Anna Fiascone said selling her own home gave her valuable insight into what life is like for the buyers and sellers she assists as a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago. (Jim Slonoff photo)
Since recently selling her Hinsdale home of eight years, real estate agent Anna Fiascone has some advice for other professionals in her field. Sell your own home.
"It reminds you to have a lot of empathy for your clients," said Fiascone, an agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago. She said the experience of selling her beloved family home, searching for another and moving has made her even better equipped to manage and understand the stress felt by the homeowners she serves.
"It made me pause and made me think more about the client," she said.
Before becoming a real estate agent 10 years ago, Fiascone enjoyed a career as a commercial real estate attorney. After starting a family, which now consists of husband Nick and their three daughters, ages 10, 6 and 4, she turned to sales to better fit her lifestyle.
"I like helping to anchor people to the village," Fiascone said.
Drawing from experiences of her own and in Hinsdale, she said she tries to make the transition to a new home as easy and comfortable as possible for her clients.
"I put a lot of effort into making this my home," she said. "It's rewarding to me to help people do what I did."
As a newcomer herself in 2008, Fiascone said she immersed herself in all Hinsdale had to offer. She became involved in several local organizations and five years ago became a member of the Hinsdale Plan Commission. She said her deep involvement and intimate familiarity with Hinsdale equips her to help clients make a strange new place feel like home.
Fiascone's roots are planted firmly in the world of real estate. Her entire family works in the industry. She first earned her sales license in Arkansas when she was 18 so she could help her father with his commercial real estate development firm.
"He taught me everything there is to know about real estate and development," Fiascone said.
She learned even more under the mentorship of longtime Hinsdale agent Tina Porterfield. From Porterfield, Fiascone said she learned about customer service, client communication and the importance of quality service.
She's now in the first year of a partnership with Oak Brook resident Natalie Ryan, whose background in advertising pairs well with Fiascone's areas of expertise, Fiascone said.
It's been a busy couple of months for the pair. The current unrest in the world seems to have drawn people to the suburbs and the comforts of home, Fiascone said. And while the real estate season is getting a late start this year, she sees it picking up nicely, with houses moving at every price point.
"Our spring market has turned into a summer market," Fiascone said.
When it came to selling her own home, Fiascone said it helped to listen to her partner's advice about what to do to make it more appealing to buyers.
"We were leaving a house that we love very much," Fiascone said.
Even as a real estate professional, she said it was hard to see what needed to change. The experience reconfirmed something else she already knew - when it comes to selling your house, it's good to listen to your real estate professional.
