Mary Yates has been a Realtor with Re/Max Professional Group in Amelia Island since August.
BEFORE THERE?
She was with Century 21 John T. Ferreira and Son for four years.
WHAT MADE HER GO INTO REAL ESTATE?
“I needed a career change. I was working at the Nassau County School Board and my income was directly related to what I could produce. When you are working for a government entity you are bound by so many of their restrictions. Several people told me that I would be very good at real estate. I work well with people and I like helping people.”
BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
She was the administrative secretary of the transportation department of the Nassau County School Board for 10 years. “I was working with 120 or so employees.”
HOW DOES YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP YOU NOW?
“Just learning the different personalities of people. I also learned to look at different points of view. There are no black and white answers, everything is in shades of gray. Just because someone has a different opinion about something, doesn’t mean that it isn’t real and important to them. I’ve learned to coordinate different personalities and am able to work with them.”
INVOLVEMENT WITH THE BOARD
Yates is the activities chair with the Amelia Island/Nassau County Board of Realtors. “I help coordinate the monthly luncheons and volunteer to help out any way I can. I’ve always been that kind of a person. I was very active in clubs and organizations in school and in my whole life. It is just part of my personality to jump in there and volunteer. Grace Lipman, president of the organization, is a wonderful mentor and she has provided so much guidance and insight into this profession. She is a good leader and she asked me to think about chairing a committee so I did. Whatever Grace asks me to do I’ll try to do.”
ADVICE FOR A NEW AGENT?
“Learn as much as you can about every aspect of the business. Go to every meeting that you can and get involved in the board. We have a lot of great programs and educational opportunities for a new agent. A lot of it is just getting in the trenches and learning as you go. But, you have to have good support. Bobby Ferreira was invaluable as far as teaching a new agent. I learned a tremendous amount and have a great amount of respect for him because there was never a time he didn’t have time for me. If I had a question, he always made time to answer that question. That’s how I got grounded so firmly.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“That everyone has their own opinion and even though it may not seem very reasonable to you, it still very real to the person who is making the buying or selling decisions. The hardest part I find as a transaction broker is making a decision to help both parties without taking one position more than the other. I call it the ‘Momma Rule’. You have to be fair to everyone and help them to make the best decision for themselves that they can without giving away any private or personal information on the other party. It’s a difficult position to be in.”
PET PEEVES
Yates said hers is agents that will take overpriced listings and tell sellers that they can get more money by listing with them. “The numbers are the numbers. The market will bear what it is going to bear. Some of the listings that I have picked up have been from people who were disappointed because they had higher expectations from another Realtor when the market wasn’t there.”
SPECIALITY
Yates specializes in first-time homebuyers and waterfront properties. “I know the waterways inside and out. We have a little deck boat that I go out on and I watch the waterfront properties.”
AREA SHE COVERS?
Nassau and Yulee areas.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE NASSAU MARKET?
“There is a lot of new construction. I wish there were more affordable housing for younger people in our area because it is greatly needed.
Being in the resort atmosphere that we have, a lot of our younger people are leaving the area because they can’t build a home here at the salaries that they expect from the local economy.”
LIKE ABOUT REAL ESTATE?
“I like it because it allows me to work at my own schedule for the most part. To a large extent, your income is derived from how much energy and effort you put into it. You have to like it a whole lot to be a success. ”
HOMETOWN?
Waycross.
CHURCH
Yulee United Methodist.
RESIDES
Pirates Wood community in Yulee.
FAMILY
She has been married to Victor, a director of aircraft maintenance at Signature Flight Support and owner of A1A Home Inspections, for 23 years.
PERSONAL SIDE?
When she is not working, she enjoys boating on their 24-foot Sunbird Deck Boat. Her favorite movie is “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.” A book she read recently and would recommend is “The DaVinci Code” by Dan Brown. When dining out, she likes to visit Down Under for fried shrimp in Fernandina Beach. Yates cites Cedar Key as her favorite getaway spot.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis