Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillary Voight.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have a background in marketing, design, and public relations which was an industry I enjoyed prior to my current venture as a realtor. After about ten years in the PR/marketing world, I was feeling screen fatigue–8+ hours at a computer were not filling my extroverted soul–I was truly plateaued and was craving to work face-to-face with people. I also wanted the reward of helping individuals meet their personal goals. During my career rethinking phase, I had a number of my real estate industry friends suggest and encourage I to join the field. In March of 2018, I completed the coursework and licensing exam to obtain my real estate license, which I’m so grateful for having gone out of my comfort zone, as I am now in a career that fulfills me. I quickly learned I needed to forfeit my marketing position to fully dedicate my time and schedule to my clients. I found that I not only was passionate about helping my clients with selling and buying homes, but I really enjoyed the challenges that come along the way with the process. As a natural problem solver, I. thoroughly love staging (getting creative to maximize the value of my client’s home), future-proofing a client’s purchase (ie can they easily add a powder room to add quick equity), and helping individuals relocate–helping them curate the best lifestyle possible (making sure location and characteristics of the property are conducive to their everyday activities.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest challenge was convincing myself to switch roles and go out of my comfort zone. Other than personally purchasing one home and a vacant parcel, I had very little experience with real estate. The realty friends who were encouraging me to get my license were all male, had parents in the industry and they themselves had practiced real estate soon after graduating from university. The challenge of overcoming fear and gaining confidence was huge–being a woman (the real estate industry still feels like an old boy’s club in some ways) with no familial industry connections and joining the industry in my 30s made me feel a little weary. Within my first year, I was awarded a Rookie of the Year Award. In 2021 (my third year) I was a top producing agent with my sales being in the top 7% of all Realtors in my local MLS.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I tailor my services to meet individuals and their needs. I don’t see myself as solely a salesperson, but rather a lifestyle consultant. Much of my job is helping clients network (one spouse may still be in search of a job–I have a wealth of contacts especially those in HR.) And I certainly wear a counseling hat–the stresses of home selling and buying can result from divorce, death, bankruptcy–pretty heavy life circumstances. The current real estate market has been incredibly exhausting for home buyers–I love when I can help clients feel less overwhelmed and find creative solutions to the challenges of low inventory and insane bidding wars.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have such gratitude for my former Broker, Perry Pentiuk who founded Venture Properties and truly pioneered the boutique brokerage firm in our area. As well as my current Broker, Kimberly Bork. Both Perry and Kimberly took me under their wings and gave me real-life experience and opportunities when I was new to the industry. They positioned me to be part of deals early on so I gained knowledge and confidence in the field.
Contact Info:
- Email: hillary@venturepropertiesmi.com
- Website: venturepropertiesmi.com
- Instagram: hillaryvoightrealestate
Image Credits
Kayla Keenan
Drew Palmer
