Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Heather Herr

We recently had the chance to connect with Heather Herr and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Heather, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I’m being called to share more of my voice, not just as a real estate leader, but as a woman who’s built something from nothing, faced the burnout, and found a new rhythm. For a long time, I was afraid that being fully seen. The messy parts and all as they might dilute my professionalism or brand. But now I see that owning the whole story is exactly what connects, empowers, and inspires. The next level of impact doesn’t come from doing more it comes from being more fully myself.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Heather Herr: CEO and Founder of Private Real Estate Collection, a boutique luxury firm serving Ohio, Kentucky, and Florida. With over 21 years in the industry and $600M+ in career sales, I’ve built my business on a mix of high performance strategy, deeply personalized service, and an unwavering commitment to lifestyle-driven real estate.

What makes our brand different is that we’re not chasing volume for volume’s sake, we’re curating exceptional experiences. We operate with a lean, powerhouse team and a design-forward approach that puts people at the center of every decision. In just three years, we’ve grown from $64M to a projected $125M in volume not by cutting corners, but by elevating every detail.

I started as a solo agent in 2004, with no team and no assistant, balancing motherhood while building from the ground up. Now I lead a company that empowers both clients and agents to create lives and legacies they love.

Beyond real estate, I’m also the founder of EmpowerHerr and HerrStory, platforms built to support women in business through leadership, collaboration, and confidence. My mission is bold: to become the first billion-dollar producer from a non-coastal market and to help others rise with me.

Right now, I’m focused on expanding our markets, deepening our brand presence, and mentoring the next wave of leaders in real estate.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that believed I had to carry it all alone.
For years, that fierce independence served me. It helped me launch, survive, and grow in an industry where you often have to prove your worth before anyone offers help. But now? That mindset has done its job. It taught me resilience, but it also kept me in survival mode longer than necessary.

I’m learning to release the version of me who equated control with success, who wore burnout like a badge, who thought asking for help meant I wasn’t strong. That part served a season but this next chapter is about collaboration, trust, and building with aligned people. It’s about leading from a place of strength and surrender.

Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
Yes and I’ll never forget it.
It wasn’t a big, dramatic moment. It was a quiet conversation with someone who didn’t try to fix anything or offer advice, they just heard me. Fully. They reflected back what I said with zero judgment and complete presence. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I didn’t have to perform or lead or prove anything.

It reminded me that being seen isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room it’s about being held in the truth of who you are. That moment taught me how powerful listening really is not just in business, but in life. It’s something I now try to give to others, especially in leadership. Because when someone truly listens, it creates space for everything to shift.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Integrity, without question.

In my company and in my life, integrity isn’t negotiable. It’s not just about doing the right thing when people are watching, it’s about doing the right thing when it costs you time, money, or opportunity. I’ve walked away from deals, clients, even partnerships that didn’t align with our values, because protecting the culture means protecting the long game.

Integrity builds trust and trust is the foundation of everything: how we lead, how we serve, how we grow. It’s what allows us to show up fully, lead authentically, and attract people who share our vision. Without it, nothing else lasts.

That’s the line I don’t cross and won’t ask anyone on my team to either.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, my customers would miss the experience not just the execution.
They’d miss the way I show up: fully present, fiercely protective of their goals, and deeply tuned in to what matters most to them, not just the deal. Real estate is personal, and I don’t treat it like a transaction, I treat it like a relationship, a milestone, a story in motion.

They’d miss the strategy, yes, the market instincts, the negotiation edge, the polished presentation. But more than that, they’d miss feeling seen, heard, and supported at a level that’s rare in this industry.
I don’t just guide them through a process I curate it. I make them feel like they’re the only client in the world, even when I’m juggling dozens. That blend of luxury service and personal connection. That’s the legacy I’m building.

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Image Credits
Inman

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