WOODVILLE – “It’s totally different than where I came from for 30 years,” is how Melissa Riley described the real estate business.
Riley, who worked for more than 30 years in the funeral industry, recently began working as a realtor with Raisin’ Kane Realty. Riley is one of many Americans who have experienced a mid-life career change, and is finding rewards in her new day-to-day realities.
“It’s totally different than where I came from for 30 years,” is how Melissa Riley described the real estate business.
Riley, who worked for more than 30 years in the funeral industry, recently began working as a realtor with Raisin’ Kane Realty. Riley is one of many Americans who have experienced a mid-life career change and is finding rewards in her new day-to-day realities.
Riley is part of a growing trend of Americans who are finding happiness in a new career, mid-life. According to recent information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics roughly 25% of the American labor force is 55 or older, and a recent report from AARP reported that 65% of those 55 and older were “extremely” or “very satisfied” with their jobs, higher than both Millennials and Generation X workers.
With several decades under her belt of every aspect of the funeral industry, Riley said that although the real estate and funeral sectors seem vastly different, there are commonalities.
“Meeting with a lot of people, families, and marketing; putting yourself out there” are things that “aren’t a whole lot different,” she said. “It’s moving and hustling all of the time, and you’re not sitting still.”
As part of her training, Riley said she has been shadowing Shelly Kane, broker and co-founder of Raisin’ Kane, and in this process of showing and guiding families through a process of finding what they are wanting in a home is similar with her previous work.
“You tell me what you want and let me help you” is the fundamental question she puts forth for her clients, and it was the same in helping families with their loved ones’ arrangements.
Other aspects that are similar between the funeral training and the real estate world are included within the continuing education pertaining to laws, she said.
Riley said it was “a lot of praying and a lot of soul-searching” that led her to dip her feet into the waters of real estate. Her pastor, Jordan Wilson, also encouraged her, along with Kane.
The process to selling property, Riley said, is chockfull of education, and the requirement to sell under a broker as an agent for two years, but it is a rewarding path for her.
At present, Riley said she is still getting her feet wet in realty, but is ready to serve the region for their property buying and selling needs.
For any younger people interested in a similar career, or anyone who might want a change in their work, in general, Riley said it boils down to looking into what you really want to do.
“Do a job that makes you happy,” she said.
“You can set your own hours, but your clients come first,” she added. “Real estate is about so much more than buying and selling houses. It’s about helping people reach the milestones that matter most to them.”
With so many Americans changing careers after years in one job, it speaks to the idea that with years and decades of experience, one knows their own mind and heart better. Riley said she has been really happy in her new line of work, and learning new things.
“It’s exciting to see new people come in [to Tyler County],” she said, “it’s rewarding helping someone get into a home and make a home, and make a future and invest in the future of the county.”
Although her previous profession was largely about celebrating and memorializing the past, while her new job is about facilitating the future, Riley said it is all about helping people, ultimately, something she is eager to do wherever she is at, whether it’s a young couple just starting out, or retirees looking to relocate.
