We are very fortunate to get an interview with one of our top contributors, Deborah Ann Spence. She is an award-winning broker and a published author. She will share her inspiring story of how she achieved success in real estate.
Magdim, Propy Blog Community Manager
Deborah Ann Spence: I was working in retail selling mobile phones when my mechanic introduced me to the real estate market in Philadelphia. He shared with me information about the high stakes of development and I’ve been intrigued from that point on. I had to get involved with selling real estate, and I’m glad I did; my life has changed dramatically since then.
Magdim: You had an incredible first year, with 62 houses listed and 31 sold. What do you attribute this successful start to?
Deborah Ann Spence: I attribute my fast, successful start to an undeniable drive, extreme passion, and a high level of emotional intelligence. I have an unbelievable amount of energy to stay the course, no matter how difficult selling real estate can often become.
Magdim: You also write compelling blog posts about the industry. What’s your motivation behind posting blogs?
Deborah Ann Spence: I love to write. My passion for writing is just as strong as it is for real estate. It’s great that I can combine my two greatest loves. At the same time, blogging is beneficial for my career. It puts a stamp of legitimacy on my internet profile. My blog post immediately tells those that search for me who I am and what I am passionate about. It identifies me as a serious player in the industry.
Magdim: Your articles are not only well put from the literary perspective, but they are also well-optimized for SEO. How easy was it for you to learn SEO marketing?
Deborah Ann Spence: It’s very easy to learn SEO optimization for my blog post.
Magdim: Do your blog posts help you with your real estate business?
Deborah Ann Spence: Yes, blogging absolutely helps my real estate business. As I mentioned earlier, it legitimizes my internet and social media profile.
Magdim: What are your thoughts on the
Deborah Ann Spence: The
Magdim: What advice would you give for a real estate agent who decides to use blogging to attract more leads?
Deborah Ann Spence: My advice for real estate agents who decide to use blogging to attract more leads would be to use
Magdim: Videos are taking over. Examples are YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Do you use videos as part of your marketing strategy?
Deborah Ann Spence: I have not embraced video marketing as much as I want to. My goal this year is to develop a video marketing strategy that will be just as effective as the other marketing strategies I have adopted.
Deborah Ann Spence: I use zipLogix for transaction management, and I use DocuSign for electronic signatures.
Magdim: You operate in Philadelphia, which is known for many real estate frauds. Have you ever come across an instance of fraud in your real estate career?
Deborah Ann Spence: Yes. Unfortunately, there is real estate and mortgage fraud in Philadelphia. However, I think there’s real estate fraud and mortgage fraud in every market. Because Philadelphia is a smaller city than New York or California, the level of fraud may appear to be larger. But Philadelphia is not known for fraud. We are known as the City of Brotherly Love. [laughs out loud]
Magdim: You are a published author. Can you tell us a little bit more about your book and how our readers can find it?
Deborah Ann Spence: Yes, I am an Author/Broker/Motivational Speaker. My book is titled Burning Desire: The motivational, true story of how I beat the odds and became successful at selling real estate my first year in the business. My book is a short and easy-to-read story about how I overcame nearly a decade of a debilitating medical condition and became successfully selling real estate my first year. I share my story, but more importantly, I let the reader know that if I can do it, anyone can. Here is the link to my book that’s on sale on Amazon.
