Camille Swanson, a Realtor®, was drawn to homes at an early age. After buying her 1st home with her husband in Southern California and being unable to stop looking at new listings after escrow closed, the thought of a career change crossed her mind.
When she & her husband sold said home 2yrs later and she still couldn't stop looking then either, she decided it was time to do something to earn a living off her fun hobby (OK- obsession) looking at all the houses.
She started real estate school immediately upon arrival in AZ (because NO ONE hires 5-months-pregnant women) & obtained her AZ license in late '05. Shortly after that, Phoenix (& the US) real estate values spiked... then crashed & burned. She learned quickly how tough real estate can be & what the heck a "Phoenix" is- literally & figuratively.
Another important lesson learned was that small kids don't care about recessions, short sales, foreclosures, etc. Fortunately, her undergrad business degree actually came in handy. Fortunately, all those boring classes about statistics, balance sheets, general ledgers and calculating break-even points had merit & made a difference to her clients.
Institutional clients, like Fannie Mae, appreciated knowing how much money they would gain or lose by making small (or not) improvements up front before listing their properties. Investors appreciated hearing "Buy!", "Hold" or "Sell... NOW!" because they made (or avoided losing) lots of money. Traditional clients loved knowing they could buy ENTIRE HOMES for only $70K, when they couldn't afford $300K a year or 2 earlier. Better yet, they started seeking her advice on finding the best home loan product or improving the value of their homes prior to listing to maximize their sale proceeds when it was time to move on.
Today, she still provides the same valuable service- advising clients about the potential pitfalls when acquiring or disposing their real property. "Mr./Mrs. Seller, I highly advise against repainting tan before we list your home. How about this neutral greige or warm white...". She believes (hopes? PRAYS??) her clients recognize her effort to treat each of them like family, protecting them from wasting money, time & the frustration lurking with each potential road block on their journey.
Her goal is to keep adding outstanding people to the ranks of her clients/friends/family, who see the value in her knowledge & have fun along the way!