Brian Solinsky
South Sound Home Team at Keller Williams
Years in Real Estate: 7
Areas Served: South Sound of Washington State; mainly Puyallup, Bonney Lake, Tacoma, Federal Way, Auburn, and Spanaway 

 What is your unique selling advantage?

“Begin with the end in mind.” Steven R Covey. I start with an understanding of the goals of my clients, then set up a plan for success. Through the use of research, marketing, communication, negotiation, and follow through; I am able to sell homes for the highest price in the right amount of time. As we follow the plan with the end in mind, we can overcome any obstacle that comes our way.

What is the key to a successful life in real estate?

Finding success in real estate first involves being in front of people. It is vital to budget your time to allow for such opportunities. Being involved with my community, both in person and in cyberspace let’s others know I am there and ready to serve. It is a natural jump to do business with me as a trusted community-minded individual.

 What are you doing to make a difference and drive new business?

Community involvement is key to my business success. I coach multiple teams in youth sports and am involved in the W.A.T.C.H. DOGS program at the local elementary school. These activities put me in front of people in a positive way and lead to business opportunities as well.

Chris Ruszkiewicz
RE/MAX Realty 100
Years in real estate: 18
Areas served: Greater Milwaukee Area; Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Racine & Ozaukee counties.

What is your unique selling advantage?

I offer exceptional service to my clients. With over 18 years as a full-time, successful Realtor, my experience helps buyers and sellers navigate this difficult market. My goal is to do all I can to help each of my clients meet their real estate goals. I strive to make each transaction as smooth and easy as possible.  With 95% of my business coming from past clients and referrals, I don’t have to invest time in pursuing new business.  I’m able to devote my time to serving the needs of my clients.

What is the key to a successful life in real estate?

Passion and balance.  I absolutely love what I do and love my clients.  However, taking care of my clients can become overwhelming.  I have learned to take care of myself and my family first.  It has made me a better wife, mother, friend and Realtor! 

Mary Miner
Nextage Lone Star Realty & MBM Property Management LLC
Years in Real Estate: 11
Areas Served: Austin, TX: Pflugerville, Hutto, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Lakeway, Lender

Why did you become a member of Top 5?
I became a member of Top 5 because Verl Workman has been my coach. I learn a great deal from him and he helped me succeed in a difficult time last year. Top 5 has a lot to offer and great tools for us to expand our business.

 What’s your biggest obstacle to staying ahead on information?
I believe that the biggest obstacle is lack of education. We all need coaches and need others to hold us accountable throughout our career. We need to stay focused at all times.

What is the key to a successful life in real estate?
It is to really care about your client and your fellow Realtors®. You need to learn to give back and work with your community. Learn to be the expert of your area but then give to others and all will respect you. Have passion for your profession and feel great when you client gets their results.

Jay Frazier
Rural Property Pro, First Weber Group Realtors
Years in Real Estate: 8
Areas Served: The Southwest Wisconsin counties of Grant, Iowa, Sauk, Richland, Crawford and Vernon

What do you do to stand out from the crowd?

I have narrowed my focus to just rural properties: land, farms, & homes on acreage. I don’t handle commercial or traditional residential. This focus and experience has helped establish me as the “Land Agent” for my area.

What is your unfair competitive advantage?

First Weber provides outstanding technology tools that give us a head start and they are continually improving and upgrading as well as providing training on how to use them.

What is the key to a successful life in real estate?

Being adaptable is absolutely essential. Real Estate technology, marketing, communication and the role of the agent has changed dramatically in the 8 years I’ve been in the business, and woe to any agent that doesn’t keep up with the changes.

Lynn Burley
Burley Properties
Years in Real Estate: 8
Areas Served: Brevard and Indian River County, Florida

What is your unfair competitive advantage?

"My clients would say my attention to detail is my advantage. I make sure that we not only do our job as a Real Estate Brokerage, we also follow up on every detail like we are the ones actually buying or selling the property. I always answer the phone and emails within an hour even on the weekends. We make sure every Buyer is prequalified so they are ready to buy and the Sellers know only qualified Buyers are seeing their home. Communication is the key to any successful transaction. I am a computer geek and when I cannot find a program that best serves my clients, I build one. I have also been in the construction field for years which gives me a unique insight into the construction of the homes, helping me know what is proper and what is not."

What is the most creative advertising you are using?

"We have a unique Internet-based marketing technology system designed to help every Buyer and Seller. We have a specialized individual webpage for every property we list which creates a tremendous amount of traffic, bringing numerous Buyers to the specific property as well as others. We have a personally generated newsletter that we create every two weeks which is emailed to hundreds of potential Buyers that has all of our listings as well as every HUD and foreclosure in our county."

