Ann Wasson

A FOCUS ON CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIPS

By Amanda Matkowski

Photos by Jacob Harr with harr Creative LLC

Growing up, Ann Wasson always wanted to be a real estate agent, but it wasn’t until her children were old enough to enroll in school that she finally pursued her dream. “After my kids were in elementary school, I told my husband that I was going to go back to work for a few months so we could pay off our home,” she explained. “We did pay off our mortgage within six months; however, I loved my job so much that I kept working.”

Prior to becoming an agent and REALTOR®, Ann took a job after high school in property management where she trained sales agents all over the country. Her first boss, Kathy, is someone who Ann credits as an influence in her business life even now. “Kathy was a true go-getter,” Ann said. “She never stopped working, and if she saw you chatting away, not drumming up new business, you were in deep trouble! She taught me so many ways of how to keep people in my pipeline, many of which I still use today.”

Ann’s life changed drastically when she got married at age 22 and moved to California. After having her first child in 1997, she and her husband decided they would rather raise their family in West Michigan. After moving in May of 1999, they had their second daughter in December. Ann became a stay-at-home mom until fall of 2006 when she got her real estate license in West Michigan.

Ann spent her early days within the real estate industry as a top-producing agent and as a trainer for new agents. She unfortunately became burnt out and decided to take a step back; however, as luck would have it, one of the agents she had formerly trained started his own business and persuaded Ann to join her license with his for a handful of months — just to see if she wanted to fully retire from the industry. “Very quickly, I started to enjoy my job again,” Ann recalled. “A couple of agents had joined me there after a few months, but we realized that it was not the place for us.”

Ann and the agents wanted a place where they could focus on forming relationships with clients rather than on the sales, and even though she never considered becoming a broker before, Ann’s co-workers encouraged her to take on the role. “They really helped me see the possibilities, and they have been right there by my side this whole time. It was the best decision I have ever made,” she said.

Now the owner and broker of Gatehouse Real Estate, Ann prides herself in creating a positive workplace environment for her and the three other agents. Everyone is able to “call each other out and be respected for doing so” as well as “count on and trust each other to help when needed.”

At Gatehouse Real Estate, there are no teams, which is exactly what Ann wants. “It is so frustrating to me to see these big teams out there and all these agents working so hard to build someone else’s name,” she shared. The brokerage also has a “closed-door” policy and does not actively recruit agents, although they are willing to grow as an agency with the right people. “If someone approaches me about becoming a Gatehouse agent, it is a group decision of whether or not to move forward. If someone has doubts, it is a no-go,” Ann added. “It is very important to me that we all work well together and trust each other. We will always welcome anyone who has the same core values, has a heart for learning and can adjust to this ever-changing market.”

For agents who are considering becoming brokers, Ann advises them to examine what is motivating them to open a brokerage. “I think a lot of people believe that being a broker gives the perception of being successful or ‘having it all,’” she said. “Whatever the reason for wanting to become a broker, everything comes with risk — the more risk you take on, the higher the cost. Is it worth it? Ask yourself what you are going to do differently than everyone else.”

When Ann ventured out on her own and formed Gatehouse in 2014, she quickly learned how important it was to follow-up and engage with past clients. “Make sure they know you are still there, that you still care about them even after the paycheck. Never blow off a lead because they aren’t ready now,” she said. “Some of my biggest closings took years of follow-up to ever come to life.”

Ann’s patience and consideration for people have enabled her to earn the trust of her Amish client base. “I have worked with the Amish community for many years, and with that comes a lot of time, no telephones, lots of driving and wet signatures,” she explained. “My first million-dollar transaction was an Amish couple. After the paperwork was signed, I looked at her and asked if I could shake her hand because she was the first millionaire I had ever known. To this day, I can stop in at any time and sit and talk with her for hours.”

Originally from Belleville, Michigan, Ann has been married to her husband, Steve, for 25 years. He is a plastic consultant at Steelcase and loves anything with speed such as fast cars, snowmobiles and ATVs. Their oldest daughter, Stephanie, is an ER nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital and married her husband, Josh, a corrections officer, in 2020. Ann and Steve’s younger daughter, Rachel, lives in Ohio and is a senior at Cedarville University with plans to become a police officer. As a family, they enjoy playing board games, traveling, spending time at the lake and riding ATVs.

As for Ann and her husband, they love to travel together. “We love road trips. Our perfect vacation is renting a car in whatever place or country we are in, turning on an audiobook and avoiding the highways — just seeing and embracing where we are and enjoying what God created,” she said.

Although Ann has had some ups and downs within the industry, it was the friendships that she formed with clients and other agents that have kept her in real estate. “Real estate is my life. I love my clients, and I love the friendships I have made along the way. I am blessed beyond measure. As a little girl, never did I imagine being able to help so many people find their dream homes,” she said. “As long as I foster and maintain relationships, my clients will always trust me with their future needs.”

BROKER SPOTLIGHT Ann Wasson from Gatehouse Real Estate