The story below is from our September/October 2021 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
These five young real estate agents are finding new ways to establish themselves in the local market.
Aaron Spicer
From left to right: Thomas Vinopal, Sedia Bonsu, Kaitlin Sine, Tiffany Washington, Jewell Parfitt
Real estate is a notoriously difficult industry to break into. After being licensed, agents have to relentlessly pound the pavement in search of leads on potential sellers and buyers. Listings very rarely fall into their laps.
Additionally, the Roanoke market is saturated with dozens of agencies and hundreds of agents.
Despite the many challenges, a new generation of real estate agents has stepped forward and is attempting to make its mark on the local market.
Kaitlin Sine, Wainwright & Co. - REALTORS
Roanoke native Kaitlin Sine, 25, received her real estate license in June of 2019. The millennial is currently an agent with Wainwright & Co. - REALTORS in Salem.
Prior to entering the industry, she put her mathematics degree from Roanoke College to use as a tutor at local middle schools. Her decision to shift gears came from a realization that investing in real estate is about more than just being a homeowner.
“Real estate is an empowering tool for young people and families,” she says.
While she’s a millennial agent, Sine enjoys getting to work with buyers and sellers of all types. “I like helping people of all ages. I like meeting people of different backgrounds and helping them find something that impacts their future,” she says.
The way she goes about connecting with people from different backgrounds relies heavily on leveraging the tools offered by social media. At least 50% of all of her leads come from social media.
Sine allows her personality to shine through when posting on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. She regularly does playful posts like one she recently did featuring a picture of her and her clients standing in the front yard of a house with a giant sold sign. The caption read: “It’s time to Sine” – a play on her last name. Other posts show her out and about in the local market while wearing whimsical hats and bright suits.
“I’m trying to build a brand, so you might see my face too much on my Instagram,” she jokes. “I try to show people that I’ll take care of you. I give everyone my full and undivided attention when I work with them. I try to communicate that I’ll make the process easy, fun and simple.”
But not all of her posts are as playful. She tries to infuse her feeds with educational content as well, like direct to camera videos in which she explains most mortgages only require a 3% down payment.
“First-time home buyers really appreciate helpful information because they can become overwhelmed by the process,” she says. “I try to introduce fun facts and build up their knowledge over multiple posts.”
Aside from social media, she uses technology in almost all aspects of her job. “It’s so integrated into my life. My phone is basically part of my hand,” she says.
The use of technology doesn’t just help her, she says, it also streamlines the buying and selling process for clients. Instead of having clients drive across town to complete stacks of paperwork, she simply has them sign contracts digitally. “Because of how the market is, everyone is doing a lot of business really fast. Everyone is busy. Using DocuSign is so easy because you just click one button on your phone,” she explains.
Additionally, she’s able to unlock doors to houses her clients want to look at using an app on her smartphone.
Although Sine’s social media accounts make it seem like real estate is fun all the time, she cautions that it’s a difficult industry to break into. “My first two years were pretty hard. Starting out, you aren’t making a lot unless you have a lot of friends and family who are buying houses,” she says.
But despite the difficulties of getting up and running, Sine is hopeful about the future. “I believed in it and stuck it out. I had my best year this past year,” she says.
Jewell Parfitt, MKB REALTORS
Jewell Parfitt has been in real estate for three years.
The 26-year-old studied psychology and marketing at Hollins University. As graduation approached, she was faced with the question of what kind of job she wanted. Uncertain, she decided she might as well get her real estate license during her senior year. The decision was inspired by her father, who taught her how to put in ceilings and floors growing up.
“Real estate is something I’ve always been interested in,” she says.
As it turned out, she made the right choice. “I quickly realized that I enjoy it. I enjoy showing houses and helping people buy their first or second home,” she says.
The mixture of her psychological and marketing training and waitressing experience she brought to the table meshed quite well together. She immediately hit the ground running and now works at MKB, REALTORS.
Due to the fact that she is so much younger than most of the other agents she works with, Parfitt didn’t hesitate to embrace the internet. In fact, it is one of her primary tools for establishing new clients.
“I want to make sure I stay on people’s minds. The internet has been huge when it comes to that,” she explains. “Facebook has also been great for marketing. I try to post a lot and comment to show people I’m active.”
Although her age has put her at an advantage technology wise, it has also been a hindrance. Some people don’t take her seriously because of her age. To combat assumptions that she isn’t a serious professional, she dresses up more than most of the other agents she works with.
Additionally, contacts were difficult to come by starting off. “Because I’m so young, I don’t know as many people yet,” she says.
To reach people who aren’t online as much and to build real-world relationships, she regularly knocks on doors and sends out mailers.
Networking is another important tool for her. To meet new people, she started taking fitness classes at the Carilion Wellness facility in Botetourt County. “Attending events and just getting out and meeting people has been a big lead generator,” she says.
