BERGEN COUNTY
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SARAH DRENNAN MEET THE EVP OF TERRIE O’CONNOR REAL ESTATE COMPANIES
Debbie Pearlman & Allison Berkowitz Join Forces Luxury Living: 3 Bridle Way, Saddle River Friendly Pets and their Realtors Cover Photo by Melissa Griegel Photography
JUNE 2022
SARAH
Q. All those moves have certainly given you a lot of exposure to being on the other side of the real estate equation, buying and renting. You mentioned your children -- we’d love to hear more about your family. SARAH: I have three kids:
DRENNAN
Isabella (19), and twins Alexandria “Ali” (17) and Robert (17). We moved to Upper Saddle River in 2013, and all three children attended the exceptional Upper Saddle River schools and were active in Scouts and town recreational sports. Isabella graduated from Northern Highlands High School in 2021, and the twins are currently juniors beginning their initial college search. We also have two dogs: Sophie (cockapoo, 7), and Holly (rescue golden doodle, 8). Both of my daughters are huge animal lovers (as am I), so we always have pets. Sophie considers Ali to be her person, and Holly “adopted” Isabella as hers. Holly was rescued at 5 years old after being used as a breeder mom at a Pennsylvania puppy mill. She had never lived in a home, had never climbed stairs, and had to learn how to be a pet.
THE PERFECT FIT TO BE EVP OF TERRIE O ’ C O N N O R R E A L E S TAT E C O M PA N I E S A s t h e E xe c u t i v e V i c e P r e s i d e n t f o r t h e Te r r i e O ’ C o n n o r R e a l E s t a t e C o m p a n i e s , S a r a h Drennan oversees operations and drives growth and innovation for all nine branch offices. She began her career in public relations, and after graduating from the Te r r i e O ’ C o n n o r R E A LT O R S ® Re a l E s t a t e S c h o o l , S a r a h b e c a m e a l i c e n s e d R E A LT O R ® in October 2014. She was recently appointed to the New Jersey Multiple Listing S e r v i c e B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s a n d h a s s e r v e d o n m u l t i p l e G r e a t e r B e r g e n R E A LT O R S ® c o m m i t t e e s , i n c l u d i n g C o m m u n i t y S e r v i c e , Te c h , B r o k e r A d v i s o r y, G r i e v a n c e , a n d M L S .
We sat to talk with Sarah about how she became such a prominent part of this family-run real estate company, and to find out a little more about what makes her unique. Q: You had an interesting childhood involving living in lots of different places. What’s the story behind all of the moves? SARAH: I was born outside of Atlanta, GA, but I’ve
moved more than 20 times in my life. People often ask if my father was in the military, but, alas, he just liked to move. And, move we did. Most of my childhood was spent in Cincinnati, OH, where we became fans of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Big Red Machine (Cincinnati Reds) and developed a taste for SkyLine Chili and Graeter’s Ice Cream. After growing up in the Midwest, my family moved to the East Coast for high school (started in Trumbull,
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CT, but graduated from Morristown High School in Morristown, NJ). Before having children of my own, I swore I’d never move them, but Isabella has already moved five times and the twins four times. We bought our first home in Wyckoff, and Isabella was born at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. Two weeks after her arrival, we moved to Naperville, IL. The twins were born in Downers Grove, IL. In 2007, we moved to Mason, OH, a Cincinnati suburb and home to King’s Island (amusement park), and then an ex-pat assignment took us across the pond to England (we were originally offered Sao Paulo, Brazil, so we took Portuguese for five months before the assignment was changed to the UK) before returning to Upper Saddle River, NJ, where we currently call home. While moving every few years wasn’t part of our plan, it certainly exposed our children to a multitude of cultures, both domestically and internationally.
Fortunately, I have three very good children who are all very independent and hardworking. They make it easier for me to focus
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on my career … but, when I’m home, they are my primary focus. I make a concerted effort to be present with them when I’m home or when we’re enjoying family time. While I can physically do it myself, I have hired a landscaper to help maintain my property and a cleaning service for my home… Even Superwoman needs a team! I start each day by working out and driving my twins to school … exercise and healthy eating (along with COFFEE) keeps me fueled for a long day of work and family. Q: What do you all like to do as a family? SARAH: I consider myself lucky that my three teenag-
ers will still hang out with their mom. All three enjoy exploring New York City, tasting Instagram famous foods (edible cookie dough at Cookie Do, Taiyaki’s fishshaped ice cream cones), hunting for anime collectibles, and shopping at Nintendo NYC. Broadway shows were always a destination pre-COVID, as we’ve seen dozens of hits both in NYC and in London. During the summer, we’ll head to the shore together for quick day trips, and we spend a long weekend in Kentucky for our “Hunt family reunion” with their cousins. (Hunt is my maiden name.) Our summer 2022 vacation plans are still in the works, but we typically escape together for a week (the last few trips were to Florida; Branson, MO; and Newport Beach, CA). Prior to moving back to New Jersey, we lived in Northwest England for nearly three years. Our home was on the Wirral, a peninsula located across the River Mersey from Liverpool and with views across the River Dee to Wales. Every school holiday was spent traveling to another country or exploring a historic city. During our time overseas, we traveled to 14 countries. Our favorites among them: Dalyan, Turkey, where we bathed in ancient mud baths and fed loggerhead turtles nesting on area beaches; and Egypt, where we climbed inside the Great Pyramids in Giza and swam in the Red Sea while in the resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula. Q: What about alone time? SARAH: Cooking is my love language. My children know
that Mom prepares a big breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings, and they can expect a home-cooked meal whenever we’re all home together. Family dinners allow us to catch up on school, work and everyone’s busy life. When the sun is shining, you can usually find me outside in the garden. Each year, my daughter Ali and I plant a vegetable garden in the backyard. Together, we strategize over which varieties we select, best placement and how we can improve our harvest. This year, we’re trying 16 • June 2022
strawberries, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and eggplant, as well as the tried and true bush beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers. Gardening is therapeutic for me, providing a fun and productive way to de-stress.
