Lisa Hewlett has been a Realtor with Berry & Co. Real Estate in Ponte Vedra Beach for two years.
BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
She did research at the University of North Florida for the Florida Institute of Education for a year. “We studied early reading readiness. It was a neat job. I liked it.” Before there, she worked in the Pennsylvania school district as a psychologist for five years.
HOW DOES HER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP?
“It helped me learn how to be a good listener. That’s really important in real estate – to listen and to keep listening because the more people talk, the better an understanding you have of who they are and what their needs are,” she said. “Also, it gives me more awareness that people’s behaviors when they are stressed aren’t necessarily the best of who they can be, but it is who they are when they are stressed out. It’s interesting to see how stressful buying and selling real estate is. So, I think I’m a little more patient realizing that sometimes the behavior people are exhibiting is just a reaction to stress. They aren’t just mean, rude, snappy or impulsive. They are just really stressed and you just need to give them some time and keep listening.”
INTIMACY?
“I’m surprised at how intimate the whole real estate process is. You really get to know who your customers are.”
COLLEGE?
Hewlett earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Florida and a master’s in school psychology at George Mason University.
WHAT IS SHE DOING DIFFERENT IN THIS MARKET TO GET BUSINESS?
“Even though it is a softer market, there is still a lot to do. I’ve come to the realization that I can’t control the market. The market is what it is, but I can control my own behavior,” she said. “There is always a lot to do. I’m doing all the things the real estate beginner books will tell you to do. I have a farm area that I actively pursue and I am really trying hard to expand my sphere of influence. That’s been a learning experience for me because it’s hard for me to remind people that I’m a real estate agent and to ask for the business. It’s not real comfortable, but I’m learning how to do it.”
FUTURE PREDICITONS?
“Things I have been reading say it will continue to be slow for another year maybe, but people are still buying houses. They still need a place to live. I’m having a great year. I think we need to just keep our head down and keep working because people need a place to live.”
SMALL OFFICE?
There are only three agents in her office but Hewlett said it works well. “We feel like a family. We know each other well and each other’s families well. She said it’s really important that we take care of each other and each other’s customers.” When I was gone this summer, I felt confident leaving my listings with Clare (Berry) and Carol (Burns) because I knew they would take care of my customers the same way I take care of their customers. When someone gets a new listing, we all go to see it and talk about it, so when I answer the phone on someone else’s listing I know that house and can be very comfortable with it.”
MENTOR?
Hewlett said Clare Berry, her broker, has mentored her from the beginning. “She’s been great. She just has a lot of integrity, so I feel I’ve learned from her how to do the right things all the time – to follow through and take the extra step or extra three steps it takes to make sure it’s really done right. She has a good reputation, so when I tell people I work with her, even if they don’t know me, they feel comfortable with me because they know her.”
BEST PROFESSIONAL ADVICE Received?
She said the best advice she has received came from her father, a professor at the University of Florida. “He said to be nice to everybody, no matter where they fall on the hierarchy.”
ADVICE FOR A NEW AGENT?
Take as many continuing education classes as you can. “Real estate is constantly changing and it doesn’t stay the same. So one of the things I have done since things have been slower is to take a lot of classes, so I feel like I know a little about a lot.”
PET PEEVES?
When someone puts a listing in the Northeast Florida Multiples Listing Service but doesn’t put all the information in. “So, you go into MLS and you don’t know much more about the house than the address. They police it, but you can get by with the minimum amount of information and it just makes my job harder.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“One thing I have definitely learned from Clare is to be careful of what you say. Make sure what you say is totally based on fact and to really listen to what people say they want and to expand on that. If you introduce something that isn’t in their criteria, it may still be a good fit. So, the lesson is to listen, but still stay real flexible.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
Northeast Florida Association of Realtors. She also holds the Senior Real Estate Specialist and e-PRO designations.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis