We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cheryllyne Vaz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cheryllyne below.
Cheryllyne , so great to have you sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our readers and so let’s jump right into one of our favorite topics – empathy. We think a lack of empathy is at the heart of so many issues the world is struggling with and so our hope is to contribute to an environment that fosters the development of empathy. Along those lines, we’d love to hear your thoughts around where your empathy comes from?
Buying or selling a home is a deeply personal experience. Add on top of that, with the financial implications of buying or selling, and it can be quite a unique, emotional time.
For my husband Andy and myself, we deeply understand the emotions that come intertwined with owning a home. In fact, it’s the reason we became realtors!
Due to mounting medical bills, we almost lost our home to foreclosure in 2016. I remember we had just gotten started in real estate, and our open house signs were in our garage. I found a representative from the bank looking at our house and he asked if we were trying to sell our house to avoid the foreclosure.
Wow – what a humbling experience. Everytime I see an individual or a family experiencing a tough time in their lives, I think of that moment, and I can relate to high emotions around money, around homeownership, and around the stigma that can come from not being ‘perfect’ according to society.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Lately, we’ve been all about education, especially when it comes to agents! 🙂 With the shifting market we find ourselves in, and that is likely to occur again in the future, it’s more important than ever for agents to ensure they are at the top of their game when it comes to serving clients, educating them, treating other agents with respect, and more! We’ve been hosting Vaz+Harwood Academy Classes for agents and other industry professionals and we love the conversations that we have been having, and hearing from the newer agents we have been able to help.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Developing a brand as a REALTOR® is incredibly important, especially one that is built around trust and providing information. With a background in marketing and advertising, my husband and I were acutely aware that we needed to present a strong brand that would stand out from the rest, and to constantly provide information in a clear and open way to ensure we are seen as educators in the real estate world, as opposed to a salesperson.
No one likes to be ‘sold’ a home, as I’m sure you would agree! So it’s important instead to focus on educating our customers so that they can make the most informed decisions for themselves, their families, and their needs. Every home buyer or seller is unique, and as such, so are their goals, their motivations, and their processes. It’s our job to help them navigate real estate while approaching it from their individual lenses.
How would you describe your ideal client?
We love to work with curious individuals who want to learn, and who are excited to grow on their homeownership journey. Our favorite types of clients are the ones who want to soak up all the knowledge, learn from someone who is active in the market everyday, and apply what they have learned to make strong offers, smart negotiations, and find a home that works for them in every aspect. By the way, these principles absolutely apply to sellers too! How you present your home is critical as we go through market shifts, how you approach pricing conversations, timelines, and next steps.
We would love to help you if you are ready to dive in!
Contact Info:
- Website: vazharwood.com
- Instagram: vazharwood
- Facebook: vazharwood
- Linkedin: Vaz+Harwood Team
- Youtube: vazharwoodteam
- Other: search.vazharwood.com – search for homes
Image Credits
Cheryllyne Vaz + Andy Harwood
