Editorial
Front Page - Monday, November 23, 2009
Hard work, integrity keys to success in rough markets
Ethan C. Nobles
Special to the Daily Record
ecnobles@att.net
Donna Marie Cason of ERA Henley Real Estate in Conway became a Realtor in 2006.
A few people became Realtors back then and found themselves struggling to make ends meet when markets in Arkansas started to slow down in 2007. In 2008, Cason earned the Silver Award for Excellence from the Arkansas Realtors Association by closing over $2 million in sales and is nearing the $3.5 million mark this year – good enough for a Gold Award.
Cason said there’s no secret to making a living in real estate when markets are down – hard work and integrity go a long way.
“You can’t just wait for things to happen. You have to work for them,” she said, adding that treating clients well has helped boost her career. “Because this is a reputation-based business, my goal is to walk in integrity to the best of my ability.”
Cason said customer service has been critical to the growth of her business, particularly since she is from Conway but moved back after spending 20 years outside of that town in various entrepreneurial enterprises.
“I come from an entrepreneural background,” she said. “That background has always been there and you have to have that in this business.”
Cason said she’s been involved in retail, distribution and marketing. She also spent some time as a motivational speaker and consultant to businesses.
“I really enjoyed the motivational part of it,” she said. “The teaching and speaking.”
Cason said another thing that has helped her was going to work for ERA Henley. She chose that office, she said, partly because of broker Richard Henley.
“Richard’s (Christian) values reflected the values I wanted to place myself under,” she said, adding the office environment at ERA Henley is hard to beat. “You don’t
have an atmosphere of strife or backbiting. It’s just a very, very good office to work in. That means a lot.”
Cason said it’s also great to be a Realtor in Conway. She explained that most Realtors there work well together in that city and recognize that, at the end of the day, they’re all trying to pay their bills and provide for their families.
“Most Realtors here … have a strong respect for each other in the area,” she said. “I really like that about this business here.”
Cason said another thing that’s helped her is a willingness to pick up on changing market trends and adjust accordingly. For example, she has been certified by ERA as a foreclosure specialist and is working on the Short Sales and Foreclosure Certification Program from NAR so she can earn her SFR designation.
“I don’t mind adapting,” Cason said. “That’s what you have to do. You have to continue your training and continue to go back to basics. Get your fundamentals down and keep reinforcing those fundamentals.”
This year, Cason has closed about a dozen sales for first-time home buyers and works with clients on short sales. A short sale is an agreement between a homeowner, the lending institution holding the mortgage and a buyer. Under the terms of that agreement, the bank agrees to allow the home to sell for less than is owed under the owner’s mortgage as a way to avoid foreclosure.
“Those are win-win if you can work them through,” Cason said, adding that short sales can be complex. “Agents really need some understanding in that area.”
Cason said one of the reasons she is willing to adapt to market conditions is the same reason she considered a real estate career in the first place. Her 15-year-old daughter, Jordan, has Type 1 diabetes and Cason often needs to take time to get her daughter to medical appointments.
“I needed something where I could be available for my daughter when she needed me,” Cason said. “You can’t just get any job when you have a special- needs child. You have to have a job that’s flexible. That was probably my primary consideration in choosing to do this.”
In addition to Jordan, Cason also has a 13-year-old son, Zachary, who lives with her. Cason is a single parent and hers is the only income that keeps the household afloat.
“You’ve got to make it happen,” she said of her career. “You’ve got to make it work.”
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