We recently connected with Hannah Shireman and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?
I have a very positive outlook on family businesses, specifically my family’s real estate business. Working with my mom and sister has allowed me to develop a strong dynamic and understanding with each other that makes the business run smoothly. Our family’s history (grandparents & great grandparents were brokers) in the real estate industry brings a sense of purpose and meaning behind being in this industry…”meant to be”.
One of the benefits of working in a family business is the ability to create a tight-knit work environment that feels like a family. This has lead to a strong sense of loyalty and trust among my mom/sister/me (as owners) and our agents/employees which transfers to our clients too! When clients feel like they are part of our family, it can create a sense of comfort and ease throughout the transaction. Authenticity and transparency is a “family value” that we bring into our office and beyond (into the sale of our clients home) which brings repeat clients and long lasting client relationships.
I have a super close family and it’s so great that you are able to extend that feeling of closeness to your agents and clients.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As the daughter of a real estate agent, my passion for the industry began at an early age. For nearly a decade, I have acted as a trusted advisor, expertly guiding hundreds of clients through the complexities of the home buying and selling process. My strategic approach to marketing properties, deep understanding of the Kansas City market and unwavering commitment to my clients has helped me become one of the city’s most successful, well-connected agents. When I’m not helping clients find their dream home or investment property, I spend my time with my husband, Stephen and our daughter, Charlie and son, Jack.
First and foremost, I always want my clients to feel that I have their best interests in mind. I’m always looking at their home as one of the biggest assets they own or will own. I want to keep their resale at the forefront of my mind and most importantly, that this home is an investment. Through almost ten years of experience, I’ve learned what to look for and what to avoid when purchasing a home. It’s been such a joy of mine to bring my clients “into the family” and to bring successful “wins” to their financial and investment journey.
I’m passionate about using real estate to build wealth and I truly enjoy educating people on this process. I graduated with a degree in education and I love that I get to use that background in my everyday! It is so much fun for me to help people learn this industry.
I love problem solving, it’s part of my everyday. Efficiency is my love language and I create systems for everything! This brings organization and allows me to streamline every home sale. I think this brings a sense of peace and that I have everything under control through the transaction and can be a huge stress relief to my clients. I’m even-keeled and I don’t take things personally which allows me to keep the goal of getting my clients the best outcome at top priority.
Something I love about our brand is that we got to create it all on our own with the help of an amazing graphic designer. In 2021, when we launched West Village Realty, we had the opportunity to decide who we wanted to be and how we wanted to market our properties. I love everything about our brand- the luxury and approachability. It’s timeless and I think that really transfers to how we market our properties and the success of their home sale.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I first started my real estate career, I was doing everything I could to create business. I was showing up at open houses, I was meeting sign calls from my office, anything. The start of a real estate business can be brutal and there are a lot of closed doors.
My first or second year in, I started showing a couple around town and we got to the point about six months into our search to find out they needed to wait awhile until they can would be pre-approved to purchase the home they were looking for. I was devastated because of the time and energy I had spent showing houses and countless hours pulling comps, etc. I didn’t stop following up or checking in with them, I wanted them to know I was always there.
Nearly a year later, they called me to let me know someone had left an offer to purchase their home on their duplex. They told the buyer they needed to “talk to their agent” which was me! The buyer had offered at $200K and I countered them at $250K. We got it under contract and then my clients started their real estate investing journey with me. If I had been so discouraged to not stay in touch with them or would have ended on a bad note, I don’t know that they would have remembered to reach out to me. To date, I’ve helped them buy and sell over 50 properties and continue to work with them on 10+ properties a year. I love working with them and they have become family to me.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media has always been something I’ve loved and enjoyed doing. Before real estate, I grew an instagram for my fitness journey. It was a great intro into learning this platform and what I loved about building community.
When I started in real estate, the most natural avenue for me to communicate with my friends and family at a massive scale was instagram. I started to share listings, my showings, and my daily life in real estate. Once video came to the scene, I started video-sharing and that really allowed my platform to grow.
My biggest piece of advice would be that you don’t need millions of followers to have massive success in your industry and to focus on providing value to your followers. Part of that means sharing your personal life. This has allowed me to build community and friendships and when someone reaches out to me, it feels like we already know each other. Staying up to date on updates or new trends is natural to me and something I truly enjoy. If you don’t love it, hire someone to dig into it for you!
Contact Info:
- Website: westvillagerealty.com/hannah
- Instagram: instagram.com/hannahshireman
- Facebook: facebook.com/hfoil
Image Credits
Beth Grimm, Rusty Wright, Natalie Dirks, Lacey Renee, Brooke Buck