Once a connection has been made and a deal has been closed, she doesn’t view her job as being done. She continues to check in with past clients to make them know that she’s still there for their future real estate needs. For clients who feel comfortable with it, she “friends” them on Facebook. She even sends out cards to past clients for major holidays and birthdays.
“While some realtors keep it strictly business, I like to make it personal and build long-term relationships,” she says.
Looking ahead, Parfitt believes the internet will continue to shape the way people go about buying and selling homes. The COVID-19 pandemic, she says, accelerated people’s adoption of virtual tour options.
“I now have less in-person interactions,” she explains. “A lot of people from out of town are now using virtual tours to look at local houses.”
As for the outlook on the local market, she anticipates the next year will continue to look a lot like the past year. Sellers will have it made, she says, but buyers will be left with few options.
“There is a housing shortage now. There are so many buyers, which has driven prices up. It’s crazy,” she says. “If the cost of building supplies stays high, I think the shortage will continue.”
Sedia Bonsu, Nest Realty Roanoke
Unlike Sin and Parfitt, Sedia Bonsu, who is in her late 20s, is still finding her way in the local market. The Galax native joined Nest Realty Roanoke in April after spending five years abroad in China.
Her decision to become a real estate agent was an extension of her time studying in the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, where she developed a passion for marketing and sales.
“For me, real estate is really about customer relationships and building a rapport,” she says.
Additionally, working in real estate has given her the opportunity to learn more about architecture, which is one of her passions. “I love architecture. Real estate is a great way to learn about homes and see cool architecture,” she says.
While she’s still figuring out what strategies work best for her, she has noticed that some of the older agents she works with rely heavily on phone calls. She, on the other hand, fully embraces all that technology has to offer. Zillow Premier Agent plays a massive role in helping her be aware of which houses her clients are interested in looking at.
“I think us younger people are on our phones more and better at using the tools that are available online,” she observes.
She even runs her agency’s social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Instead of just doing generic posts about the newest houses that the agency has just listed or notices that one of their listings just closed, she strives to cultivate Nest Realty’s voice, especially its client-centered services.
“Throughout the whole process, Nest really is great about making sure the client feels everything is being tailored to suit them,” she says. For example, clients are given survival kits during the home inspection process. “It’s about giving them a luxury experience without the luxury cost.”
The way she translates that experience on social media is through posts about housewarming party ideas and contests.
Other posts are more education, like a recent post about appraisal contingency clauses. The post read, “If an appraisal contingency clause is built into your contract, the terms of your contract can be re-evaluated and re-negotiated if an appraisal happens to come up short. While this is meant primarily to protect the home buyer against a lower appraisal, it doesn’t mean that the terms of a new deal can’t be met for the good of both parties.” In the comment section, she directs people to the company’s blog for additional information.
While she’s still learning new things about the industry every day, Bonsu has confidence that she’s up for the challenge. She says her time living abroad taught her to always be inquisitive and open to new knowledge.
Tiffany Washington, Keller Williams
At 35 years old, Tiffany Washington is at the other end of the generational scale.
The Springwood native expressed an interest in real estate back in 2008. She enrolled in the Moseley-Dickinson Academy of Real Estate, but then became pregnant. Although she assisted her sister who is also an agent after her pregnancy, she didn’t immediately return to the idea of becoming an agent herself. She also worked as a property subrogation specialist, a leasing consultant at Pebble Creek Apartments and a server at Billy’s, where she would have to show prospective renters the apartments located above the restaurant.
“Being experienced in so many things is great,” she says.
She eventually found her way back to real estate. Having developed a desire to constantly be moving around from her time as a server, she decided the hustle and bustle of real estate was for her after all. She is now with Keller Williams in Roanoke.
“I chose to go into real estate because I love customer service. I just love helping people,” she explains.
The idea of helping people is one she takes very seriously. She never views a buy or a sell as a transaction, but rather as a relationship. “I don’t just want to sell you your first house. I want to sell you your house, then your children their houses. I want to sell your friends houses,” she says. “I go into these transactions where people are just looking for a house, but we end up being kind of close. We end up being friends.”
Even though real estate takes up a significant portion of her time, Washington still maintains two side jobs. Surprisingly, many of her leads come from her work as a banquet worker at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center and a server at Bernard’s Gastropub & Eatery.
Other leads come from her community involvement. In June, she helped coordinate the Juneteenth celebration in Roanoke at Eureka Park. “I like being part of the community so my face is out there. I consider myself to be a realtor for a cause. I like doing fundraisers,” she says.
In addition to her in-person connections, Washington relies heavily on social media to help build her platform. “It’s about using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It’s about making TikTok videos to build a platform to launch off of,” she says. “If you already have people watching your videos and saying your name, they’re going to want to buy something from you.”
Other technologies, like those that enable virtual showings, have been incredibly helpful for her considering that many of her clients are from out of town. As for paperwork, she doesn’t bother lunging around physical paper and a pen but instead has her clients sign contracts digitally.
“Everything is digital. You can pretty much buy a house entirely virtually,” she says.
The story above is from our September/October 2021. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!