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BUSINESS BASICS
Started as a Realtor in: 1981 when the interest rates were at 22.25%!
Specialization: Richmond
One-piece of advice for your clients: Look closely at what your monthly costs will be, including all transactions you know so you’ll understand what to expect at the end.
Why MacDonald Realty Westmar? Linda has been with MacDonald Realty for the past 21 years and appreciates that each MacDonald office is individually owned with 19 offices in the lower mainland and BC. They provide great support and a good working atmosphere along with full-service options including property management.
“Linda has been very warm and friendly right from the beginning when we met. She took us through the buying process and gave us useful tips along the way (meeting with the bank, notary public, etc). After the transaction, she continued to stay in touch with us. There was one incident when we had some issue to deal with BC Hydro and we ran in to the problem of potentially getting a power cut-off, but she covered for us and helped us resolve the issue smoothly.” -Victor He, Client
Q & A
1. What differentiates you from the 11,000 licensed real estate agents in the Greater Vancouver area?
- I listen carefully
- I find my clients what they are looking for and what’s going to be comfortable for them – and their need for the future.
- I prepare my clients for the buying and selling process, aiding in making the transaction a smooth one.
2. Who has been your most interesting client? In early 2011 (during the hot market period) my client had a place to list in the desirable Sunnymede community found in Richmond, near No. 3 and Blundell. We knew it would be a very active listing. It was. We had 10 different offers. Realtors had to prepare proposals and present them one after another. We ended up selecting an offer $300,000 over asking with no subjects. A successful experience; we achieved the highest price in the subdivision.
3. What was your favorite success story? Four years ago a young women contacted me to help find her a home. She mentioned that I had helped her family purchase a townhouse over 20 years ago. I recalled the home and family and could visually remember 3 young girls. I asked which one she was and she said the middle one. She was now 25 and wanted to buy and she called me; a wonderful reminder that my clients have good experiences with me.
4. What inspired you to be a Realtor? In 1980 I attended a session on investing in Real Estate put on by two realtors and found it to be fascinating
“We have been co workers for well over 20 years. Having known her for such a long period of time……….. Linda has proven to be trustworthy, hard working and reliable. She has a warm personality and easy to talk to. I can honestly say, it has been a pleasure to have known Linda and you will too!” -Alice Lai How, Realtor
PERSONAL SNAP SHOT
About: Linda is married and has two grown children. She was born in England and came to Canada as a small child. She has lived in Richmond for the past 34 years
If she wasn’t a Realtor…Linda could see herself as a social director on a cruise ship.
Likes (If you had more time, what would you do more of): Crafts, mainly working with wood carving, painting, and pottery. Travel and volunteering are also important to her.
Loves (can’t live without): Family and friends.
THE EXTRAS
Linda spends most of her time thinking and doing “Real Estate” related business, which includes the moments she spends in her car with and without clients. She puts herself in her client’s shoes so she can feel and understand their perspective and type of stressors that impact them. By taking this approach, her listening skills and patience are keys to the success of navigating clients to the home that they truly want, yet still fits all of their needs.
Linda believes that clients are looking for someone they can trust, has their best interest in mind (no other agenda) and provides good honest advice. With the amount of repeat business she has, she feels she accomplishes this and that people like her style of business.
Though there are challenges to the job, the hardest being the constant change of market conditions, for example: in a hot market, buyers not having time to decide and in a slow market informing sellers that their home is not at the value they expect, Linda still loves the experience she gets when people are happy with their purchase or sale and that she helped them get to that point.
“It’s wonderful working with and meeting such nice people. You can be out at the mall and run into them and it’s like bumping into old friends – a fortunate effect of the industry!”
