GEORGIA 12-7-20

GEORGIA EDITION

3 Mind–Bending Philosophies to

EXPAND YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD: How to List High When Neighbors Are a Nuisance

UNTANGLING THE BIDDING WAR: A Buyer’s & Seller’s Perspectives

COVER STORY

DEBORAH MORTON FEATURED AGENTS

AMY HOUSTON SHANNON MARCIANO GAIL TRZONKOWSKI & TARA LAMANTIA

GEORGIA EDITION

AMYMARCIANO HOUSTON SHANNON

Shannon Marciano started her real estate Shannon t 15 in 2003 at a small office in 20 23 industry. career Braselton, GA. “Three years later, I got my broker’s day prese license,” she recalls. “Unfortunately, it was and I love at that time that my broker passed away, so I “There’s n became the managing broker and soon after, their real e purchased the company. This all occurred during the market crash, which Shannon says Shannon, created unique opportunities for property friends ha management, short sales, and a playground the Love o GAIL TRZONKOWSKI AMY HOUSTON SHANNON DEBORAH for investors. “In addition, I obtained my communit & TARA LAMANTIA MARCIANO MORTON broker’s license in six states and began communit working with credit unions as their broker and famil of record,” she says. “I also represented cell need, we’ tower owners helping them purchase easements for the land the cell towers are constructed on across the country Shannon loves to trave network of cl When Amy Houston graduated from the as well site acquisition for new fiber upgrades.” turer. my “I go to Guatem keeping their b University of Florida in Gainesville her plan says. “You can also fin In 2017, Shannon business with Kellerhealth rafting, and kayaking.

I happy to share m was to merged pursue ahercareer in the mental Williams. “I field. knew But this move would grow me, my that friends and fami after she married intogrow a family business, andwas provide statereal of estate, the artshe technology andswitch As for the future, Sha all about decided to ®of my tools for my lanes clients.and It has been the best decision and expand.

“In additi Every real estate become a REALTOR . She cur4) THERE GOES THE 18) 3Recently, MIND–BENDING career,” she rently exclaims.

Shannon and her busiworking with clients it cow works at GardnerKeim Coastal Realty ophy when NEIGHBORHOOD: HOW TO ness partner opened PHILOSOPHIES TO The Design House, offering staging, she says.

“We’re help and serves clients throughout St. renovation, and interior design services, to complement updating.

We are laying LIST HIGH WHEN NEIGHBORS EXPAND Simons Island. YOUR PROFESSIONAL her real estate business. matter what the market

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CONTENTS

GAIL TRZONKOWSKI & TARA LAMANTIA

ARE A NUISANCE

PERSPECTIVE

Amy’s background in mental Shannon reports that her business is 97%health repeat and and psychology has been a great 22) 5 THINGS YOU CANsheDO TO referral clientele.

“It’s all about the relationships,” 13) UNTANGLING THE BIDDING advantage inisher workcommunity. as a real estate notes. “Jackson County a small It is my GOALS ACHIEVE YOUR BIGGEST WAR: A BUYER’S & SELLER’Shome, it is where agent, our as she’s able go to use her skills children to school, and the to really get to the bottom of what people matter greatly to me.

A portion of every sale goes PERSPECTIVES clients want, and form long-lastback to help children and families in our community as well as in extreme poverty in them. third world countries. ing bonds with Thanks to her I sell to give back!” personal approach to client service her business now runs on a high

It’s not surprising that Shannon stellarclireviews percentage of repeatreceives and referral for her esteemed work ethic.

One client recently wrote: ents. “Because I’ve carefully built

Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440

and her team are AWESOME! They made the mag@topagentmagazine.com | “Shannon www.topagentmagazine.com

process of selling our home as stress-free as possible. We

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No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent email shannon@m are so grateful for their wisdom and expertise to guide Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published visit marciano us in this transition. We highly recommend them when it materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. or call comes time for you to sell or buy!”

