Marshall DinesExperience: 3 years Specializations: Luxury, Waterfront, Relocation, Commercial Areas Served: Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Charlevoix, Mackinac Island Q: What made you become interested in real estate? A: I love working with people and utilizing my law degree in the process. Q: What is the most interesting thing that happened during an open house you hosted? A: I brought my one-year old in a onesie with a tie and somebody told me that he helped sell the house. Q: What was your favorite moment in your career so far? A: I helped a single and disabled man find the perfect home. He was connected to a predatory lender. I found him financing and downpayment assistance. I learned that he had been sleeping on a cot for the last decade. I used my commission to buy him a new bed, mattress, pillows and sheets as a surprise closing gift. He invited me to his housewarming party and I've been so thankful that I could help him accomplish his goal of homeownership. Nobody else seemed to want to help him. Q: What do you wish you had known when you first got your real estate license? A: When done right, this job is far more costly than most people realize and that the commissions earned are far more harder than people think. It is perhaps one of the most expensive industries to enter into. Q: In what ways have you seen the real estate industry change since you started? A: I've seen third-party sites harm the public. People are getting set up with agents that often pay the most for advertising rather than getting the best representatives via Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, and other third-party search sites. I think the misleading nature of these sites also guide people into a false senses of home values and to the quality of agents that are out there. There are many misconceptions out there which is why I love answering questions and educating the public. In our market, we've seen more and more second-home buyers and not enough building to support our local workers. Q: What’s the most challenging part of your job? A: Getting a chance to get in front of people to show them the new marketing opportunities, benefits, and exposure that I provide that competitors do not. Q: If you could sum up being a real estate agent in five words or less, what would you say? A: Rewarding, fun, challenging, winning, negotiation.
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