Sarah Patrick

A MENTORING HEART WITH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

By Robbyn Moore

Photos by Dawn Townsend Photography & Design

For 22 years, Sarah Patrick has aligned her real estate efforts within large and small agencies. While each environment has its benefits, Sarah is drawn to a smaller office setting because of her passion for coaching and training agents, which allows her to get close with agents and help them grow their business. “I love the collaboration and team spirit that comes with a boutique brokerage,” she said. “Early in my career, I worked at a small agency, and I had a mentor who took me under his wing and taught me invaluable lessons. He showed me how to build up my business with confidence and knowledge that would have otherwise been very difficult without the support from a seasoned professional.”

Sarah was influenced so much by her mentor’s guidance that she decided to create her own nurturing and encouraging environment, offering agents and clients the same engagement.

In October of 2021, Sarah and her partnering broker, Jennifer Tait, launched Oak & Stone Real Estate in Rochester. The brokerage is a female-owned and -operated real estate company that focuses on trust, integrity and service to the community. Its mission is to create memorable, lifelong experiences for their clients and provide ongoing education to their agents.

“The real estate transaction should be more than a business deal,” Sarah explained. “I am very client-centric and, therefore, want our clients to know they can trust us throughout the process and that we always have their best interest in mind. If we can confidently do that after each day, then success and growth will follow us.”

To reach the highest level of client service, Sarah has invested in her team by developing programs that encourage confidence and growth. “My mission is to help agents who might feel alone in this business because of a lack of direction or education,” she said. “As long as the agent has a heart of service, we can teach them the business. I put the agents first because I want them to put their clients first. The internal support we provide successfully translates to happy clients.”

Since her first job at age 16 as a broker assistant, Sarah knew real estate would always be a part of her life. She earned her real estate license during college and, soon after, started working at a small boutique brokerage in Grosse Pointe. During the real estate crash, Sarah took a brief hiatus from real estate and worked at Apollo Group as a sales director across the United States. In 2014, she resumed her real estate profession full-time, and in 2019, she became an associate broker at Brookstone, REALTORS®.

A firm believer in lifelong learning, Sarah is currently working on the Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB) designation. “I think, in the real estate world, things are always changing and updating, so learning is something that never goes away,” she said.

Years ago, Sarah met with a life coach who helped her realize her limitless potential and self-worth. “My coach was a beacon during a difficult time in my life,” Sarah shared. “I discovered my strengths and became determined to not depend on anyone or anything to reach my goals. I just needed to continue to work as hard as I always have, and everything would fall into place.” The following year, Sarah sold almost $15 million in real estate, finished her broker license and was invited to participate with Hour Detroit Magazine’s top real estate agents in Metro Detroit. “Ever since then, I have been 100% committed to helping others with the next chapter of their life,” she added.

Sarah’s biggest challenge in the business is the current climate of the industry. “It’s not an easy market right now for real estate agents,” she admitted. “However, my team and I look at it as an opportunity to go the extra mile for our clients. We will stick with them as long as it takes to ensure we are doing what is right for them.”

Sarah knows that selling real estate is a huge responsibility and goes to great lengths to ensure her team takes their jobs just as seriously as she does. “We know that when we market a home, someone is entrusting us to take care of their biggest asset, and that means everything to us,” she explained. “We spend countless hours learning and relearning the legal aspect of real estate, and we teach on this topic every week — it is the most important topic of training to us.”

For agents just starting out in real estate, Sarah recommends keeping things simple by focusing on pieces of the business that lead to more business as well as setting new goals on a frequent basis. “No matter how busy things get, stay in it,” she said. “If you keep doing the right things, you will have a good, consistent business, but if you get distracted by shiny objects, you will always struggle.”

Outside of real estate, Sarah enjoys spending time with her four children — Christian, Morgan, Payton and Dax. She and her husband, Brad, also like to golf and take their Harley- Davidson bikes out for a ride.

Sarah’s heart for servant leadership comes from years of experience and from partnerships that have made a difference in her career. “I want my agents to know they have a real partner in me,” she said. “Finding the right brokerage that offers education and support are secret ingredients to take any agent’s career to the next level.”

BROKER SPOTLIGHT -- Sarah Patrick from Oak & Stone Real Estate