Q. What made you decide to switch careers? SARAH: Having three babies under the age
Q: What did you do prior to becoming a REALTOR®? SARAH: As a graduate of Rutgers College School of
of 2, I decided to focus on raising my children. When we moved back to the United States, and I had all three children settled in school and in the community, I realized that it was time to get back to work. Without family in New Jersey and without school bus service for my children, I wanted something close to home that still allowed me flexibility to be active in my children’s lives, their schools and their activities. Having moved so many times myself, successfully buying and selling my own properties, and having a strong communications and marketing background, real estate was a natural choice.
Communications, Information and Library Studies, I launched a career in public relations. During college, I served as an intern at GCI Group, the public relations arm of Grey Advertising in New York City. GCI Group hired me prior to graduation as their International Resource Manager, handling internal communications among its domestic and global offices. I worked closely with the GCI Group CEO, which later led to a role with him as the founding Vice President of the Council of Public Relations Firms, the first trade association of the public relations industry. In that role, I was recognized as one of the top 30 public relations professionals under the age of 30 by PRWEEK Magazine.
When we knew we were moving back to New Jersey, my first call was to Katy O’Connor Smiechowski, whom I’ve known since college. 2013 was a relatively hot real estate market, and well-prepped and well-priced homes in our target towns were selling quickly. One Tuesday morning, I saw a new listing on Realtor. com. Because I was still in England, Katy videotaped a virtual tour of the property,
A consummate volunteer who loves the community where I live and work, I currently serve as a Councilwoman in Upper Saddle River. As a Councilwoman, my role is to advocate for our residents and for our town, ensuring that Upper Saddle River remains a highly desired, safe, bucolic community that we can all be proud to call home. I am the Council liaison with USRA Coalition and the Historical Society of USR. I also represent the Council at TANAC, currently advocating for relief from heavy air traffic and noise above our community.
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and we placed an offer sight unseen. We flew to New Jersey for the home inspection to see the home in person for the first time, and it checked all of the important boxes for us but especially location, location, location! Katy was the ideal real estate partner for us when buying our home. When I decided to pursue my license, I first asked Katy for her opinion. I remember telling her that “if I’m going to do this, I need to be successful. This won’t be another volunteer job.” Katy agreed that I’d be a natural fit, so I registered for the day class at Terrie O’Connor REALTORS® Real Estate School in Ramsey. After receiving the highest score on the school test, I quickly passed the state exam. When I considered where to hang my license, Terrie O’Connor REALTORS® was the obvious choice.
dressed for work each day. Rather than returning home after the school run, and risk being distracted by laundry or Facebook, I would head straight to the office to work on building my business. I volunteered for
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As a sales associate in the Saddle River office, I was always the first agent in the office each morning. I would rise before my children and be Bergen County Real Producers • 17
“opportunity time” (answered phones at the Updesk); I worked Open Houses every Sunday; I joined committees through our REALTOR® Association; and I sought every opportunity to learn the business, I joined committees through our REALTOR® Association. And, I worked on building my sphere by joining community organizations, serving as PTO Vice President and homeroom parent, volunteering with my church and with Girl Scouts and Cub/Boy Scouts (now Scouts) and cheering on my children from the sidelines at town recreation sports events. Completing the Ninja Selling Installation was a game-changer for me and my business. The Ninja Selling philosophy promotes gratitude, a positive mindset, and building a business with people who already
know, like, and trust you. After completing the course, I saw my business double. While gratitude and positivity are part of my inherent character, the Ninja principles continue to guide my career and my life. After successfully selling real estate for two and a half years (earning the NJ REALTORS® Circle of Excellence Award and the Multi-Million Dollar Club Award), Terrie asked me to run her Allendale branch office. I quickly earned my Broker license (an additional 150 hours of school). In the first year as Broker/Manager, we earned the “Most Improved Office” award for overall growth, and I proceeded to lead the office to double-digit growth each year. After three and a half years as Broker/Manager, Terrie and Matthew O’Connor asked me to join
the leadership team as the company’s Executive Vice President, driving growth and innovation for all nine office locations. In this role, I have recently been recognized by RISMedia as a 2022 Newsmaker in the Achiever category. In 2021, Commerce & Industry of New Jersey recognized me with an Entrepreneurial Women in Business Platinum Award. I currently serve as a Director on the Board of the New Jersey Multiple Listing Society. I have been asked to serve on the 2022 Leadership Advisory Group of Greater Bergen REALTORS®. I am a member of the NJ REALTORS® Communications Committee, the New Jersey MLS Tech Committee, and the following committees at Greater Bergen REALTORS®: MLS Users, Grievance, and Awards Validation.
