We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Stocker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
I grew up in a 2nd generation family business. Our business was run in our home by my parents and 3-4 daily employees. It was natural to me for the business phone to ring and my parents to answer it no matter what time of day it was. My parents showed me what a strong work ethic was/is and how being part of such an environment and witnessing how your effort and commitment to what you do and love pays off. They also instilled in me how to be adaptable with various challenges which I use daily in real estate. They instilled in me interpersonal skills and how working with clients and different colleagues requires effective communication and conflict resolution. A quick story would be, my parents wanted me to learn all aspects of the family business so one day my dad taught me to drive one of our large tractors and mow the entire soccer field. He said it was important to learn all aspects of the business from the fun stuff to the not so fun stuff. Today I bring that mentality to my daily responsibility and make it my goal to touch all areas of a client transaction not just the negotiation part but the research on open permits, building code details and even finding a local plumber for that inevitable leak right before we go to list the property.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve always had a passion for real estate, beautiful homes and construction. I grew up with parents that always were renovating and building homes as well as decorating them. I spent most of my time always on HGTV learning about all the different styles and methods to achieve different looks. I always want to learn and know about the home building process. 7+ years ago, my husband and I were living in Westchester, NY contemplating a move to MA and the real estate market was very hot in our town. We interviewed multiple agents to potentially list our home, but none felt like they actually cared about our house or what we wanted. I took this as an opportunity to see if I really did love real estate as much as I thought, I got my license and decided to sell my own home (something I would never recommend doing). 3 Days later, we had three offers, all over ask and I was able to negotiate my first deal. That right there made me realize this was my calling. I provide my clients with a detail breakdown of everything they can expect working with me but also step by step guidance on what will happen when we search for a home or when we sell your home. I find that information to be very helpful and a resource the client can frequently return to if they have any questions or are anxious about the process.
I provide a ‘white glove’ service for my clients, whether listing or buying I have a team of professions (attorneys, tradesmen, lenders) that I trust and rely on to help my clients get to the closing table. With these people in my corner and my clients it’s not often we come across any setback or surprises we weren’t prepared for. My clients always say working with me is more like working with a friend they trust and know will give them their honest opinion then a typical agent who is just out for their commission. My commitment to my clients needs always comes over my commission check.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Word of mouth has been the best source of new business for me as well as repeat customers. My clients have positive transactions and working experiences with me so when they refer me to friends, family, colleagues, those individuals already have a high level of trust and can see their friends befefits (i.e. their new home, or the sale of a previous house). The topic of real estate always comes up amongst family and friends and when my clients speak on my behalf and their experience it seems to resonate and new clients reach out to gain information on their real estate goals.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Prior to real estate I was a manager at a global luxury makeup company planning all their North America and international corporate events. Responsibilities were negotiation of venue and entertainment pricing, working with multiple people to get to a successful outcome, being organized and making your client have the most seamless experience- all things that a successful real estate agent does (or should do)! I was constantly traveling and after my family moved back to MA and I had my first child I realized I didn’t want to travel as much and now was the time to try my passion of real estate a venture I had hesitated to purse in the past due to fear. It was a big risk but after my first year, I had successfully had 7 transactions in a 8 month time frame and I knew I had met my calling.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rachelstocker.com
- Instagram: @rachelstockerrealtor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-stocker-realtor/
Image Credits
Joy LeDuc Photography