The Roanoker - Sept/October 2021 - 55

The new faces of real estate
one of their listings just closed, she strives to
cultivate Nest Realty's voice, especially its
client-centered services.
" Throughout the whole process, Nest
really is great about making sure the
client feels everything is being tailored to
suit them, " she says. For example, clients
are given survival kits during the home
inspection process. " It's about giving them
a luxury experience without the luxury cost. "
The way she translates that experience
on social media is through posts about
housewarming party ideas and contests.
Other posts are more education, like a
recent post about appraisal contingency
clauses. The post read, " If an appraisal
contingency clause is built into your
contract, the terms of your contract can be
re-evaluated and re-negotiated if an appraisal
happens to come up short. While this is
meant primarily to protect the home buyer
against a lower appraisal, it doesn't mean
that the terms of a new deal can't be met for
the good of both parties. " In the comment
section, she directs people to the company's
blog for additional information.
While she's still learning new things about
the industry every day, Bonsu has confidence
that she's up for the challenge. She says her
time living abroad taught her to always be
inquisitive and open to new knowledge.
A
TheRoanoker.com
t 35 years old, Tiffany Washington is
at the other end of the generational
scale.
The Springwood native expressed
an interest in real estate back in
2008. She enrolled in the Moseley-Dickinson
Academy of Real Estate, but then became
pregnant. Although she assisted her sister
who is also an agent after her pregnancy,
she didn't immediately return to the idea of
becoming an agent herself. She also worked
as a property subrogation specialist, a leasing
consultant at Pebble Creek Apartments and
a server at Billy's, where she would have to
show prospective renters the apartments
located above the restaurant.
" Being experienced in so many things is
great, " she says.
She eventually found her way back to
real estate. Having developed a desire to
constantly be moving around from her time
as a server, she decided the hustle and bustle
of real estate was for her after all. She is now
with Keller Williams in Roanoke.
" I chose to go into real estate because I
love customer service. I just love helping
people, " she explains.
The idea of helping people is one she takes
very seriously. She never views a buy or a sell
as a transaction, but rather as a relationship.
" I don't just want to sell you your first house.
I want to sell you your house, then your
children their houses. I want to sell your
friends houses, " she says. " I go into these
transactions where people are just looking
for a house, but we end up being kind of
close. We end up being friends. "
Even though real estate takes up a
significant portion of her time, Washington
tiffany
washington
still maintains two
side jobs. Surprisingly,
many of her leads
come from her work
as a banquet worker
at the Hotel Roanoke
and Conference Center
and a server at Bernard's
Gastropub & Eatery.
Other leads come from
her community involvement.
In June, she helped coordinate the
Juneteenth celebration in Roanoke
at Eureka Park. " I like being part of the
community so my face is out there. I consider
myself to be a realtor for a cause. I like doing
fundraisers, " she says.
In addition to her in-person connections,
Washington relies heavily on social media
to help build her platform. " It's about using
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It's about
making TikTok videos to build a platform
to launch off of, " she says. " If you already
have people watching your videos and saying
your name, they're going to want to buy
something from you. "
Other technologies, like those that enable
virtual showings, have been incredibly helpful
for her considering that many of her clients
are from out of town. As for paperwork, she
doesn't bother lunging around physical paper
and a pen but instead has her clients sign
contracts digitally.
" Everything is digital. You can pretty
much buy a house entirely virtually, " she
says.I
September/October 2021 55
COURTESY OF TIFFANY WASHINGTON
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker - Sept/October 2021

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