Kathy Delaney, Re/Max 100
by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
For the past couple years, Kathy Delaney has sat at the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Board of Realtors’ annual meeting, hoping one day she would be named Realtor of the Year.
This year that dream became true when she realized they were talking about her accomplishments, and not someone else.
“I found out on the night of the event — and I am even on the board of directors,” said Delaney, a Realtor with Re/Max 100 Realty in St. Augustine. “I always thought, I would love to get that.
“I was totally shocked.”
Delaney, a native of Boston, previously worked for First Coast Technical Institute. She earned her real estate license in 1998 and two years later received her brokers license.
“I always wanted to invest in real estate,” she said. “I currently have three investment properties.”
Delaney first started as a part-time Realtor but soon realized she needed to work full time if she was going to do it right.
“Everyday is different and there are no limits to how much money you can make,” said Delaney. “It is satisfying when you help someone find a house because, regardless of the market, they (the buyer) are still making an investment.”
Delaney added that 2007 was the worst year for her as well as for her peers, but there were ways to get themselves ahead, even if they weren’t selling as many houses as years past.
“I took advantage of the slow market by attending classes,” she said. “I am an accredited staging professional and I earned my GRI.
“I found that if sellers knew how to properly stage their home, it sold faster.”
Even when the market isn’t slow, it is still important to take classes to keep up with any changes going on in the industry, she said.
“I am a big believer in education, because the industry is always changing,” said Delaney.
She has been telling her clients that she was recently named Realtor of the Year but she hasn’t spent a lot of money marketing her title.
Even though Delaney has only been a Realtor for 10 years, while others have been in the industry twice as many years, she said it is very important to be involved in the real estate industry as well as the community.
“It is more about what you do for the industry and community,” she said. “I didn’t get named Realtor of the Year for the amount of houses I sold because I am not a top producer.”
Delaney is on the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Board of Realtors’ board and is on the Caravan Committee. She is a member of St. Johns Leadership and the Chamber of Commerce.
Delaney said she also found that if the Realtor can relate to their client, it helps them feel more comfortable.
“I have lived all over the country so I can relate to both sides of the closing table,” said Delaney who grew up in a military family.
Teresa Mercurio, broker and owner of Re/Max 100 Realty and president of St. Augustine/St. Johns County Board of Realtors, said each year the membership committee accepts nominations from their members.
“The membership voted Kathy Realtor of the Year based on her high standard of ethics, her commitment to the industry and her involvement with our local board on top of the high standards of professionalism,” said Mercurio, who is also Delaney’s broker. “Kathy is dedicated to her customers, she listens to their needs, and works towards finding the perfect fit for what they want.”
She added that she genuinely cares about her customers.
“Kathy takes the time to work with each of her customers individually and takes what they need and want to the next level,” she said.
Past winners
The previous Realtor of the Year winners for the St. Augustine/St Johns County Board of Realtors:
• 1996 — Carl Smith
• 1998 — John Chapman
• 1999 — Teresa Mercurio
• 2002 — John Evans
• 2003 — Barbara Goll
• 2004 — Michael DeLorenzo
• 2005 — Susanne Murphy
• 2006 — Teresa Mercurio
• 2007 — Kathey Delaney
* Note: Names of winners for 1997, 2000, and 2001 were not available.