This summer, I interned at a real estate company as a leasing agent for different apartment complexes. This was completely by chance, as I have had no previous experience whatsoever in the world of real estate. I went in blindly, with no idea what to expect. It wasn’t the internship of my dreams by any means, but what started as just something to keep me busy over the summer turned into one of the most rewarding experiences I have yet to have.
The job I had was hard. I had to get comfortable with the unexpected, and with problems being thrown at me that I had no idea how to solve. The main job of a leasing agent is to show and rent apartments to clients, so I thought the hardest part of the job was going to be to get the clients to actually rent from the company. Little did I know that I would have to work with maintenance technicians looking to me for answers, angry tenants with little to no patience, and countless furious phone calls, emails, and even threats.
It was early July, with temperatures in the 90s everyday. The pool of the apartment complex was empty with a broken pipe, and more than 15 air conditioning units were broken. With no way to beat the heat, a lot of the tenants were cranky and impatient and blamed their broken air conditioning on the person behind the desk in the leasing office. Unfortunately, for the most part, that person was me. I was terrified; I had no clear answer to give these people as to when their broken air conditioner/sink/toilet/shower would be fixed, I stumbled all over my words, I was hung up on multiple times. I will always remember the day an older woman told me over the phone that her husband would come to the office to ‘have words with me’ if their drywall wasn’t repaired that day.
As the weeks went on, I became more acclimated, but I can’t say I was ever comfortable. Everyday was something new that I had never dealt with before. I had to learn how to re-make keys with a machine, I had to give out eviction notices and then immediately screamed at by a tenant afterwords, and I had to walk through a flooded apartment from a broken pipe complete with molded carpets and a smell of rotten eggs.
So, yes, it was a hard job. I came home absolutely drained from work and an hour drive through rush hour traffic to top it off, and got up the next day and did it all over again. However, within the circus and sometimes train wreck that came with a new day, I always found something rewarding happened, too. I met tenants who were more than understanding and patient with me in this new position, who even invited me into their apartment for lunch when I was having a particularly stressful day. I got to talk with them and hear about their lives for just a couple of minutes. Some came to know my name and would get excited to speak with me when I answered the phone. The best feeling of all was when a tenant would thank me for fixing a problem for them. In a day that felt like it went on for years, just hearing a ‘thank you’ and to know that I helped out at least one person with a problem was more rewarding and motivating for me than I ever could have imagined.
Now that I’m back at school and have completed my summer as a leasing agent, I can safely say that I wouldn’t do it again, but I am more than grateful and satisfied with how much the job taught me. I feel comfortable with the uncomfortable now, I am confident in talking to people when I might not know all the answers, and I know how to handle countless situations better than I did beforehand. Above all, this internship taught me how to communicate and relate to others, and to always be empathetic to others’ struggles and needs. If you ever have the chance for an experience (internship or not) that is outside your comfort zone or will push you to do your best, I say go for it. You will thank yourself in the end!