LITHOPOLIS − There is a simple reason that new RE/MAX Apex co-broker Megan Bell enjoys selling real estate.
“It’s being able to start from point A to putting everything together for somebody to find their forever home or seeing them sell their home for their next dream,” Bell, who is licensed in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, said.
Bell earned her broker license in 2011 and has been a real estate agent since 1993 and has sold full-time for the past 11 years. She said she was attracted to the field because it gives her the opportunity to help people and to satisfy them.
Like any sales job, selling real estate can be stressful. Bell said it’s common in today’s market to be up against two or three other agents when writing an offer.
“So you have to explain to your buyers that it’s not what it was several years ago,” she said. “They have to kind of put their best foot forward up front. And another one (stressor) is figuring out what people want. I think it’s important to get on a personal level with them and find out if they have children, do they want to be close to work and what’s important to them before you even start looking for a house.”
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Bell said if she shows a buyer 10 or 12 houses and they’re still not happy, then she hasn’t done her job to find out what they actually want.
Therefore, she said the relationship between and agent and a client must be personal.
“Yes,” she said. “And it’s a relationship that I feel that it doesn’t just stop at the end of the transaction. Because you have to be there if someone has questions after the fact. Obviously, you want to follow up with them from a return business standpoint as well.”
While selling real estate is challenging, it also has its rewards. Bell said that includes repeat business and referrals.
“When that happens you’re happy to know that someone thought enough of you because there’s a gazillion realtors,” she said. “And then being able to see the happiness of…say they’re a first-time home buyer and they finally can get a house. They’re not paying rent anymore. There’s just a lot of satisfaction from that standpoint.”
Bell said real estate sales is a people business and not a 9-to-5 job, but a 24/7 job.
“You have to commit,” she said. “And if you do you’ll see the satisfaction.”
Bell said she teaches new agents to be flexible. She said something that worked one transaction may not work on the next one.
Away from work, Bell serves as president of the Carroll Business Association and vice president of the Southeast Area Realtor Association. She is a supporter and volunteer for The AngelWorks Foundation which raises awareness and funds for children with cancer.
She also enjoys outdoor activities, including boating.
jbarron@gannett.com
740-681-4340
Twitter: @JeffDBarron
