Deb Pettry has been a Realtor with Prudential Network Realty in Ponte Vedra Beach for a little over a year.
WHAT DID SHE DO BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
She was a stay-at-home-mom.
HOW DID SHE GET INTO REAL ESTATE?
“I tried to do real estate for the last 20 years when we were in Baltimore. I planned to get my license and do real estate there, but I found out I was pregnant. My sons are 11 years apart. It was quite a shock. I was the perfect corporate wife. My husband worked for CSX and we made 11 moves in 22 years. There was just never a time that I could get my license and get established. I mean, who was going to hire me when we moved every couple of years? We built seven homes in 11 moves. It was something I was comfortable with.”
When they moved to Jacksonville in 1993, Pettry decided it was their last move and she then got into real estate.
“It was something I had always wanted to do. I have always wanted to be involved in real estate. It was just a part of our life, I mean every two years we were moving. So, I was actually doing real estate whether I was employed or not. I was looking, pricing and selling.”
HOW DID YOUR MOVING EXPERIENCE PREPARE YOU FOR A CAREER IN REAL ESTATE?
“We never bought For Sale by Owner, but we always sold For Sale by Owner. I just thought we were so clever because we would sell to the first person that walked in the house.
“There were two things I didn’t realize in that process. First, I probably had my property underpriced because it sold to the first person and second, I didn’t realize the extreme danger that I put myself in selling on my own. My husband had always gone to the next job and I was home alone with the children. I could not pre-qualify these people and I had no idea who I was letting into my home to see my home and I had no idea what their intentions were. I didn’t realize all that until I got into real estate. We got to a point where we couldn’t qualify those buyers and make the deal work. Then we would list our house with a Realtor.”
AREA SHE COVERS?
Because Prudential Network Realty has such a wide reach, Pettry said she is able to sell all over Northeast Florida. “I go wherever I can go and make the business work for me.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT REAL ESTATE?
“It fits very easily into my personality. What you find yourself doing, especially as a mother, is being a caretaker. You end up taking care of other people. Since I have a lot of experience in relocation, I really like working with relocations because I’ve had every thought they’ve had, every feeling they’ve had and you know all the questions they are going to need to have answered. You just want to find them that perfect place that they can call home and put down roots.”
HARDEST PART OF YOUR JOB?
Pettry said the hardest part of her job right now is finding business. “I don’t like the prospecting that you have to do. I think as a new agent you’ll chase a lot of bad business if you are not careful trying to make it work. It’s very comfortable for me once I get with people and I can show them properties. The excitement that you feel when you find them the right house and they walk in and know you know that is it for them.”
WHERE DO YOU GET CUSTOMERS?
“I get a lot of business at open houses.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“A deal is not a deal until it is a signed deal and it’s not an easy business.”
BEST ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?
“That you can’t get down. You just have to say, ‘Next’ and move onto the next piece of business.”
PERSONAL
They live at Marsh Landing and attend Ponte Vedra Presbyterian Church. She’as a member of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors and its Ponte Vedra Council. She and Dave, who now has his own railroad consulting business, have been married for 33 years. When she is not working, she enjoys cooking and being with friends and family. “I have such a passion for cooking.” Her favorite move is “Mrs. Doubtfire.” A book she has read and recommend is “Living, Loving and Learning” by Leo F. Buscaglia. When relaxing at home, she enjoys tuning into Fox News or ESPN. “I am very into politics and sports.” Her favorite place to be is home. When dining out, she has three favorites, First Street Grill, Bonefish Grill and Ponte Vedra Inn and Club.
-by Michele Newbern Gillis