Choosing the right home can be stressful. While perusing vast master bedrooms, choosing an ideal kitchen island and debating on carpet or hardwood floors comes with searching for the perfect house, thinking about a home that fits your lifestyle is equally as important. Whether raising a family, starting your career or purchasing your first house, there are a plethora of factors that go into consideration when buying a home. For realtor Ashley Pederson, taking away that stress and turning the process into an exciting memory is the most rewarding part of her job.
Pederson grew up in Jefferson City and has been a realtor since 2005. Originally pursuing degrees in interior design and criminal justice, going into real estate wasn’t necessarily on her radar for a future career. Yet during college, she worked at a real estate office answering phones and scheduling showings. After graduating college, she received her real estate license.
“I remember shopping for homes with my mom when I was younger, and I remember thinking that it was always neat to go out with the realtors then,” Pederson said. “But I don’t think I knew I was going to be a real estate agent until working at a real estate office.”
In 2012, Pederson created her real estate team to help agents with work-life balance and ensure better customer service. Every agent brings in different expertise to cater to different client needs. Currently, there are seven agents and two full-time administrative staff as part of her team. With multiple agents, clients are able to receive more specialized and individual help. Pederson explains how every day can be very different and while communicating with clients and sending emails is part of the job, she finds herself out of the office more times than not.
“As a realtor, it’s super fast and it seems like there are never enough hours in the day,” Pederson said. “The nice thing is you’re not sitting behind a desk all day. There’s a lot of texts and emails but it’s always an interesting day, and they go by super fast.”
Making an impact
Pederson primarily works with clients who are interested in selling their homes. A typical day includes appointments with clients that are interested in selling or want to know the market value of their home. She tours the home and guides clients on what they need to do in order to have their home market ready. Going to house inspections, attending closings on homes and creating videos for virtual walk-throughs and tours are all part of the job. However, helping clients is what makes the job all worth it.
“The most rewarding part is just helping out the clients when they’re excited about the new home they purchased or a seller being excited about being able to close their home successfully for a price that they are happy about,” Pederson said. “When they’re happy it makes you feel good that you’ve helped them through a hard time because a lot of the time buying and selling a home can be a stressful situation, and I want to be able to take that stress off of their plate.”
Not only is Pederson making an impact on her clients, but also on her team as well. She ensures that everyone is supported from every angle.
“She is one of the most hardworking, go-getting realtors I have ever witnessed,” office manager Mikayla Payne said in an email. “Ashley is great at making her clients feel assured and calm during the selling process and is always thinking of new ways to make the Ashley Pederson team stand out and make the process easy for our clients.”
Payne had a friend that worked with Pederson at RE/MAX and encouraged her to apply for a position with the Pederson team. Since then, she has fallen in love with the industry.
“Since starting here two years ago, I have learned so much from Ashley. She has pushed me to do things out of my comfort zone, which has helped me grow as a person and be more confident,” Payne said. “I have picked up new skills since starting here, and I am always learning something new. Real estate was a new career for me that I did not know much about, so she has taught me everything I know.”
For individuals interested in going into the real estate industry, Pederson advises to first sign up to take a real estate course to get your license. She recommends an in-person class versus the online-only option. Shadowing a real estate agent or sitting down to talk with a broker will help paint a larger picture of what the world of real estate is all about. She emphasizes how important it is to speak with others in the industry since the job is commission-based and paychecks fluctuate with sales made.
The job isn’t easy and can be stressful at times but for Pederson, building relationships with clients is what makes it all worth it.
“A lot of it is just good communication with people. It’s a lot of hard work but eventually, you get to the point where if you’re doing a good job for people, then they’ll recommend you to their friends and family and your business will slowly grow,” Pederson said. “The biggest part is just doing the right thing for people.”