Q. Who makes up the leadership of Terrie O’Connor REALTORS®? SARAH: As the Executive Vice President of TTerrie
O’Connor, Broker/President; Matthew O’Connor, COO; Katy (Catherine) O’Connor-Smiechowski, Director of Professional Development; and Joseph O’Connor, Director of Photography. Our focus is to drive company growth while continuously improving and innovating the company’s technology and marketing for our 475+ agents and their clients. While my full-time job is brokerage leadership, I also sold nearly $10 million in sales volume in 2021. My business primarily comes from personal referrals and relationships I’ve built. I am a luxury home specialist who sells in all price ranges. I primarily serve Bergen County, but my license has allowed me to assist clients in Morris, Sussex, Passaic, and Hudson counties as well. Q. What do you enjoy most about your career? SARAH: Terrie O’Connor REALTORS® is a leading
independent real estate brokerage and a family company. In my role, I’m able to provide innovative solutions to changing market conditions and quickly and efficiently put those strategies into practice for our agents and their clients. Being independent affords us greater flexibility to adapt and change quickly. As a Broker/Manager, my favorite part of the job was helping agents launch and grow successful real estate businesses. Their success was my success. In this role, I can help grow careers for more than 475 real estate professionals. With an open-door policy, they know they can always call, text or email me with questions… I love being able to help our Terrie O’Connor REALTOR® agents and to cheer on their successes. I genuinely care about the company I keep including Terrie O’Connor REALTORS®, our 475+ sales associates, our 40 employees, and our clients. My door is always open, and, regardless of my position, I remain approachable and treat everyone with kindness. I understand that success is the result of a team effort and cannot be achieved alone. And, I’m not afraid of change… In fact, I embrace it, I encourage it and I drive it through innovation and out-of-the-box thinking.
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Q: What do you think is the hardest part of being part of the industry? SARAH: Thousands of people are drawn to the real estate busi-
ness each year with the hopes of becoming the next Million Dollar Listing agent. HGTV has made careers in real estate look easy. The COVID effect on real estate has helped even brand-new agents achieve considerable success quickly; the market has been so hot the past two years that if you didn’t succeed, this business wasn’t for you. As inventory has tightened considerably, interest rates have spiked for the first time in decades, inflation is growing and prices are continuing to climb, the real estate market is getting tougher. In markets like this, agents will need to work even harder, and the agents who are best able to adapt and innovate will be the ones who persevere. Those who found easy success without learning the skills necessary to survive will begin to see just how difficult this industry can be. Real estate is not easy. As a real estate advisor, you are responsible for a person’s most important financial asset. It’s a tremendous responsibility that should be handled
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TheMagnussonGroup.com • 973.425.1550 with expert care. A real estate transaction is often riddled with a multitude of obstacles that require guidance, negotiation, and skill from an experienced professional. Experienced REALTORS®, like me, thrive on the challenge … but it’s certainly not easy. Q: I know that Terrie O’Connor REALTORS® has their own charitable foundation. Are you affiliated with the organization? SARAH: Yes! I am a member of the Board
of Directors for The Grace Foundation of Terrie O’Connor Real Estate Companies, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization supporting local, worthy causes. As part of the TOCR Cares Sleep Out Team, I have slept out on the streets of Newark six times to raise money for the kids of Covenant House. Together, we have raised over $200,000 for kids affected by homelessness, ensuring that they have a loving, safe home of their own. In addition, as a volunteer with USR Cares, I am part of their senior cheer visit committee that provides gifts and check-in visits for the elderly members 20 • June 2022
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of the Upper Saddle River community. I have also served for many years on the Community Service Committee for Greater Bergen REALTORS® (formerly RealSource). As part of this organization, I have participated in several Rebuilding Together New Jersey projects. I have led and participated in several RealtorsCare projects including re-mulching pathways at Allendale’s Celery Farm.
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I’m a consummate volunteer with an inability to say “no.”
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Q: In closing, what do you think makes you successful? SARAH: My success is due to a combina-
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tion of hard work and following the golden rule — I treat all people with respect and kindness. I’ve always had a strong work ethic, and I continuously seek more efficient and effective ways to achieve success. I’m naturally inclined to help others, to share my knowledge, to teach, and to find joy in others’ success. I’m grateful for all of my blessings (and even for the lessons I’ve learned through life’s obstacles). @realproducers
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