Diane “De De” Katchen has been a Realtor with Keller Williams Atlantic Partners in Jacksonville Beach for two months. Katchen was with Keller Williams previously for three years at the Mandarin office. She has been a Realtor since 1999 and has worked for a few different real estate companies over the years.
BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
She was a systems analyst for IBM for nine years.
COLLEGE?
She has two bachelor’s degrees, one in management information systems and the other in marketing from the University of South Carolina.
WHAT MADE HER GO INTO REAL ESTATE?
She had moved around to several areas where there wasn’t an IBM office and she wanted a job that gave her more flexibility with her children. “I got my real estate license and started doing real estate. Every town needs a real estate agent.”
HOW DOES YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP YOU NOW?
“The IBM accounts that I serviced were having problems. So, I would help them fix the problem. They were very irritated by the time they got to me. I really enjoyed them coming in very upset and I would turn it. By the end of it, they were very happy. I really like softening a rough situation. I like problem-solving.”
SPECIALITY?
Katchen said she specializes in 1031 tax exchanges and investment properties.
AREA SHE COVERS?
“Vacant land and houses are all the same to me. I list and sell everywhere.”
DFid You Know?
• Realtor.com was the most popular Internet resource, used by 54 percent of buyers, followed by multiple listing service Web sites, 50 percent; real estate company sites, 38 percent; real estate agent Web sites, 31 percent; and local newspaper sites, 15 percent; other categories were smaller.
(2005 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers)
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE MARKET AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING DIFFERENTLY TO SELL LISTINGS?
“It is a buyer’s market. We are not as pressured to discount now compared to when it was a seller’s market. It was very easy to sell your house by yourself and now they really need our services. We are now able to go in and get our standard commission and we also have to come up with very unique ideas to sell properties. We have to get a little savvy at this point to make our house stand out from the rest.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT REAL ESTATE?
“I like the exposure to people and the thrill of helping customers get a home. I like to work with the different personalities and the feel of getting a new home without picking up a new mortgage.”
BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED FROM A CO-WORKER?
“You have to play to win. You have to be in the game.”
ADVICE FOR A NEW AGENT?
“It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s not a magical combination where you get all this training, sit in a chair and they show up. You do have to go out there and drum up business. I suggest a shotgun blast of a couple of different marketing tactics. Market a couple of different ways and then re-analyze what is really working and then stop the ones that aren’t.”
PET PEEVES?
“Lack of integrity.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Don’t be so quick to trust and to believe. You are probably wrong if you judge someone in the first five minutes to an hour of meeting them. Get to know someone before you pass judgment.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
She is vice president of membership of the Jacksonville Women Council of Realtors and is on the board of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors. She is also a member of a local Business Networking International chapter.
INVOLVEMENT WITH WCR?
She will be president-elect of the Jacksonville WCR next year. “I think it is the people. It doesn’t matter what company you are from, we are all Realtors. We network with our affiliates. I think WCR is a great organization. I like Realtors everywhere but I think when you come across a WCR member, it just steps up just a level of professionalism, integrity and knowledge. You can be brand new to real estate, join WCR and you are going to gain that factor of not being just an average real estate agent. There is just a standard and you just step up to meet it. A lot of agents work out of their home or office and don’t get the opportunity to rub elbows with experienced people to gain knowledge from. You just get to share experiences and gain knowledge faster as a WCR member.”
-by Michele Newbern Gillis