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There Goes the Neighborhood:

How to List High When Neighbors are a Nuisance Troublesome neighbors are a relatively common issue that agents come across. You can control the image of your client’s property and you can control your listing presentation, but you can’t always control what’s happening on your client’s street. How do you diffuse difficult neighbors that could lower your bottom line or embarrass you in front of prospective buyers?

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First of all, it takes tact and a gameplan. With that in mind, let’s consider a few ways you can maintain a listing’s viability and competitive edge—even when bothersome neighbors are involved. Here are a few common neighborly scenarios agents encounter and how to diffuse them to your advantage.

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How do you diffuse difficult neighbors that could lower your bottom line or embarrass you in front of prospective buyers? It takes tact and a gameplan.

as a courtesy introduction to the neighborhood.

While it may seem like needless busy work, it can dramatically improve prospective buyers’ perceptions of the area. Plus, you may positively ingratiate yourself with neighbors in the area and demonstrate your above-and-beyond service to your clientele in the process.

Is the neighbor’s landscaping an eyesore?

Here’s your recourse.

Most towns and cities have established ordinances regarding yard upkeep. If any of the properties adjacent to your listing are wildly overgrown, littered with junk, or otherwise in a state of obvious disrepair—take it up with the city. Rather than get directly involved at first glance, you might loop in city officials whose job it is to monitor clean-up efforts on rundown yards and properties. If this doesn’t work, you may have to take a more hands-on approach.

Start by thinking small and operating from a place of authenticity and neighborly service.

You might explain to the neighboring tenant that you’re listing and offer to mow their lawn Top Agent Magazine

Are there foreclosed or abandoned homes on your client’s block?

Do your homework.

It may take a little research and digging to figure out the banking entity that owns a foreclosed home, but it’s well worth the effort. Banks are typically required to maintain foreclosed homes on at least a basic level. If you’re worried about

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squatters, an unsightly façade, or general disrepair of a neighboring foreclosed property—go to the source. Sometimes banks take their time in hiring a third party to maintain a foreclosed property, but with some proactive prodding on your part, you may be able to speed the process along and resolve eyesores even before prospective buyers come calling. Remember: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. An improved bottom line will be your reward for those few prodding phone calls and emails.

Noisy, nosy, or annoying neighbors?

Don’t be discouraged.

Obnoxious neighbors can really rain on a seller’s parade, especially the kind of neighbor 6

that takes their less-than-stellar behavior to their porch, front yard, or sidewalk. While this sensitive issue may seem daunting, there are a few official channels you can utilize to thwart the issue before getting personally involved. If the neighborhood in question is governed by an HOA, you might take it up with them. If the troublesome neighbor is harassing passersby or taking to the sidewalk—in other words, public space—then you may be able to involve local authorities in worst-case scenarios. Of course, it’s always possible to talk to troublesome neighbors faceto-face, but do so with caution and with safety as the priority. Always reason gently and empathetically, utilizing I... phrasing, instead of accusatory You... phrasing. After all, some neighbors are clueless about their impact on the neighborhood and may adjust their behavior after being called out. If the issue persists and no third-party authority can help, then you may have to disclose the neighbor’s issues to prospective buyers, depending on the disclosure laws in your region. While this may seem like a blow, you can at least rest easy knowing you pursued all the potential avenues for resolution available. Likewise, your client will likely appreciate your thorough efforts to resolve the issue.

While troublesome neighborhoods can bring down an optimistic mood when listing a property, sometimes being real estate is all about being resourceful. With diligence, digging, and a little follow-up, you just may be able to resolve some of the issues plaguing your neighborly plot.

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DEBORAH MORTON

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DEBORAH MORTON Top Agent Deborah Morton is lead of The Clareo Group at Compass in Atlanta, Georgia, oversees a dedicated team of agents who share her client-first business ethos.

