To all the agents in the house,
Earlier this month I spent a day shadowing Stephanie LoVerde, a real estate agent at Baird & Warner in Chicago.
The experience compelled me to think about different aspects of being a real estate agent. A couple of observations.
Agents travel a lot
LoVerde traveled from her home of Park Ridge, the far northwest suburb that was the childhood home of Hillary Clinton, to the adjacent suburb of Lincolnwood, to the North Shore suburb of Wilmette, and then to the central city neighborhood of Logan Square.
Chicago Transit Authority enthusiasts may have a bone to pick with the following statement, but Chicago lacks the freeway infrastructure of Los Angeles or the thorough public transportation of New York City. What that meant for LoVerde is crawling down surface street traffic at 4 in the afternoon.
The agent can sometimes have the worst of work-from-home isolation and the job commute. LoVerde often works from her car, parks her vehicle at the next walk through or showing, and gets tasks done on her phone.
The routine is physically and mentally tedious, particularly when, as was the case here, there was not enough time to eat or take a walk.
A good agent is deeply connected to their client
The flip side of the isolation of traveling everywhere by herself is the deep connections LoVerde formed with her clients. I met with LoVerde again yesterday and we discussed a couple I had been introduced to during the day I spent shadowing her.
They are still looking for a place, and are frustrated with what remains a low inventory market, even though a rise in mortgage interest rates may dissuade some buyers from throwing their hat in the ring.
LoVerde has counseled, assured, but also spoke frankly with these clients for over a month. She forms feelings, connections and frustrations with clients that, at least, match those feelings people have about work colleagues or friends they've recently made.
A successful agent, then, must both be real to their clients, while having the ability to not become too emotionally drawn in. It's an emotional tightrope that I admired LoVerde being able to walk.
Agents, what are some other facets of your job that people on the outside might not appreciate? You can email me anonymously at mblake@hwmedia.com.
Sincerely,
Matthew Blake
Senior Real Estate Reporter
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