You’ve seen the shows—Million Dollar Listing, Selling Sunset, and my personal favorite, Buying Beverly Hills (because yes, that’s my brokerage—The Agency—and yes, Mauricio really is that cool).
These shows paint a picture of glamorous listings, effortless deals, and agents who close $10 million homes between brunches and Botox. Everyone’s always in designer outfits, sipping cocktails at twilight open houses, and staging homes with a flick of their high-heeled shoe.
Now let me introduce you to actual real estate life, where your lunch is a protein bar, your shoes are covered in red dirt, and your “twilight showing” is lit by your iPhone flashlight because the electricity hasn't been turned on.
Myth #1: Every buyer finds a home in 3 showings.
Reality: I’ve shown 27 homes to the same couple.
Twice.
We’ve toured houses in the rain, through tornado sirens, during football games, and even on my birthday. They loved the first one. And the third. And the fifteenth. And then they decided to "just rent for a bit."
Bless their hearts.
Myth #2: Every deal closes.
Reality: HAHAHAHAHA.
These days, getting under contract feels like winning the lottery. But closing? That’s an Olympic-level obstacle course. You've got the inspection freak-out, the cold feet, the mystery uncle who suddenly appears with "advice," and of course—the ever-popular last-minute loan denial.
Oh, and let’s not forget the modern phenomenon: buyers backing out just because they “had a weird feeling.”
Excuse me? A weird feeling?
That’s me every day before coffee and emails.
Myth #3: Realtors take glamorous vacations.
Reality: Realtors take their laptops to different zip codes.
My “vacations” include writing contracts in the car, scheduling inspections from the beach, and responding to a client’s late-night meltdown about a cracked driveway while eating overpriced hotel room service.
We don’t go on vacation. We just temporarily change our Wi-Fi password.
Myth #4: We’re only busy when a deal is happening.
Reality: LOL. We’re always working.
We’re marketing, prospecting, prepping homes, writing blog posts like this one, coordinating photographers, staging with throw pillows from our own living rooms, driving across town for a key, and answering texts from clients at 11:43 PM that just say, “Thoughts on this one?”—with a Zillow link.
Our calendar? Chaos. Our gas bill? Tragic. Our screen time report? Disturbing.
Myth #5: We’re calm, collected, and always polished.
Reality: I once climbed through a window in dress clothes because the lockbox jammed and the buyers were 2 minutes away
I have cried over appraisals
I have fallen in a pool during a showing
I have said “no problem at all!” while actively screaming inside
The Truth: It’s Harder Than Ever
The market has changed. Buyers are more hesitant. Interest rates fluctuate like mood swings. Inventory is tight. Deals fall apart for the weirdest reasons. And through it all—we’re expected to smile, stay calm, and post motivational quotes on Instagram.
And you know what?
We still love it.
We love helping people. We love the adrenaline, the houses, the families, the first-time buyers, the big wins. We just don’t love being ghosted after 40 showings or losing a deal because someone decided Mercury was in retrograde.
Final Thoughts:
So no, we’re not selling $20 million homes in Beverly Hills while sipping rosé by the infinity pool.
(Well… unless you're actually on Buying Beverly Hills—then maybe you are. And in that case, call me.)
The rest of us are grinding it out, hustling hard, missing dinners, fielding 11th-hour texts, and praying that one showing will finally lead to a closing.
We’re not TV-famous, but we’re real Realtors. And that’s even better.
Realtors: the only people who can say, “Happy to help!” while negotiating a backup offer in a Buc-ee’s parking lot.
Wyatt Poindexter The Agency Oklahoma
