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Albuquerque Homes and Real Estate found easy through Dana Slade, Realtor®
Dana Slade Interview - Broker/Agent Magazine
Keeping up with Dana can be a real challenge. She is always on the go!By Gary NewtonPhotography by Creative Images-Jodi Newton Some people are just lucky. From a young age they know exactly what they want to do in life, and they go after it. Dana Slade is more like the rest of us. She came to real estate by a roundabout path. En route to becoming the Board of REALTORS® 1995 Rookie of the Year, Dana pursued careers in broadcasting, modeling and interior design. Each one of these experiences uniquely prepared her to be the success she is today. Dana is a native New Mexican. "I absolutely love the sunsets, the watermelon (sandia in Spanish), mountains in the evening and the shimmering city lights." As a native, Dana is well acquainted with the entire Albuquerque market. She has had clients in Placitas, Corrales, the East Mountains, Rio Rancho, the Westside, the Northeast Heights, Sandia Heights and High Desert. After graduating from the University of New Mexico with a degree in communications, she started a career in broadcasting. She worked as a disc jockey at the country music radio station KRST and then moved on to an assistant producer's position at KKOB-TV in Albuquerque. Although at one time she aspired to be an anchorwoman, she just couldn't bear the thought of leaving her beloved Land of Enchantment to climb the broadcast career ladder. She worked for a time in cosmetics and at a modeling agency where she lined up talent and did a few commercials herself. Then it was on to the interior design business, where she learned to design fitness centers like Gold's Gym. She didn't plan it this way, but each of her past careers has taught her something that she uses today. Dana came into the real estate business when an acquaintance asked her to be the "corporate caller" helping large corporations relocate employees and make the transition to a new environment smooth and easy. In describing that experience, Dana says, "it's all about listening and focusing on their needs." The corporate relocation job required her to earn her real estate license. At the office, she saw others around her doing residential real estate and said to herself, "I can do that." So, she made the switch. Today, Dana is consistently one of Albuquerque's top real estate producers and is the recipient of numerous national and international awards. She is a member of both the Elite 25 and New Mexico Select groups for highly productive agents. For Dana, the best part of being an agent is the negotiation phase. "The challenge of bringing two minds together is so much fun." Every property is an enjoyable challenge. "How am I going to get this house sold?" she thinks to herself. Because of her communications education, she especially likes the marketing aspect of the business. She designs much of her own marketing materials. Dana¿s business philosophy is to take care of her clients so they will come back or refer others. Having been in business for five years now, Dana is seeing the number of referrals steadily increase. Currently, referrals comprise about a third of her business. Also, many of her early clients are now coming back to sell the homes that she helped them buy. In fact, her very first client just recently called her to sell that home. Dana is proud to mention that she helped the new University of New Mexico basketball coach and his wife purchase their home. "It was a big thrill because I'm a big Lobo basketball fan." Although perhaps the fastest route to real estate success is to concentrate on high-priced properties, Dana represents properties of all price ranges, from $46,000 to over $1 million. "Each one presents their own challenges." Some of Dana's awards are Rookie of the Year 1995 from the Albuquerque Board of REALTORS®. RECA's rising international star in 1995, and the Albuquerque Board's top 1 percent producer for the last five year. She is also the second highest producer in the RECA Academy Blvd. office. Dana is modest when it comes to her awards. "Even though I have won many awards, what really matters is the people; without them, being number one means nothing." Her dedication and hard work has drawn high praise form her broker, Dennis Fish, who describes her as "ambitious" and "a hard worker." For example, when she was first starting out, she was told to go out and get listings. Dana got her first 25 listings by knocking on doors and talking to homeowners. Oftentimes an agent needs to have a great sense of empathy. A family new to town feels uprooted and is missing a sense of community. Dana says, "When I have a buyer who needs a home right away or a seller who needs to sell their home right away, I make them my top priority." I asked her why she is successful. After a thoughtful pause, she responded that she relates well to people, and she's a perfectionist. For example, when one of Dana's properties is photographed, she does not allow any automobiles in the photo. "I'm not selling cars," she says. She pays extreme attention to every detail of a transaction and will not let it go to final closing until all is the way it should be. Dana prides herself on being available on her mobile phone and quickly returning phone calls. She also credits her success to her listening skills. "I can pick the right five or so homes to show a client by listening to what they are saying. I know that one of those will be the right one." She can sense when the right house has been found for a particular client. "I can just tell when we walk in." Applying her training in broadcasting, Dana is breaking new ground in