The feminine touch
For many women agents, real estate is more about people than property
By Joanna Beresford 05/14/2009

The typical American real estate agent is a 52-year-old white woman. She’s attended college, she owns her own home and she’s married. In fact, 60 percent of realtors are women, according to the 2008 National Association of Realtors Member Profile. Women outnumber men in the business in every age group, even among those 60 and older.

Real estate used to be dominated by men, so what happened? Where did all these Rosie-the-real-estate-agents come from and how can they rock so prodigiously, from Pittsburgh to Plano to Pasadena?

In his forward to Ebby Halliday’s recently released biography (“Ebby Halliday: The First Lady of Real Estate”), Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach writes: “Football and real estate have a lot in common. Leadership matters. Ambition counts. Heart energizes. Ebby Halliday might have made a good quarterback.”

Based in Dallas, Ebby Halliday Realtors sells more homes than any other brokerage in Texas and was ranked in 2007 by RealTrends Inc. as the 11th largest brokerage in the country. Halliday graduated from Abilene High School in 1929 and started out by selling hats. The husband of a client visited her shop one day in 1945 and asked her to sell some homes for him. They were ugly cement bungalows and he figured, according to legend, that if Halliday could sell the unlikely millinery concoctions that his wife brought home, she could sell a couple of his houses.

In perhaps the earliest effort at staging a model home, Halliday decorated the concrete residences with draperies, curtains and furniture and sold them all within a year. Inspired by the accomplishment, she began to build her empire.

Maybe that’s what Malcolm Gladwell would call the tipping point, or the point at which a confluence of events causes a significant social or personal upheaval. Women were increasingly and differently empowered throughout the first half of the 20th century. The war lured them from the “sanctuary” of their homes into economic life. The country was on the verge of that proliferation of humanity known as the baby boom and a period of relative wealth and expansion. And, as everybody knows, Texas girls kick ass — on a ranch, in an office and in a living room.

It’s not a Texas trend at this point; it’s a national reality. And while I don’t usually get excited about sociological games or decoding statistics, here’s what I do think is cool: people who are good at what they do.

And there’s another thing I like: When different capabilities come together in one person and make this really vibrant, faceted thing called a successful adult, with nuance and skills that defy expectation.

Irina-the-Tsarina Netchaev, one of Pasadena’s talented real estate agents, doesn’t think that her male clients perceive her any differently than do her female clients, whether they come in singles or pairs. Gender, in terms of her image, seems fairly insignificant to Netchaev. However, she does believe that her identity, or persona, or whatever you call that feminine mystique, serves her and her clients well in the business.

“In my opinion, what gives me an edge is combining my business skills and education with my natural sense of intuition and mothering instinct,” says Netchaev. “It’s an unbeatable combination.”

Instincts and skills don’t entirely drive career choices. Women are nothing if not pragmatic, and many women raise children, want to earn a living and also feel compelled to engage in the public sector. Real estate offers them the flexibility and autonomy that their busy lives require.

“I got into real estate two years ago when both my girls were in school,” says agent Kerri Glotfelty. “It was a tough time to enter the market, but I’ve learned so much from my colleagues and I’ve been able to develop at my own rate.”

Ultimately, real estate is more about people than property, and it’s more practical than political. “The Internet has empowered real estate consumers by providing them with information never before available,” says Netchaev. “I have had to quickly move with changes and incorporate the habits of consumers into my business. By creating real estate blogs and sites I provide information that consumers crave and at the same time market my clients’ homes to millions of potential buyers. Real estate is much more interactive now. Homes are bought and sold on social networks like Twitter and Facebook.”

Good news for women, who are notoriously social. But, for male and female agents alike, technology doesn’t negate Ebby Halliday’s leadership, ambition and heart; it just puts these qualities on the grid.

The original article can  be found at Joanna Beresford’s page at Pasadena Weekly.

READ MORE:

Opportunity Knocks Buyers and sellers have good reason for hope in economic crisis – “Best Of” issue of Pasadena Weekly, October 16, 2008

Barefoot in the park Walking miles without anyone’s shoes is an eye-opening experience – Pasadena Weekly, September 18, 2008

What Price Paradise? Now may be the best time to make that move to a new home – Pasadena Weekly, August 14, 2008

History in the Making Short sales make owning a home a reality for many- Pasadena Weekly, June 22, 1008

The Sound of Music!

