My name is Stacey Normand and this is my Blog. First of all, thank you for visiting! In general, this blog will focus on how to prep your home to sell, smart financial tips for new home-buyers, and new developments in Georgia’s real estate market. However, in this first post I wanted to let you know who I am and how I got here.
I begin my career in real estate in 2005. I was an agent then but I had aspirations of becoming a broker. I remember telling my parents “I’m going to get my real estate license and become a broker! I want an office with agents.” At the time, the market was booming. Homes often sold even before they were listed! It was a very exciting time to get into real estate. I took my real estate class, passed the exam, and became a licensed real estate agent. I worked for a local broker in Tampa, Florida for a few months before landing an amazing opportunity with Lennar Homes.
I worked for Lennar in varies communities around Tampa, Florida for just over a year. During this time my love for real estate really grew. It was so rewarding to meet people, help them find the perfect home, and guide them through such a crucial moment in their life. Then in 2007, the market crashed. The real estate market came to a complete stand still. Homes were not selling, builders were not building, and homeowners were scared. I went and worked for a few different builders in Tampa trying to find my way but things were hard. Very hard. Most real estate agents at this time got out of real estate and found another career. However, I was determined to find a way to continue to help people with what I knew. This is the time when people really needed someone with real estate expertise. I thought outside the box and decided that the most impact I could have was helping people who needed to short sell their home. Many families saw who had always paid their mortgage on time suddenly found themselves owing $250,000 on a home that was now worth $150,000. The housing market crash coupled with a down turn in the economy meant that jobs became scarce. Unemployment rose and some good people needed assistance negotiating their way out of their mortgage. I worked with the families, banks and potential buyers in order to facilitate a ‘short sell’. I found this work very rewarding and I am proud of how many people I helped.
Since then we made the transition to Columbus, GA for my husband’s job. After some careful consideration, we decided it was the right time to branch out and start our own brokerage. I took my broker’s course, passed my broker exam and Normand Real Estate was formed.
I am currently still active listing and selling real estate but my main focus is building a team of successful agents. I am so excited to see where this journey takes me!