We recently connected with Delisia Inge and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Delisia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

The educational system unfortunately is failing our children. This is no offense to the thousands of wonderful educators but to the system who’s goal is to push our children through it’s system without learning the fundamental life skills required to become a thriving and contributing citizen of their community. The focus becomes test scores and not skill development. The world has changed drastically and necessary skills needed to just survive are not taught in school. Skills such as money management, budgeting, managing credit, and effective communication are missing from most curriculum. With the advancement of technology, skills such as typing and even cursive writing have been eliminated. I would love to see a school curriculum that does not focus on checking a box but encourages and prepares our students to become entrepreneurs and tradesmen/women. I understand college is not for every child, but being able to make a living that is fulfilling and take care of yourself is a necessity and our school system does not succeed at doing that.

Delisia, 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?

I spent 20 years in Corporate America working as a mechanical engineer, project manager, procurement specialist and manager. The job I enjoyed most was as the manager of an early career rotational program in which I hired, managed and mentored interns and early career supply chain employees. I have a passion for helping people and helping them develop and reach their goals. After 20 years at the same company, my job was eliminated and I was left to figure out what next.

I was always interested in real estate and decided to take the leap of getting my real estate license. This would allow me to couple my passion of real estate and helping people. After losing my job, I immediately began taking real estate classes and within 3 months, I passed the exam and began my new career as a Realtor. This was one month before COVID caused the world to shut down. I spent quarantine time developing my brand and connecting with my friends, family, past coworkers and letting them know I was now doing real estate. Fortunately, I had already developed a trust and positive reputation with those that I know and they were very supportive of my business.

I am fully committed to advocating for my clients with integrity, compassion and trust to help them reach their real estate goals. I have high value for teamwork and collaboration which I believe is the key to success of any transaction. My desire is to educate home buyers and sellers on the process to ensure the process is smooth and not stressful for any of us involved. I believe everyone has the right to own a home and I love to educate those who believe they can’t.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2019, just 2 months after getting married, my job position was eliminated. I was with my company for 20 years and was a 6 figure earner. Although I was ready for a job shift, I wanted it to be on my terms. I wasn’t sure I was ready at THAT moment. Although I was entitled to 12 months severance pay, I still needed to make a decision about what I was going to do, career wise, with the rest of my life. Plus, my daughter was in her sophomore year of college and I still had 2 more years to pay for.

I wasted no time in deciding to get my real estate license. Even if I didn’t do real estate full time, I at least would have it to fall back on if needed. When I received my license in February 2020, I gave it my all, despite the introduction of a pandemic 1 month later. I called all my friends and family (everyone was home and excited to talk to someone outside of their home) and introduced myself as their new Realtor. I sent hand written letters, updated my social media, developed my brand and didn’t give up. I took all the training classes my brokerage had to offer and immersed myself in learning the market and understanding how to best serve my future clients.

In 2021, I was awarded the Leading Edge Society Award for being amongst the top 10% of agents in my company. In 2022, I was among the top 6%, earning the President’s Circle Award.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I create a stream of high-quality leads by working my business by referrals. Last year, 77% of my clients were referred by other clients, friends, family or other agents. I strive to stay top of mind with all of my clients. I stay in contact either by phone, email or simply visiting them when I’m in the neighborhood. The connection is genuine and never forced and I rarely have to ask for a referral. But when you provide great service and meet the needs of your clients, it is likely they will tell someone about you. I am grateful for everyone who supports me with their referrals because that is how I am able to run a successful business.

Contact Info:

• Website: delisiainge.foxroach.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/delisia_inge/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealtorDelisiaInge
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delisia-inge-8729728/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelisiaInge
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3mVOU3LhechXo3FXl40-1w