real estate marketing. She is the only agent in Albuquerque who is using television to market her personal business. Her advertisement runs on KOAT-TV and features previous clients, their testimonials and Dana herself. She says that, although she knew that television is a powerful medium, she is still very surprised at how effective the television ad is in attracting clients. She also has recently started her own Internet site, www.sheselzhomes.com. Dana believes that each agent should find a title and mortgage company in which he or she has confidence and to stick with them. Dana's criteria for identifying the right firms are: you know that when a transaction is in their hands there will be no last minute surprises, processing occurs quickly, repairs and inspections will get done and closing will occur on time. It's important that any problems are identified and remedied quickly or, if that's not possible, the property is returned to the market. It benefits no one to find out 30 days after an offer that the deal cannot be closed. Meanwhile, the property owner has likely missed out on several sale opportunities. Real estate is a hard business because an agent invests a lot of time and money before the sale, and it's all on speculation. Many successful agents use a business coach taught was cash flow management. This means not spending more than you are taking in. When an agent is first starting in business, the up front expenses can be high, while the income is usually low. Without careful cash flow management, a new agent can find herself or himself in debt. Dana's coach taught her to gradually build up an arsenal of marketing tools as her income increased. In keeping with modern business management practices, Dana's team has a mission statement to guide their daily efforts. It stresses providing the best service, keeping clients informed and keeping promises. When problems arise, find a solution, don't waste time fixing blame. Continually check whether your actions and attitudes match the image you want your clients to have. Dana is excited about the impact that electronic information technology is having on the real estate industry. Buyers can find properties on the Internet. Agents and clients can eliminate "telephone tag" by using e-mail, and offers can be transmitted without delay using e-fax services. Everything is more mobile. Although the electronic information revolution is taking over some of the traditional functions of an agent, Dana says that real estate will always be a people business. Clients want an expert to help them find the right property and to handle the details of a transaction. A live agent is essential during negotiations because it is not a mechanical process, and someone who is not emotionally attached to the outcome best serves the client's interests. Dana feels that being associated with RECA Better Homes and Gardens®, gives her many benefits. First, being a national company, she receives referrals from other offices. Second are the marketing benefits of being a RECA agent, the video home show on television Channel 13 and their Internet site, www.recabhg.com, where you can find:
Dana strongly believes that agents can all be more productive if they will help each other sell their properties. There are plenty of properties for sale, and everyone will benefit if those properties sell quickly. Helping each other means not being reluctant to bring a buyer to property that meets their desires just because it is another agent's listing. This attitude permeates the Elite 25 and New Mexico Select groups, of which Dana is a member. This co-operative attitude is one reason why these top producers stay on top. Dana's long-term vision is to be a team leader handling more listings, while maintaining the personal contact with clients that she is accustomed to providing. As for the future of the Albuquerque real estate market, Dana thinks that the situation is different from other metro areas in that the bordering federal and pueblo lands limit future expansion. There are fewer and fewer building lots available. As a result, they tend to be small and pricey. Dana and David have been married for 13 years. They have three dogs, all of different breeds, and three exotic birds - and they're NOT parakeets! When not helping people find their dream home, Dana and David like to gourmet cook. They insist on using only the freshest ingredients. So, they start by going shopping, usually at three different markets. They make it an all-evening affair. When I asked about leftovers, Dana told me emphatically that they don't eat leftovers; it's just not the same as fresh. In her off-time, Dana has taken up kick-boxing for stress relief and all-around physical conditioning. Dana says that her mom has been her inspiration in life. She admires how, as a single parent, her mom worked hard and gave Dana lots of love and support. Her mom has since remarried. Her step dad is also Dana's buyer's agent, while her mom, Rita, acts as an executive secretary and bookkeeper, keeping Dana's personal and business life organized. Her spiritual life is very important to her. Dana has a personal relationship with God and knows that He is essential in every aspect of her life. As a dedicated Christian, Dana believes that if she puts God first, all the rest will follow. Dana Slade is bright, energetic and ambitious. She has that intuitive sense of what looks good when you want to sell your home quickly. Her familiarity with the Albuquerque real estate market means that she will quickly be able to find the home of your dreams. With her attention to detail, you can rest easy knowing that Dana is on top of your transaction.
 
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