We recently connected with Sarah Maiga and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard
My real estate journey started with the same uncertainty and inexperience many first-time homebuyers face. My husband and I debated whether to rent or buy our first home, seeking support and guidance from a real estate professional. Unfortunately, our agent left us feeling lost, lacking formal education and proactive support. This experience ignited a passion within me, and four years later, when I entered the industry, I made it my mission to redefine the role of a real estate agent through the services and experience I could provide.
Upon obtaining my real estate license in 2015, I committed to continuous learning and knowledge-building, completing over 200 credit hours of real estate-specific education in my first two years. At that point in time, I had achieved over $25M in real estate sales, I felt the time was right to craft my own unique brand and client experience roadmap. Drawing inspiration from this journey, I delved into books on market differentiation, effective branding, world-class customer service, and becoming a trusted consultant.
My approach transcends the traditional real estate experience. I started offering custom moving plans, conducting in-depth consultations up to a year in advance. This allowed me to provide market advice, guidance on timing for desired results, insights on repairs, and resources to bridge financial gaps between buying and selling, along with access to reliable contractors who prioritize our clients. Taking it a step further, I created the Maiga Moves Concierge Service, acting as a project manager to obtain quotes and coordinate work, aiming to alleviate the stress of buying or selling a home.
Driven by a commitment to transparency and consumer education, I launched a YouTube Channel, delivering valuable insights, cost visibility, and essential knowledge to empower fully informed buyers and sellers. My channel covers diverse topics, from property tax calculations to city inspection requirements, school of choice options in Michigan, local city highlights, questions for builders of new construction, pre-approval insights, simultaneous buying and selling, relocation needs, and more.
As the Broker of Maiga Homes Luxury Real Estate, I’ve pioneered a new level of partnership and advocacy, setting us apart in an industry that often falls short. Every client working with our team embarks on a “luxurious” real estate journey with a personalized touch, an experience they won’t find elsewhere.
Sarah, 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 began my journey into the service industry in 2008 when I received a Congressional Medal of Merit for demonstrating exemplary citizenship, academic excellence, and an outstanding sense of service to my peers, education and community. Following that, I completed my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in International Relations. During my time at the University, I assisted in the coordination and implementation of an Undergraduate Research Experience program where I was responsible for helping potential students acclimate to the area and see themselves as living in Michigan permanently. During my employment I gained valuable insight into what motivates someone to move here and found it very rewarding. I continued down this career path by doing Graduate School Recruitment at the University Of Michigan School Of Public Health following graduation. While working in higher education, I developed an even greater acclimation toward service as well as an entrepreneurial mindset. On evenings and weekends, I built a successful marketing and graphic design company from the ground-up that allowed me to quit my full-time job and pursue my real passion; real estate. I had always wanted to transition to a career as a real estate professional, but given the financial constraints of the job, and my obligation to my family, I had to find the right time to make my move. In 2015, I completed my MI real estate license & decided it was time to dive right in.
After working in the industry for 8 years & with over 300 clients to buy or sell real estate, regardless of the market one thing remains true: I operate ethically, with integrity & as an advocate for my clients. This is a way of life and a business practice that is integral to who I am as a person. I believe that if you offer kind & patient partnership to your clients, then you will build good will which will come back ten fold in your professional or personal areas of life. This means, that I represent my clients to my fullest capacity in all aspects regardless of whether the potential outcome is in my favor.
For example, I had a client who I had been working with to buy a home for almost 3 years. When the right house finally came to market & they wanted to move forward to make an offer, there was a negative resale factor that they had not considered. Instead of instantly going forward and writing the offer, I felt it was my duty to inform them of this consideration so that they would not be surprised down the line if they ran into issues selling the home. Or another client of mine read on the sellers disclosures that there was an unknown sewage issue at a home she was purchasing. I recommended she have a sewer scope done to gather more information so she could feel secure with the issue. At the home inspection, the scope revealed that there was a total break in the sewer line & the entire thing needed to be replaced. The seller offered a blanket credit of $10k to fix the issue, which the buyer thought was generous. I encouraged her to extend inspection & allow me to bring out different excavator contractors to get actual quotes so that she would not be blind sided by unexpected costs after closing. In doing so, the cheapest quote came back at $22,000. Then I was able to get the seller to escrow 1.5 times the bid amount & put a deposit down up front to ensure quick completion after closing & that the buyer would have an extra $11,000 in escrow in case of unforeseen charges. Everything went over smoothly in the end, but my buyer never would have had that support without our involvement & advocacy.
In addition, I operate ethically with other agents & clients as well. It is our duty to disclose or address safety and health concerns proactively & honestly. If you wouldn’t want your family moving into a home with those issues, then you shouldn’t allow another family to do it either. If something is morally the right thing to do, we should do it. The one thing I am the most proud of is my ability to stand resolute in who I am & my ability to attract clients who respect the way I operate.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
For those looking to improve their entrepreneurial & management skills, I highly recommend the following books: Give & Take, Exceptional Service: Exceptional Profit, The 4 Disciplines of Execution, The Compound Effect, The ONE Thing, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team & Ninja Selling.
Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.
2 years ago, I decided it was time to expand my business into other verticals ancillary to real estate sales so I started conducting research on what this process would look like. After a lot of evaluation, discussions & reviewing different business models, I made a decision to become an owner in a new title company allowing me to help shape the way title work is conducted, perfect all processes, client experience, title documentation as well as offer several more closing locations. In this process I was in on the ground floor to help grow & attract the right fit that I wanted as partners & had a lot of say in how business would be done. Furthermore, I was very frustrated with the mortgage process as well. Mainly the lack of visibility in rates, processes, timelines and overall a lack of consistent communication. I decided it was time to create a mortgage company that would allow me to be able to hand pick a loan officer, the types of loans the company can offer & how the client experiences that piece of the process too. My mortgage company became officially licensed in the state of Michigan in May of 2023, but I am now working on perfecting the business model before I make it public. I want to make sure it is done right & I have the right people in place before I start operations. This expansion of services will be available in 2024.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maigahomes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maigahomes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maigahomes
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maigahomes/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@maigahomes