Top Agent Deborah Morton – Lead of The Clareo Group at Compass in Atlanta, Georgia – is a dedicated Realtor who has earned her sterling reputation as a trusted real estate advocate who consistently places the best interests of her clients front and center during every transaction. Deborah’s focus on providing exceptional customer service for her buyers and sellers has translated into a thriving business built on a solid foundation of honesty, integrity and an indefatigable work ethic.

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Deborah began her career in real estate in 2016, though she had extensive prior experience as a small business owner and with her own investment properties. After selling one successful retail service business and a brief foray in a startup manufacturing business, she decided to get licensed in real estate. “It was an interesting year”, says Deborah, “In the process, I discovered just how much I’m wired for this industry. I love helping people and I’m great with numbers and marketing, so it all just came together in such a great way.”

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Deborah, who oversees an equally dedicated team of agents who share her client-first business ethos, can currently claim that the lion’s share of her business is based upon repeat and referred clients, a surefire indicator that she is providing exceptional customer service. “I think it’s because my Top Agent Magazine

clients can tell that I truly care, and that I’m authentic,” says Deborah, when asked how she manages to inspire such impressive trust and loyalty amongst those she works with. “My job is to protect my clients’ most precious assets, which is the equity in their home or their future equity. I take that to Copyright Top Agent Magazine9

“My job is to protect my clients’ most precious assets, which is the equity in their home or their future equity. I take that to heart, and I treat my customers’ money with kid gloves. I’m not a salesperson who sells homes, I’m a matchmaker who helps people achieve their goals.” heart, and I treat my customers’ money with kid gloves. I’m not a salesperson who sells homes, I’m a matchmaker who helps people achieve their goals.”

Deborah – who firmly believes in staying abreast of the real estate industry, currently holds two prestigious designations, the RENE (Real Estate Negotiation Expert) and Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10

the SRS (Seller Representative Specialist), and is also a thorough, expert marketer of her listings, all of which have played large roles in her success story. “We were quick to adapt to the changes in our industry this year, and we offer concierge services, for home repairs and improvements, and professional staging,” she says, “to make the home more appealing to the buyer and to Top Agent Magazine

draw the highest price possible, so that if there are multiple offers, our sellers are in a position of strength.” Fast sales for top dollar are the rule rather than the exception for The Clareo Group.

When she’s not working, Deborah enjoys nothing more than spending time with her husband, and both are avid motorcycle Top Agent Magazine

enthusiasts. “We love going out riding in the North Georgia mountains,” she says.

“We own vintage cars and motorcycles.”

Deborah is also extremely active in her church, and she supports the organization Brand New Day, which provides housing and education for homeless children in the Philippines, and also Rescuing Hope, a local Marietta based charity which helps Copyright Top Agent Magazine 11

support and guide women and girls rescued from sex trafficking.

Deborah’s plan for the future is to continue growing her team and her business, and to

also continue giving back to her community. Above all, however, is her desire to continue providing the unparalleled customer service that has become synonymous with her name.

For more information about Deborah Morton, please call 470-990-4414, or email Deborah@ClareoGroup.com

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Untangling the Bidding War: A Buyer’s & Seller’s Perspectives In a competitive marketplace, bidding wars become the norm. While this may put sellers in an excellent position to recoup on their investment, it can push buyers beyond their budgets and test their temperaments in the process. As an agent, how do you navigate both sides of the coin? After all, you want to net the best results for your client—regardless of which side of the closing table they’re on. To fortify your approach to a heated bidding war, here are a few ideas and insights to better clue you in on the perspectives of buyers and sellers alike.

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Buyer’s Perspective: Emotions Running High?

Channel it.

When the market is booming, buyers feel the pressure—especially when affordable inventory is limited. This can create stress, feelings of hopelessness, and impulsivity. As an agent, how do you channel this emotional energy into something positive? Consider asking buyers to put those anxieties and high hopes onto paper. Have buyers outline

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who they are, why they’re inspired to buy a home at this juncture in their lives, and how they see their lives unfolding once they become a homeowner (or repeat homeowner). Think of it as a letter of intent.

