than men agents
and that I have given up advertising for
saleswomen. We get them now without
advertising by asking one and another wo-
man In our employ to influence acquain-
tances who they think are qualified to
try the work. Certainly none but women
with the attributes mentioned can repre-
sent this or any other first class real es-
tate concern.
"A young women from the south came
here one day and expressed a wish to try
her hand at selling real estate. She was
quite in earnest. 1t was necessary to earn
her living and seeing our advertisement
she decided that the work indicated would
be as congenial to her as anything she
could do. The girl was distractingly pretty
and stylishly gowned and she had a timid
appealing air which seemed to throw her
on one's mercy. To send such a person to
talk real estate to a busy man in his office
would be absurd and l made this plain to
her as gently as possible under the head
Of fatherly advice, telling her that 1 had
daughters Of my own older than she.
THE most difficult step perhaps in sell
Ing suburban real estate just now is to
persuade a business or a professional men
to leave his work long enough to go and
see the property. Once get him to make a
date with you and stick to it and prac-
tically the thing is done.
Now here a persevering woman is Otter
more successful than a man., merely,
imagine, because the average business mar
is inclined to show a little more Courtesy
to women, particularly when he meets
those who are thoroughly in earnest.
II have heard 1t said many times thai
an ability for hard work was the secre'
Of success in this line of work, but say
that hard work is not everything. l hav,
known men who wore out a lot OF sho,
leather without accomplishing q thing. Bet
ter far see six persons intelligently thar
eighteen persons in such fashion that nj
imnression At all Is made. 1t is the man