The literal job description of a Realtor may be composed of a couple of paragraphs where key concepts like customer service, client interaction, and knowledge of basic computer skills might be listed. Although this description may provide a surface value appraisal of what a Realtor may be expected to do, Shannon Wilson says her job description as a Realtor extends far beyond this to include anything that helps her clients and brings a deal to a close.
Wilson, a Crye-Leike Realtor in Ft. Oglethorpe, brings this up in relation to what she heard a Realtor say once while Wilson was trying to do a closing and was helping a buyer to do some things that needed to be done on a house. The Realtor said things like this weren’t in their job description. Wilson says, “I will never ever say ‘that is not in my job description,’ because, especially in today’s world, there are many, many things coming up that you may do that you may have not done five years ago.”
Five years ago, Wilson was just starting in transition real estate. She had grown up in Sweetwater, Tenn., moved to the Athens area for a few years and then moved to Chattanooga in 2002, working as an insurance agent and for an optometrist for several years before real estate. Wilson says she had wanted to go into real estate about 15 years before her 2007 debut, but being in the Sweetwater/Athens area, there was little practicality to driving every day to real estate school in Chattanooga while balancing a full-time job. Her passion for real estate smoldered, though, and finally she says she just went for it.
The drive behind her work is the enjoyment of helping people, she says. “It’s really cool to be able to see the excitement, because I do work with a lot of first time homebuyers who have no idea about the process of buying a home,” she says. “It’s really neat to sit down and talk to someone and they have no clue that they can buy a home, and when they actually can, they are so excited.” After Wilson’s start into real estate, she changed companies in 2009 to the Ft. Oglethorpe Crye-Leike. She says that looking at the different companies, she realized that she would just get more “bang for your buck” with Crye-Leike.
She says, “I couldn’t go anywhere else and pay what I pay here and get the benefits that I get with Crye-Leike.” For Realtors just starting out or struggling, Wilson suggests they find another agent as a mentor to look up to and look to see how they are doing things, including the types of processes and systems their Realtor mentor has put into place.
“A lot of people think that when they come into real estate that they are out just showing houses and that’s it, [but] there are systems and processes that you need to put into place in order to get those clients,” Wilson says.
Being very disciplined in doing the daily activity to bring clients your way is important, Wilson says. Just as important is “getting out of the house,” she says. “You can’t be in the office all day long. You have to be in front of people. You have to see people face to face. Activity is what it’s all about,” Wilson says. “If you are not being active and prospecting to clients, then you are not going to be in business long.” To stay active and out there, Wilson says she keeps in contact with her past clients and her sphere of influence. As a member of the Chattanooga Business Group, she uses her skills to network everywhere she goes.
“If I meet someone, by the time that conversation is over, they know that I’m a Realtor,” Wilson says. “They might not be looking to buy or sell a home, but they may know someone who is. I like to make that connection…and then once you have built that relationship with someone, they trust you and want to do business with you.” Another important aspect to develop as a Realtor and to make time for in the job description is the time to detoxify and relax, Wilson says. She likes to spend time with family and friends socializing. Wilson likes to walk around antique stores and try to relax there and she likes taking long drives and seeing pretty countryside. Wilson is also an accredited buyer representative. In 2010, she was a multi-million dollar producer and the branch leader for her Ft. Oglethorpe office. In 2008, she earned the Rising Star award with her former company.