We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michele Gwin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michele, thans for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you recount a time when the advice you provid’ed to a client was really spot on?

We’ve all heard the saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know”.

A large segment of our business has always been working with first time home buyers. We find this saying to be wildly true when working in real estate across the board, and in particular, when working with first time home buyers. There is so many misconceptions, whether gathered from media or personal references, and assumptions people make regarding real estate. Everything from finances, expectations of quality and timing, to processes and next steps.

The best advice we’ve ever given, and continue to give, to clients is to speak with both a mortgage broker and licensed real estate agent before buying or selling a home.

Michele, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For nearly 20 years I worked in corporate America as a Contracts Manager for some of the World’s largest engineering companies facilitating negotiations primarily between the companies I worked for and many segments of our Armed Forces. My career was highly rewarding and interesting. In fact, I gained many of the skills in negotiation that I still use today as a real estate agent. This career, however, was taking a toll on my family life and sadly I had reached the glass ceiling.

In 2014 I took a chance that changed everything for me and I began investigating careers that would allow me to use my skills in negotiation, but also allow for endless opportunity as an entrepreneur. Real estate was a natural fit for me. By this time I had bought and sold a few of my own home and was absolutely intrigued in the the process. Not to mention, the chance at building relationships with people outside of the cubicles I was used to seemed like a dream!

In 2015 I became a licensed real estate agent with RE/MAX Professionals in Littleton, CO. My mentors immediately began showing me how to build credibility as an agent and how to capitalize on relationship equity. It wasn’t long before I was working with my first client; a first time home buyer. I immediately realized I had a particular interest in working with first time home buyers, as I knew education of the real estate process was a very important part of the identity I wanted to have as an agent. The education piece was so important to me because I did not feel I was properly educated myself when I bought my own homes prior to becoming an agent. I never wanted a client of my own to feel the way I had.

It wasn’t long before I realized my desire to focus on educating people in real estate absolutely should not be limited to first time home buyers. People who have bought and/or sold homes before often don’t remember the details of the transactions. In fact, many only remember how they feel/felt! Within my first year of licensing, I helped being buy, sell, invest, and even had an opportunity to list a luxury home.

It was, and still is to this day, extremely important to me that I provide an exceptional experience for people before, during, and after a real estate transaction. Yes, education is still part of that experience, but my expert skills in negotiation, empathy, and genuine interest in creating lifelong relationships with people are all part of what makes working with me and my team an exceptional experience.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

From day one, my entire clientele has been built upon relationships, referrals, and repeat business. Building and maintaining relationships takes a lot of self discipline, organization/systems, accountability, time management, and absolutely requires consistency. Rinse, repeat, hustle! Rinse, repeat, hustle! Yet building relationships is not just prescriptive either. It requires humility, a genuine approach, and an empathetic voice. For me, one of the most helpful things I have done to improve my skills in relationship management was hire a real estate coach.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I’ve always made deliberate effort to focus on relationships before my own interests. I also believe having a mindset of abundance, not scarcity, is crucial. People can feel when you’re putting your interests before theirs in the way you talk or your mannerisms. I lead interactions with people with positivity and humility. I’m constantly checking in with myself to ensure I delivered my words correctly, and if not, am not afraid to make apologies or correct myself. Additionally, I believe in focusing on solutions, not problems. I truly believe these efforts have humanized me and made me relatable.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.GwinProperties.com
• Youtube: @gwinproperties5085
• Other: Google: The Gwin Properties Team at RE/MAX Professionals

Image Credits
Michele Gwin