Today we’d like to introduce you to Sander Scott.
Sander, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Northport, Michigan working for my parents at Scotts’ Filling Station and Party Store in Northport (Now Deeps Corner Store) working 7 days a week while saving money for college. I was fortunate to earn a full athletic scholarship to Central Michigan University to play basketball (after helping Northport win a State Basketball Championship in 1988. Because I had saved money for college and was interested in real estate, my brother and I purchased a piece of property in Leelanau Township near the Village of Northport, while I was still in high school. Thus began my “real estate journey.” Later I married my high school sweetheart, Shannon at age 20 and we started a family early. Our son Sam was born in 1991, followed by Sawyer in 1993, and Isabelle in 1995. We used the proceeds from the sale of the property in Leelanau Township to begin our journey as homeowners. I began my career in education in 1994 as a 7-9 grade English teacher and High School psychology teacher at Leland Public School. Because my career took me to serve as a principal, assistant superintendent, and finally superintendent, I moved a lot and bought and sold a lot of homes in my journey moving from Leelanau County and working in these communities: Leland, Elk Rapids, Traverse City, Interlochen, Glen Lake, Cedar, Maple City, Glen Arbor, and Empire. I also coached basketball for Traverse City Saint Francis High School and Lake Leelanau St. Mary’s after retiring from education. I retired from public education in 2019 from Glen Lake Community Schools and then taught 7th Grade English and Literature at St. Elizabeth for Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools. Then COVID hit, and I decided to jump into real estate as an agent. I started with Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty, then moved to Key Realty in Traverse City before earning my real estate broker’s license and starting my own brokerage called Net Real Estate in 2024. I serve the greater Traverse City area including these counties: Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Antrim, Kalkaska, As an aside, my son Samuel is a licensed builder and owns Scott Carpentry LLC and often is called upon to fix a thing or two for a client who needs some repairs done prior to listing houses. In addition, my son Sawyer is professional house painter under Pinky Painting Pros, and also is called upon often to help clients. My daughter Isabelle owns Circles and Cycles providing many skin care and wellness products that she sells at local farmers markets and through her busy online store. My wife Shannon recently stepped away from her Elementary Teaching position at Leland Public School to devote her daytime efforts to caring for our two grandchildren, Cerise and Silas, while conducting her professional photography in the evenings when the lighting is best capturing many family photos for people in Leelanau. Shannon is also often called upon to help with not only photographing my real estate listings, but to provide staging and decorating advice to my seller clients, using her extensive background in interior design and architecture. Shannon can also be found at Northport’s Farmers Market selling her custom apparel which showcases her artistic talent. You’ll often find me with my beloved dog Dee Dee, a border collie with endless energy. I often take her on the backroads in Leelanau County to “run real estate” behind my truck. In fact, you can catch a few of her videos if you search #deedeerunsrealestate !
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Making a career change at almost 50 years old seemed like a big challenge, and it was to some degree, but I’ve been blessed to earn the trust of so many clients. It’s been a great transition, and I’ve been able to use the skills acquired as an executive working in public schools to my career as a professional realtor. I often say that putting together a real estate transaction is similar developing an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for a special needs student in the schools — there’s a lot of paperwork, it’s highly “legalistic”, and, if trust is high among the student, parents, and educators, it’s a highly rewarding experience. If trust is low, it can turn into a real mess. While most people likely don’t love their homes to same degree as their children, there’s still a lot at stake, so it’s important to earn the trust of your clients to ensure the best possible outcome for all parties involved.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I specialize in waterfront properties in Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Antrim, and Kalkaska counties. I also specialize as a seller’s agent (sometimes called a listing agent). I also specialize in helping first time home buyers (I love helping my former elementary school students buy a home!) I’m known for going above and beyond for my clients. I regularly receive compliments from my clients who see the extra creativity and effort put in to marketing their property. I have an active YouTube channel at @LivinTC that not only features videos of my property listings but also features in depth interviews and insider tips to help buyers and sellers learn more about the real estate industry. Once an educator, always an educator, and I’m always looking to help my viewers learn more about real estate!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
When looking for a mentor, I’d suggest looking for people who are just a few steps ahead of where you want to go on your career path. Don’t shoot for industry celebrities; they’re too busy and too many people are seeking their attention. Instead, look for someone who is 2–5 years ahead of you in their career — they remember your stage clearly and are usually more available. Once you connect with a mentor, be sure to reciprocate value. In other words, find little ways add value to the mentor — share an article, refer a client, offer to volunteer on a project. Mentorship relationships are strongest when they don’t feel one-sided.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.livingintraversecitymichiganarea.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanderscotttraversecityrealtor/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sander.scott
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sander-scott-traverse-city-realtor-a497a528/
- Twitter: https://x.com/sanderscott
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivinTC
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sander-scott-net-real-estate-traverse-city?osq=Net+Real+Estate
