Professionalism

Anyone who is professional and cares about their clients can succeed in real estate, Smith says. She shows she cares by communicating with clients as much as possible. When working with a seller, Smith sends them monthly reports recapping what she did to try and sell their home. Smith provides the seller with detailed feedback from each showing. Any comments prospective buyers make about the home are relayed to the seller.

Smith sold more than 60 homes ranging in price from $350,000 to $5 million in 2013. She says she sells people on her professionalism and her strength of experience.

“I consider myself a professional,” says Smith, who is a member of the Master Brokers Forum. “I want to provide the most professional experience and professional information that I can for my client.”

Though she doesn’t work around the clock like she used to, Smith wakes up at 6 a.m. to answer emails from Switzerland or Hong Kong or wherever interested foreign buyers may be contacting her from. Smith typically ends her day at 7:30 p.m., a stark difference from her early years in the business, when she worked until midnight. Part of the reason she no longer works so late is because her clients are very understanding. She says clients expect Smith to take the time necessary to recharge and have a productive tomorrow.

Smith changed other work habits, too, mostly in accordance with the increased power of the Internet. Email and social media grew so essential to real estate that Smith says her business cannot survive without them. However, she remains a strong advocate of print marketing, and creates brochures to market homes.