Sue Robinson has been the director of corporate relations for AmeriPro Inspection Corporation since January.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
She handles the marketing of AmeriPro Inspection Corporation by attending Realtor events to network and visiting Realtor, mortgage and title companies to share information about the company.
BACKGROUND
Robinson’s background is well-rounded. She was licensed as a Realtor in 1984 but personal circumstances created a need for a steady income so she took administrative positions with different real estate companies in Jacksonville including ERA Jim Brown, Gallery of Homes and Prudential Network Realty. After Prudential, she went into the title business and did marketing for three different title companies for about three years. She then went into the home warranty business for the next three years. “The only thing I haven’t done is mortgages.”
HOW DID SHE GET THE JOB AT AMERIPRO?
Robinson had left the real estate field completely and went to work in a chiropractor’s office. Last year, she ran into Michael Rowan, president of AmerPro, at a party and he asked her what she was doing now. “I told him and he said ‘Come to work for me, I need someone to help me out.’ So, here I am.”
WHAT CAN REALTORS DO TO HELP HOME INSPECTORS IN
THEIR JOB?
“I think the biggest thing with Realtors is that they need to let their buyers know that when they are buying a house, that it is not going to be a perfect house. There is no such thing. They need to be aware that there may be some problems, but it isn’t anything to get all upset or worried about. Usually they are things that can be fixed pretty easily. They need to know if there is a problem before they move in.”
BIGGEST ISSUE FACING HOME INSPECTORS?
“I think sometimes the Realtors worry a little bit too much about the home inspector coming in and finding too much — maybe not finding too much, but reporting too much. It’s a double-edged sword because if they go in and do an inspection, they have to report what they find. It may not be to the buyers or selling agent’s liking if they find too much. However, it is protection for both the agents and the buyers. If they were to get in the home and find a huge problem, it will come back on the Realtor and on the home inspector.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“The flexibility and the social part. I like seeing people that I’ve known for a long time and meeting new people. I enjoy working for Michael. I do love my job.”
HOW HAS YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE HELPED YOU IN YOUR NEW POSITION?
“It really helped because I understand what the Realtors go through. The thing that surprises me the most right now is that there are so many barriers that they come across to get a deal through. I fully understand what they go through getting a client, writing a contract and getting it to closing.”
ASSOCIATIONS
She is a member of the Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra Beach Chambers of Commerce, Beaches Business Association, Women’s Council of Realtors, Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council and the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Board of Realtors.
RESIDES
Jacksonville Beach, but she is renovating a home in Atlantic Beach.
FAMILY
She has a significant other, R.D. deCarle, who owns Florida Realty USA, two children and two grandchildren.
— by Michele Newbern Gillis