The real estate world drew Wendy in around 2006 after she had completed my doctorate in English Education and discovered that my dream of becoming a university professor was not really the right fit at that point in my life. The economic downturn affected the university system in a way she did not anticipate – “blood bath” is how she described that time in university funding and hiring. She wanted to be a part of the Arizona State University English Education program, but soon realized that the shortage of available professorships made her entry into that world all but impossible. Perhaps more importantly, at the same time, her eldest daughter gave birth to my first grandchild, and she quickly discovered that she needed a more flexible job in order to take time off as necessary to be part of that grandchild’s life. A university professor does not have the time or the income to do this. The world of real estate, however, seemed a much better fit.
Prior to completing my doctorate and teaching English Education students at ASU, Wendy taught high school English and public speaking, and directed the theatre program for a high school of 500 + students. Concurrently she assisted her husband at the time, a minister in a small Evangelical church, in Minot, North Dakota. Growing up on a small North Dakota farm among seven brothers and a sister gave me the background I needed for all subsequent careers.
Listing, selling, and renting real estate requires the same skill sets used from her teaching and directing career, so she found herself well suited in both training and experience to smoothly transition into all aspects of residential real estate. Her diverse high school and college classroom prepared her to work effectively with a broad variety of people’s personalities, cultures, and backgrounds. Writing, arranging, and presenting lesson plans is parallel to creating and executing a plan for new buyers or for listing a property. Negotiating, directing, and coordinating a transaction are the same skills she used in her theatre program for producing plays. The life challenge of completing a doctorate gave me the confidence to work with all economic levels of buyers, sellers, and everyone involved in a typical real estate transaction.
Wendy bottom line is that she enjoys people and prioritize generating positive energy. Talking to people, working with people, helping people, listening to people, interacting with people energizes her, both the positive and (occasional) negative. People need someone with positive energy to surround them when making one of the most important life decisions: buying and/or selling a home. That is what sets Wendy apart from other agents.
Home Types:
Lot/Land, House, Condo, Townhouse, MultiFamily
Years of Experience:
17
Education:
Arizona State University
