Alberta remembers the realtor who assisted her parents to purchase their first home when she was just 7 years old. The realtor helped her parents determine what they could afford and what type of home would meet their needs. What captured Alberta's attention was how the realtor allowed her and her siblings to run throughout the properties picking out their potential rooms. She made the whole family a part of the purchasing process. It was that encounter that propelled Alberta to want to be just like the lady that helped her parents. A Realtor! Fast forward to 1988, Alberta obtained her real estate license and joined Bartel’s Real Estate Firm (now Coldwell Banker Bartel’s in Richmond) as a full-time newly licensed agent. It took three months to close her first transaction. Alberta sold a home to the assistant pastor at her church. “I will never forget it. I showed him and his wife a series of houses before they found one that they liked. I drove them back to their current home and told them I needed to go back to the office to pick up various documents and I would return shortly. I was so scared because I was not certain of all of the steps. Luckily, when I got back to the office, one of the seasoned agents was there and helped me write my first contract. I thought to myself ‘if I ever have my real estate firm, I would make sure that every agent was well trained. I would not want anyone to feel the panic I am feeling right now’.” So, in 2001 when Alberta obtained her Broker license and opened Bay Area Dream Homes Realty, she made sure every agent who joined her firm, participated in a comprehensive 6-week training program. Alberta keenly understands that homeownership is one of the biggest decisions a person will ever make. Therefore, as an agent, you must be skillful and knowledgeable inorder to watch out for your client's best
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