Buyers benefit from taking abstract fears and dreams and articulating them on paper. Likewise, this document can serve as a valuable tool during a bidding war. Letters like these can help sellers with multiple offers make a personal, emotional connection with a particular buyer.

Sellers Perspective: Manage expectations.

When multiple offers are rolling in on a property, it’s easy for sellers to get carried away. Numbers are flying, expectations are heightened, and sellers may become hypnotized by higher and higher offers and ideal outcomes. While it’s good to celebrate prime market positioning, it’s also important to maintain an even keel so that your seller’s mind is clear and they’re thinking rationally through their options.

Sometimes the highest offer isn’t necessarily the sure thing. Manage your clients’ expectations by leading by example, offering a balanced perspective, and talking them through all potential outcomes so that they don’t only hone in on the best-case scenario.

During a bidding war, tensions are running high for seller’s too, who will soon begin their next chapter in another home. Keep a cool head and remind your client to see the big picture, recognize that it’s possible for some offers to fall through, and to sit tight until the closing table has been successfully reached.

Buyer’s Perspective: How do you authentically and convincingly convey your interest?

When ten or so offers are in the mix, it can be hard to differentiate your buyer from the next. While numbers will obviously do a lot of the talking, you’d be surprised how much of a difference a 14

personal touch can make. Some popular approaches to standing out include personal letters—as mentioned above—tailored to the property. Was the property in question a family home for years? You might have clients detail their dreams of raising a family inside those walls, rather than tear the property down and rebuild something to boost the lot’s value. Including a family photo is also a good tact for personalizing letters in a bidding war. Likewise, little gifts included with your offer can speak volumes about your personality and due diligence as an agent. It may seem a little cheesy, but when sellers are looking at ten near-identical offers, those personal touches can really paint a compelling, personalized picture.

Seller’s Perspective: How powerful is cash?

Data shows that cash offers—typical of investor clientele—double the chances of having an offer accepted. This goes hand in hand with waiving a financing contingency, which also helped boost the probability of an accepted offer, according to research. Cash is king, however, since offers that aren’t completely reliant on comprehensive financing seem to minimize risk for sellers, who are already eager to see a deal go through. Cash deals also tend to go through quickly, freeing sellers up to pursue their next property and move on to new horizons. While not every buyer has the ability to operate in cash, it’s a worthwhile consideration for those in ultra-competitive markets and with liquid capital.

While the bidding process can be stressful for agents and clients alike, it’s important to remember that it’s a time of opportunity, too. If you want to make the most of it as a seller, data shows that a personal touch can endear buyers to their seller counterparts. For sellers navigating a competitive process, it’s important to keep a balanced perspective. For agents, here’s the bottom line: get creative, be resourceful, and use all the tools in your arsenal to achieve the best result for the clients you serve.

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GAIL TRZONKOWSKI & TARA LAMANTIA

Award-winning Berkshire Hathaway Associate Brokers Gail Trzonkowski and Tara LaMantia have been partners for almost two decades.

The tagline on the team page of their website, www.movetogrovetown.com, reads “Experience Makes the Difference,” and it’s not just words on a screen. Gail has been a licensed Realtor® for thirty-five years and Tara’s had her license for over twenty. Licensed in both South Carolina and Georgia, they currently serve the Augusta, GA area, including Martinez, Evans, and Grovetown, with a primary focus on Hayne’s Station at Fort Gordon, where Tara serves on the sales team and Gail is the sales site manager.

want them to have the best life possible.” The two women understand “people want to be heard, and we try to make sure our customers know that we’re listening.” They go on to say what they enjoy most about their job is “solving problems for our customers and putting the pieces together” in an efficient, seamless way.

