We’re proud of the team of agents we’ve assembled here at Nest Realty. We think they’re pretty awesome, and we think you will too. During our “Meet the Agent” series, we sit down with our agents to learn more about them, what makes them tick, and why they’re passionate about the real estate industry. In this installment, we chat with Beth Starkey, a Realtor at Nest Realty in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Nest Realty: Tell us a bit about yourself! Where are you from? What brought you to Wilmington?
Beth Starkey: I grew up in Wake Forest, North Carolina, just outside of Raleigh. I moved to Wilmington after high school to attend UNCW. After graduating from UNCW, my husband (whom I met at UNCW) and I wanted a little adventure and moved to Colorado for a few years. When we were ready to settle down and start a family there was no question—we knew we would move back to Wilmington to create our forever home!
NR: How did you get into real estate?
BS: I’ve always had a thing for “home.” When I was little I would map out our living room and create a better floor plan for our house. I tried on multiple occasions to convince my parents they needed to take down a few walls! I’d stage the furniture where I thought it looked best. My mom called me her little personal interior designer. When I was in high school, I thought I wanted to be an architect. I took three years of CAD/drafting courses and enrolled in a special program called the Construction Technology Career Academy. We learned all kinds of fun components of construction and home building. We also got to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and build houses around our community.
While completing my degree in finance, I took as many real estate investment courses as were offered at UNCW. I think I kind of fell into the sales aspect of being an agent. My brother and sister-in-law are agents in the Apex/Cary area. I saw what their business looked like and thought it would be a good fit for myself. It was important for me to help people; working closely and developing sincere relationships with others was high on my list of what I wanted in a career. After moving back to Wilmington from Colorado, I immediately enrolled in pre-licensing courses to become a real estate agent.
NR: What was your previous career? How has that prepared you for real estate?
BS: Real estate is my first true career. I held various customer service jobs throughout high school and college. The “helping people” aspect of those jobs, instilled in me from a young age, truly led to my philosophy of how I approach real estate. I see myself as someone’s guide, mentor, facilitator, and friend. My focus as an agent is to do all that I can to help my clients have the best buying or selling experience. After all, we are dealing with a family’s home! I want what I do to reflect how special I know the feeling of home to be.
NR: What led you to Nest Realty, as opposed to another brokerage?
BS: 100% the way they are so focused on the client experience. Nest does all they can to back their agents in a way that allows us to bring exciting, modern, fun, useful tools to our clients. They enable us to be better agents, and our clients therefore get over the top service.
NR: What is your favorite part of being an agent?
BS: The relationships I form with my clients! It’s so cool how you can go from being perfect strangers to helping clients through the process of a transaction and come out friends on the other side! I love all of my clients and I do my best to stay in touch with each of them!
NR: Do you have a specific area of expertise to offer clients?
BS: I really like working with new home buyers. Buying your first home is something you will never, ever forget. I love educating them to help make them comfortable during what is the largest purchase of their life thus far. I love the look on their faces when we find “the one.” The excitement and joy that comes with buying your first home gives me all the feels. I’m smiling right now just thinking about it!
NR: What makes you different from other agents? What sets you apart?
BS: I’m pretty laid back. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I am on top of my job!! But I’m not the kind of agent who will try to convince you that a house is right for you. I’m very empathetic and can typically tell just by your facial expression if you like a house we are visiting together or not.
NR: What are five adjectives that describe you?
BS: Kind, organized, silly, empathetic, and friendly.
NR: Who would be your dream client?
BS: Dwight Schrute, from “The Office.” Would he ever sell the family beet farm though?
NR: If you had one piece of advice for a first-time home buyer, what would it be?
BS: Don’t stress the home inspection. I think that can be a very scary time for first-time home buyers. I’ve worked with an inspector who has never had a home come up with nothing on the report in 30 years. There will always be something! It’s no reason to stress. I am here to help educate you on what the inspection finds and to assist in figuring out how to move forward with fixing the issues!
NR: What is your favorite season in Wilmington?
BS: Spring! When the azaleas start to bloom and all the trees start waking up and turning green. Watching nature wake up from winter breathes life into me as well. It’s a welcome reminder of new beginnings!
Beth is a Realtor with Nest Realty Wilmington. Keeping her clients’ best interests at heart is just the beginning. Beth is focused on being kind and attentive, with strong attention to detail. To learn more about Beth, visit her agent page.