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 Shannon Harton of the Harton Team, Realtors at Nest Realty Richmond.
Nest Realty: Tell us a bit about yourself! Where are you from? What brought you to Richmond?
Shannon Harton: I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and graduated from the University of Kentucky (ok, spent a few semesters at the University of Louisville first, but I don’t tell just anybody that!) My first jobs out of college were in corporate communications and government relations in Washington, DC, but after the fun of living on Capitol Hill wore off (and I met my soon-to-be wife, Heather) we decided to migrate south for the better quality of life in RVA.
NR: How did you get into real estate?
SH: After a decade in various forms of marketing and advertising, Heather and I took leave of RVA (and our senses) for a couple of years for an extended working vacation as cast members at Walt Disney World where I wound up in a sales role with the Disney Vacation Club. That was my first taste of helping people realize their real estate goals and I was hooked—when we decided to “grow up” and come back home, continuing to explore and grow into a real estate career that also applied all my previous marketing and selling experience was a no-brainer.
NR: What was your previous career? How has that prepared you for real estate?
SH: My advertising toolbox certainly comes into play on a regular basis as we put each property listing through a rigorous marketing plan that puts it front-and-center with our target audience. There are so many media platforms, old and new, that we can bring to bear to effectively market real estate these days and choosing the right tools and strategies for each unique property is what leads to our clients’ quick and profitable success.
NR: What led you to Nest Realty, as opposed to another brokerage?
SH: I had been with the largest privately-owned brokerage in the country for over 10 years and was feeling frustrated by the inertia and cost-structure of a behemoth organization—it was actually keeping us from being as effective for our clients as I knew we could be. The boutique scale of Nest is already serving our clients better, both with it’s dynamic marketing tools and it’s intensely personal focus on client service.
NR: What is your favorite part of being an agent?
SH: We consider it a high privilege to provide a valuable service to people at crucial turning points in their lives. Real estate transactions almost never happen on a whim—they’re nearly always part of a larger, and often more stressful, life transition: births, deaths, career changes, marriages, divorces, failing health, retirements…all places where people need to trust an expert to guide them through a complex process with little margin for error. For The Harton Team, that trust is an absolute privilege and our own personal ministry.
NR: Do you have a specific area of expertise to offer clients?
SH: The Harton Team strictly limits itself to the entire universe of home buying and selling, however you define home.
NR: What makes you different from other agents? What sets you apart?
SH: This may or may not be unique—we’ll leave it to others to judge that—but our commitment is our clients, not our own interests. If people know that every piece of advice we give is for their success alone, our success is going to be automatic by-product.
NR: What are five adjectives that describe you?
SH: Attentive, responsive, accountable, charming and devilishly handsome. (Well, three out of five isn’t bad.)
NR: Who would be your dream client?
SH: Any excuse for personal interaction with Jennifer Aniston would be welcome, however brief and unlikely. Mainly for her spectacular taste in real estate, of course.
NR: If you had one piece of advice for a first-time home buyer, what would it be?
SH: This is counter to many self-help guides, and there are limits to this, but I’ve honestly never had a first-time buyer express regret about buying too much house or exceeding their original budget. I’ve heard more regrets from buyers who played it so safe and conservative that they’d grown out of their home in just a year or two—or never liked what they settled for in the first place.
NR: What is your favorite season in Richmond?
SH: RVA is drop-dead gorgeous in the Spring. I wish it could be Spring all year (we can visit the other three seasons elsewhere!)
Shannon Harton is a Realtor at Nest Realty Richmond. He has nearly 20 years of professional experience in real estate, sales and marketing. To learn more about Shannon, visit his agent page.