Gail and Tara actively market their listings on movetogrovetown.com, but also on Berkshire Hathaway’s website and multiple online sites,

Gail and Tara are Certified Military Relocation Professionals and Accredited Buyer Representatives, perfectly positioning them to specialize in helping families understand the Fort Gordon market and find the house of their dreams. Their highest priority is providing excellent service.

As Gail and Tara say, “We care about our customers. They become friends to us. We 16

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including Zillow and Trulia. And though they communicate and stay in touch using digital strategies, they also value the personal touch. Instead of the “typical postcards on holiday thing,” they regularly reach out by phone and have “the habit of being out on the street and the sidewalk and talking to people as they’re in their yards, taking a minute to say hello and see how everybody is doing.”

With repeat customers and referrals accounting for upwards of thirty percent of their business and average annual sales volume of $19 million, it is clear their approach works. As for the future, Gail and Tara say “We’ve been so blessed to be at Hayne’s Station at Fort Gordon, our new-homes community there.” They note there are plans to build “about 400 more homes in that area,” adding “we’re going to keep going and do the best we can.”

Gail and Tara’s dedication to their community extends beyond their real estate business. They actively support the army base, sponsoring a golf tournament, contributing time and resources to charities for soldiers, and supporting Fort Gordon Christmas House, which raises fund to provide meals and toys to military families. In their free time, both Gail and Tara enjoy the ocean; Gail owns a condo at Hilton Head, which “is a great getaway.”

After working together as partners for nineteen years, Gail and Tara express gratitude for where they are in life. They acknowledge sometimes things can be hard, “but if you’re patient and treat others the way you want to be treated, usually good things will come to you. We are just very blessed to have each other, and we love what we do everyday.”

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For more information, please call (706) 863-1775; visit movetogrovetown.com; or bhhsbeazleyrealtors.com, email Gail gtrzonkowski@bhhsbeazleyrealtors.com or Tara tlamantia@bhhsbeazleyrealtors.com

www.

https://

©2020 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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3 Mind-Bending Philosophies to Expand Your Professional Perspective

Beyond the day-to-day duties that make your business tick, so much of success is derived from the principles you put in place to guide your business. The foundational tenets you subscribe to can make or break your business for the long-term; they not only influence how you complete routine 18

tasks, but also impact your growth, your ability to manage a team, and what the future might hold. With all that in mind, here are three philosophies to remember as you strategize your professional life—whether you’re mapping your monthly goals or creating an overarching plan for growth.

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Treat Your Business Like a Business

One of the perks of working in real estate is that you’re often able to create and manage your own schedule and volume, but that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the technical details of being your own boss.

No real estate professional worth his or her salt would forgo empowering tools like a business and marketing plan, or spreadsheets to track cash flow and expenses, or regular profit-and-loss statements, or fiscal year budgets and projections. Taking these measures may appear daunting at first— and completing them will certainly require discipline and a learning curve—but harnessing valuable data and information can intelligently inform your professional decisions, strategies, and long-term growth.

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Achieve a Holistic Understanding

When schedules are busy, it sometimes feels like enough to reach the end of the week’s to-do list. But, if you’re planning on a lasting career built on year-to-year growth, it’s not enough to account for the short-term.

By creating daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, and five-year goals, you’re outlining and quantifying your progress.

While your quarterly and yearly goals may be clear in your mind, what about five years from now? Perhaps you’d like to add to your designations, or incorporate a new team member, or add an additional branch.

No matter how you envision your profesTop Agent Magazine

sional future, the first order of business is to create a timeline. Once you have a clear deadline in mind, it’s far easier to build out the steps and calendar necessary to achieve your goals.

3 Specificity is Empowering While you may have a general sense of where you’d like to see your business go in the next few months or years, it’s hard to work toward or attain a goal that’s abstract.

To make the most of your time and efforts, you must identify and understand precisely what you’re aiming toward. For instance, instead of planning to add volume to your enterprise, outline a specific, attainable number to work toward. Or, if you’d like to add an administrative staff in the years to come, consider the details of this decision—the money it would take, the type of people you’d want to hire, how many hours per week they’d work, what tasks they would complete, etc. Adding hard details to your goals not only makes them more realistic, but progress is more easily made when you have specific items you can cross off your to-do list along the way.