Jacqueline Hoff
Mansell Real Estate – Ogden UT
Years in Real Estate: 8
Areas Served: Weber, Davis, Morgan and Box Elder Counties in UT

 What is your unique selling advantage?

 Someone once said, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” It’s both! Fortunately, education and experience allow me to help my clients get to where they are going faster with understanding the “what, where, when and why” of selling their property.

Why did you become a member of Top 5?

 To benefit from the knowledge, inspiration and experience of other top real estate professionals who are currently doing business the way I want to grow mine.

 What is your most creative marketing strategy?

This year I held a “Do It Yourself Kids Summer Outdoor Project Contest”. Parents and kids loved it! The kids had to choose a project, use a budget of $100, plan the project, send me before and after photos along with their receipts and a synopsis of what they learned. The winner received a professional video posted to YouTube and Facebook as well as a $200 Visa gift card. Community involvement is always key

Maryann Hilvers Augustine
Frontline Realty Group
Years in Real Estate: 19+years
Areas Served: San Diego County – San Diego, East County, South Bay, San Diego Coastal and Inland areas

What is your unique selling advantage?

World-Class Service. My goal is to have a relationship with everyone I have ever done business with 5, 10, 15 years down the road. Which means I have to provide such an extraordinary level of service with attention to detail and problem solving that my clients always come back and feel compelled to refer others.

What is your sustainable competitive advantage?

My knowledge of real estate applied to how much I care about every single client I deal with and the fact that “I never give up.” That 11^th hour is the difference between who gets it done and who walks away wishing it could have gone differently.

What is the key to a successful life in real estate?

Having a “Passion” for it. I love what I do and I love my clients. The market is always moving and changing. I feel like you have to move with it and be open to learning new things. However, when it all comes down to the bottom line – it is a people and problem-solving business. You have to be good at both.

Jo Ann Roberts
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate
Years in Real Estate: 18
Areas Served: Pinecrest, Gables by the Sea, Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay, Fla.

What’s your biggest obstacle to staying ahead on information?

Time. Agents have to be very disciplined to spend their time wisely. As I go through the day, when I have “wait time,” I use my iPad to read real estate articles I have bookmarked. I constantly stay aware of my local real estate market and keep my community aware of market trends through a monthly newsletter.

Do you use social media to stay current?

Yes. I recognize social media as an important tool to build rapport and recognition in the community. But I also know it can take an immense amount of time. I think agents have to be very, very disciplined in their social media time management.

What is the key to a successful life in real estate?

Balance. Taking care of your health, family and career. Taking care of health is number one so you can enjoy number two and be successful in number three. The other way I know how well I’m doing is from the continual client referrals to their friends and relatives.

Stacy McFarland

BroadHead Real Estate Solutions, LLC
Years in Real Estate: 4
Areas Served:  Austin, Dripping Springs, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Buda, Kyle

What is your sustainable competitive advantage?

BroadHead's competitive advantage is that we have a team that is well diversified in traditional real estate and REO sales as well as staying up-to-date with the everyday evolving technology. This diversity and the many different strengths that each team member brings to the table enables BroadHead to better serve our clients, other Realtors, and BroadHead as a whole.

What is the biggest challenge to using social media?

The biggest challenge in using social media is staying on top of each social media facet and keeping pertinent information up-to-date that is actually beneficial to your clients.

What is the key to a successful life in real estate?

The key to a successful life in real estate is adapting to change.  Markets and technology change on a regular basis and if you are not adaptable, you will be left in the dust.

Cindy Marsh-Tichy
Weichert Realtors
Years in Real Estate: 13
Areas Served: Parsippany: Montville, Boonton, East Hanover, Denville, Rockaway, Hanovers

What is the key to a successful life in real estate?

You really have to love this business. It is so diverse and changes each day so it is always a challenge.  Surround yourself with people that love the business like you do and have the same work habits and philosophy. Everyone plays an important role in making sure the client is satisfied and returns time and time again.  Education is also key. I have always prided myself on staying educated on current topics and issues. I hold several designations and make sure to take classes that bring me up to date on market trends, legal issues, mortgage options and more. There are a lot of topics that until confronted by them, most are unaware they exist. I try to be able to be the source to find the answers.

How have you incorporated video into your marketing?

I use videos in three different ways. First, as a walkthrough of the property when it is listed with my own dialogue as if I was showing it to a prospective client.  Second, I do a segment called Driving with Cindy, and yes, it is videotaped while I am driving and it is a brief overview of a topic, like staging.  Lastly, I have a video that tells my clients why they want to work with me.  Video is very powerful, especially when marketing overseas or across the country to relocation clients.