Elizabeth Schlum

Your Neighborhood Real Estate Agent

By Jenn Goeddeke

ELIZABETH SCHLUM IS HARDWORKING, AMBITIOUS, AND HAS AN ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT. SHE IS AN ADVOCATE FOR “TRYING ALMOST EVERYTHING ONCE!”

Raised in Berkley, she attended Berkley High School and has spent most of her life in this area. Schlum spent a few years living in California, to experience the beach life and learning how to surf. “It was fun, but I wasn’t any good” she added with a smile. Schlum returned to live in Berkley and, prior to working at Max Broock Realtors in Birmingham, she had been a middle school/high school teacher for over 20 years.

Schlum began her profession in real estate part-time initially, after a friend advised her that there was great potential in it. Just before the Covid19 pandemic, Schlum went into the business full-time.

Favorite aspects of real estate for Schlum include looking at the various homes, gaining ideas, and working with many different clients. “I love the freedom it allows me in my life, the flexible hours, and meeting new people all the time. Also, the unlimited potential it provides, where the harder I work the more I can get out of it! I particularly enjoy working with first-time homebuyers, walking them through the process step-by-step.”

During the pandemic, Schlum used her time wisely to work on personal growth and also to gain her broker's license. She offers some advice to potential homebuyers, who may be nervous about the current interest rate hikes: Don’t put off buying, as refinancing is always an option. There are also programs in place, such as the seller buying a two-year interest-rate reduction for the buyer, (known as the 2/1 buydown). Additionally, there is still low inventory, so sellers in desirable areas are still seeing positive results. Plus, buyers don’t have to compete with as many other buyers as

Schlum likes to show sellers the inexpensive things they can do to their homes, to maximize their investment. As a seller, she encourages you to perform all the obvious “little fixes” to avoid any possible red flags that a potential buyer may perceive. She advises home sellers to focus on every aspect of affordable preparation, including fresh paint, new/modern fixtures, decluttering, and ‘staging’ work. Landscaping effort pays off, too, in terms of ‘curb appeal’ (for example, tending to bushes and shrubs). Schlum offers a free, no-pressure visit to anyone interested in either buying or selling, “to get the ball rolling. Even if you’re not ready to make

Schlum is certainly enjoying her time at Max Broock, and envisages ramping up her commercial sales more, in combination with residential sales. She also has set a future goal to invest in multi-family housing.

In her home life, Schlum loves taking care of her one-year-old named , and her four-year-old golden retriever named Presley. She is happy to have found a rewarding career where she can balance her

ELIZABETH SCHLUM IS HARDWORKING, AMBITIOUS, AND HAS AN ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT. SHE IS AN ADVOCATE FOR “TRYING ALMOST EVERYTHING ONCE!”