THE SOUND OF MUSIC will be performed by Huntington Middle School students on February 26, 27, 28 and March 1 in the Kenneth F. White Auditorium.

Directed by Janet Jackson, this production has a cast and crew of over 60 talented HMS students.

This classic tale of Captain Von Traap and his seven children meeting Governess Maria from the Abbey is a heartwarming family and love story. Set in the conflict of Vienna as Hitler’s Nazi’s are taking over Austria, it is a story of choices, passion and country that is universal.

You’ll recognize the Rodgers and Hammerstein songs! Don’t miss seeing your friends perform.

It is a truly great show that is sure to be another sell out – a treat for children and adults alike!

Tickets are on sale now. Tickets are $15 and seating is assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Three evening performances are on Thursday, February 26, Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28 at 7 pm. One matinee performance will be at 2 pm on Sunday, March 1.

Students: There’s a $5 Student Ticket Special on Thursday night only (February 26th)!

Huntington Middle School is at 1700 Huntinton Drive in San Marino next to Crowell Public Library.

Don’t miss this performance!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oheWS90eBw[/youtube]

For the original Miamism Mojitos recipes, visit Mojitos Central.

I just came back from voting today. My polling place was at the Fellowship Hall in the San Marino Community Church. There were no lines and the process was very organized. The setting of the San Marino Community Church was beautiful so I thought that I’d capture some of these moments on film.

Starbucks and Sierra Cup in Monrovia are giving away free cups of coffee to voters and Ben & Jerry’s is giving away free ice cream. So, go out, vote and celebrate with coffee and yummy ice cream!

Want to learn more about San Marino California, visit our San Marino City Guide page!

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been taking long walks around Pasadena and San Marino and looking at all the amazing decorations that are gracing our beautiful homes.  It’s no small feat to put some of these up.  I, for one, am not much for decorating – maybe it’s the lack of time or just not enough creativity – I don’t know.  My decoration was three huge pumpkins (2 of which unfortunately walked away off of my porch a few days ago) and a door hanger.

This morning, as I’m watching my kids put together their costumes, get the cookies and cups ready for school parties and talk about this evening’s activities, I’m reflecting on how commercialized Halloween is getting.  This is not going to be a rant, but out of curiousity, I wanted to look at some Halloween facts as presented by National Retail Federation.

• “This year, the average person plans to spend $66.54 on the holiday, up from $64.82 one year ago. Total Halloween spending for 2008 is estimated to reach $5.77 billion.”
•  ”This year, consumers will spend an average of $24.17 on Halloween costumes (including costumes for adults, children, and pets). People will also be buying candy ($20.39 on average), decorations ($18.25) and greeting cards ($3.73).”
• National Retail Federation estimates that total Halloween spending is expected to reach $5.77 billion
• Halloween remains most popular with young adults, as 18-24 year-olds plan to spend $86.59 on the holiday, the most of any group.

Are folks trying to get away from the economical roller coaster by focusing on Halloween?  Is it because, Halloween falls on a Friday this year, that adults are taking more of an effort in decorating and getting ready to celebrate?

As my social media buddy, Dave Taylor asks – What will Halloween look like 20 years from now?

What are you doing around Pasadena to celebrate Halloween this year?

Whatever you do STAY SAFE and HAVE FUN!!!

I found the Disney information on a great new website – new to me, but has been around for awhile.  It’s called Fitness for Busy Moms and is run by my Altadena neighbor, personal fitness trainer – Stephen Cooper.  Stephen offers great exercise and relaxation tips that are quick to read and easy to incorporate into our schedule.  Check Fitness For Busy Moms website out.  You’ll be glad you did.

What websites are you reading?  Share them here.  I’d love to hear about them – spread the love!

Now that you have a feel about what Street View can do, let’s take a look at some serious applications of this tool. Let’s say you wanted to get a feel for what Pasadena’s South Lake Avenue District looks like. Take a look at this street view of the South Lake Avenue District in Pasadena that I just created. Place the curser in the middle of the map and drag it to the right and to the left to move the photo around.
View Larger Map

Can you imagine, you can go to www.maps.google.com , type in any address or destination, click on the Street View link on the top of the map and actually see the location. Imagine the possibilities as you are searching for your new Pasadena home or trying to get an idea of what a Pasadena neighborhood is like. It is definitely an amazing feature. Play with it and let me know how you like it!

Posted by Irina Netchaev, Pasadena Real Estate Agent