Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate is a family-oriented company that promotes a higher standard of care for both its clients and agents. Kara Spelman, agent for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate – The Shanahan Group, feels incredibly fortunate that BHGRE® promotes an atmosphere of support by valuing a tight-knit, team-oriented environment.
“Before I was an agent the best houses in town always seemed to have green signs out front when they went on the market. I noticed this long before I EVER thought I’d be an agent! When one of the BHGRE agents became our friend and personal agent I could see why – there was and still is a higher standard of care for clients from every single person in our office. On business ethics and personal accountability, the difference is so clear. Our owner wouldn’t allow anything but the highest standards in her group!”
BHGRE’s celebrated culture is esteemed by all its brokers and agents, but none more than those in Kara’s shoes, who strive to maintain a healthy balance between the real estate world and the other full-time “job” in their lives – being a parent to young children. Driven to give her two elementary school-age children and a newly-adopted baby the opportunity to have an amazing education, Kara has learned that personal connections are as essential in real estate as they are in parenthood. Specifically, Kara points to the myriad of marketing tools that BHGRE has to offer as a primary factor in maintaining those personal connections with her clientele.
Amongst the vast array of print, digital, and social media marketing tools that Kara has at her disposal, she has no hesitation pointing to one tool in particular as the one that brings the most value to her business: “PinPoint for sure. This is an incredibly powerful tool in listing presentations.” PinPoint is a direct marketing tool that is used to tap into a database culled from over 200 million consumers that easily identifies prospects that may be in the market to buy or sell a home. Through BHGRE’s relationship with Meredith Corp., the publisher of Better Homes and Gardens® magazine, Kara has exclusive industry access to this database.
On most days, Kara finds herself catching up on emails, sending new listings and managing assorted tasks so she can keep her time free for her kids once they come home. Nothing is ever certain timewise when it comes to balancing the needs of family and work, but Kara’s experience built over time, coupled with the family-friendly culture that The Shanahan Group maintains, has helped her to serve both masters in the most efficient way possible.
Being a mother has helped prepare Kara for what she considers to be the biggest advantage of being a BHGRE agent – there is a new experience or adventure around every corner, almost every day. As she says, being part of a team as dynamic as The Shanahan Group’s results in her schedule adjusting “every single day, so you can’t ever be bored! Our office is also extremely close and team-oriented so I like coming in to work every day. The more you put into this business, the more the business will give to you. You need the ability to be extremely flexible; there really aren’t any “off” days in this job!”