While there are no 100% fool-proof or guaranteed routes to success, shifting your mindset from the present and the abstract, to the specific and the long-term can have a major impact on your chances of success.

Instead of dreaming of being more productive or successful, do yourself a favor and craft a gameplan you can bank on.

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AMY HOUSTON

When Amy Houston graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville her plan was to pursue a career in the mental health field. But after she married into a family that was all about real estate, she decided to switch lanes and become a REALTOR®. She currently works at GardnerKeim Coastal Realty and serves clients throughout St. Simons Island.

Amy’s background in mental health and psychology has been a great advantage in her work as a real estate agent, as she’s able to use her skills to really get to the bottom of what clients want, and form long-lasting bonds with them. Thanks to her personal approach to client service her business now runs on a high percentage of repeat and referral clients. “Because I’ve carefully built 20

my network of clients over the years by always keeping their best interest in mind, they’re happy to share my name and refer me to their friends and family,” she says.

Every real estate agent has their own philosophy when it comes to how they do business,

For more about Viewpoint Condominiums, visit viewpointssi.com www.

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and for Amy it’s all about the client. “I’m very client-centered. I don’t have any expectations for what I would like to see happen with the transaction, I just listen to what they want. I put them in touch with contractors and anyone else they might need in order to make things as easy as possible for them. And I’m always available on the phone or through email or text. At the end of the day my goal is to make sure that they feel very well represented and happy,” she says.

In order to cultivate the relationships she’s built over the years, Amy stays in frequent touch with past clients. She has an informative monthly newsletter that she sends out along with postcards. Amy is a REALTOR® who still believes in the power of print, and utilizes local magazines for marketing in order to give her listings better exposure. Going above and beyond the call of duty isn’t a problem for her, because she truly loves her work. “I think a big part of my success is the fact that I genuinely like what I do and it doesn’t feel like a job to me. My hours are flexible and I love all the people I get to work with, and the amazing properties I have the privilege of seeing everyday,” she says.

When she’s not busy working Amy and her husband invest time into helping their community. She is the President of Hope 1312 Collective, an organization that seeks to shape, share, and support stories of kids in foster care.

They are also active members of their local church. And when she’s not giving back her time, she is busy raising her three kids, Jacob, Claire, and Finn. She also likes to garden in her spare time, and do arts and crafts projects.

Going forward her main goal is to keep growing her business and continue offering clients the highest level of personal service.

To learn more about Amy Houston please call (912) 996–2617, email Amy@AmyKHouston.com, or visit zillow.com/profile/amy60161 www.

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5 Things You Can Do To Achieve Your Biggest Goals If there’s one thing successful people can agree on, it’s that setting goals has been key to their success.

Whether you’re creating a five year plan or just settling on what you want to achieve by the end of the day, setting goals gives you the focus and direction you need to complete even the biggest tasks.

But there is a method to setting them. It’s a process that takes careful thought and consideration up front, which is then combined with the hard work necessary to implement your plan. Luckily there are proven methods to goal setting that you can start using immediately.

1. MAKE YOUR GOALS SPECIFIC Yes, it’s fun to think in grand terms of where you want to end up in life and in your career, but it’s better to have a specific goal like “Increase my sales by 25%”, than “Get rich.” When a goal is clear and specific, it allows you to figure out the exact steps you need to take to accomplish it. The more general it is, the more paralyzed you might be when it comes to figuring out what to do since, the choices may be overwhelming.

2. MAKE IT ATTAINABLE Making attainable goals might seem boring, I mean afterall, you want to dream big! But you don’t want to suffer through the disappointment of not reaching your goal, something that may not even be possible at this stage in your life to begin with. One solution to that is creating goal levels. You can have the dream goal, but underneath that you have the realistic goals that are setting up a foundation for achieving the big one. Things that are attainable still take work and effort to achieve. Those small victories will keep you motivated and encouraged to go for the bigger dreams. And don’t forget, those 22

little goals may have been things you wouldn’t have gotten done if you didn’t set out to achieve them, so be proud!

3. PUT A PLAN OF ACTION IN WRITING Your plan of action should include daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. There is something about seeing things in writing and crossing them off the list that is oddly satisfying.The daily goals are especially important in regards to building up those good habits. The first few weeks of your plan of action are critical when it comes to your long term success. Reaching a goal is something you are doing every day, all throughout the day, in numerous ways. Achieving goals is all about creating good new habits.

4. MAKE IT MEASURABLE This is key, since you definitely want to reward yourself for a job well done, and having a goal that is measurable in some way is a sure way to know.

Maybe it’s to increase your lead generation or to cut expenses, whatever the case, have a measurable test you need to meet, as well as a time frame. Then calculate what you have to do to reach that goal. Not only should your goal be specific, but the plan and the measure of success should also be set in stone.

5. ADJUST AS YOU GO You can have all the best laid plans, and you still might quickly realize that what you thought would help you reach your goal, might not be cutting it.

Commitment to reaching your goals is good, but commitment to a plan you know isn’t going to work is not only a waste of time, but will be a devastating blow to your motivation. Sticking to a plan everyday means adjusting it accordingly.

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SHANNON MARCIANO Shannon Marciano started her real estate career in 2003 at a small office in Braselton, GA. “Three years later, I got my broker’s license,” she recalls. “Unfortunately, it was at that time that my broker passed away, so I became the managing broker and soon after, purchased the company. This all occurred during the market crash, which Shannon says created unique opportunities for property management, short sales, and a playground for investors. “In addition, I obtained my broker’s license in six states and began working with credit unions as their broker of record,” she says. “I also represented cell tower owners helping them purchase easements for the land the cell towers are constructed on across the country as well site acquisition for new fiber upgrades.”

In 2017, Shannon merged her business with Keller Williams. “I knew this move would grow me, grow my business, and provide state of the art technology and tools for my clients. It has been the best decision of my career,” she exclaims. Recently, Shannon and her business partner opened The Design House, offering staging, renovation, and interior design services, to complement her real estate business.

Shannon truly enjoys the challenges of her industry. “Every day is different; every day presents new issues and problems, and I love finding the solutions,” she says.

“There’s nothing like helping people reach their real estate goals.”

Shannon, her business partner, and two friends have a nonprofit organization, For the Love of Missions, which is involved in community development in international communities, but also helps local schools and families in need. “Wherever there is a need, we’re there to help,” she says.

Shannon loves to travel and considers herself an adventurer. “I go to Guatemala often for our non-profit,” she says. “You can also find me hiking volcanoes, camping, rafting, and kayaking. I love the excitement.”

As for the future, Shannon plans to continue to grow and expand. “In addition to our sales division, we are working with clients who are currently unable to sell,” she says. “We’re helping them with renovations and updating. We are laying the foundation to stay strong, no matter what the market has in store.”

Shannon reports that her business is 97% repeat and referral clientele. “It’s all about the relationships,” she notes. “Jackson County is a small community. It is my home, it is where our children go to school, and the people matter greatly to me. A portion of every sale goes back to help children and families in our community as well as in extreme poverty in third world countries. I sell to give back!”

It’s not surprising that Shannon receives stellar reviews for her esteemed work ethic. One client recently wrote: “Shannon and her team are AWESOME! They made the process of selling our home as stress-free as possible. We are so grateful for their wisdom and expertise to guide us in this transition. We highly recommend them when it comes time for you to sell or buy!”

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To learn more about Shannon Marciano, email shannon@marcianoandcompany.com , visit marcianoandcompany.kw.com, or call (770) 290-1974 https://

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