Emily Tyson's diverse resume is paying off in her new life as a residential real estate agent.
Tyson, an agent at Glendale-based W and Partners LLC, hit her stride in Arizona, working in sales at Craftsmen in Wood, a custom door company, where she gained knowledge of luxury materials and confidence to get the job done, two qualities she took with her when she entered real estate after some encouragement from a close friend.
Today, the Illinois native — who has also done stints with rental car company Enterprise and a photography business called Lifetouch — feels like she was "made" to be an agent. Early success has positioned her to capitalize on an expected uptick in activity in an emerging part of the Phoenix metro.
Since she started her residential real estate career in early 2021, Tyson has completed 52 buyer and seller deals that total more than $35 million in transaction volume, according to Homes.com data.
While she works on deals all over Phoenix, Tyson lives in Peoria — a city in the Northwest Valley positioned along the Loop 101 and Loop 303 with big employers, retailers and single-family home developments all making commitments to set up shop.
Tyson draws parallels between Peoria and Gilbert, a popular town in the East Valley with new retail, restaurants and a slew of high-performing real estate agents.
"I think in 10 years, the center of the Valley is shifting to us because we have the space to grow," she said. "If you're in Scottsdale or North Phoenix, you're looking at a $600,000 to $800,000 starting point. Over here, you can still get a home for $450,000 or $500,000 that can hold a family of five."
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Did you always want to be an agent?
I was always under the impression, no real estate for me. I didn't want to do it and be 23, 24, 25 and not receive a paycheck ... and it was 2008-09 and nobody wanted to be a real estate agent then. I worked for Craftsmen in Wood for five years and then switched careers and went to Lifetouch (a family and school photography business). My friend later said, "Emily, you're going to do real estate. ... you were made for this. It is absolutely what you should be doing." I knew I was going to be successful at it. I definitely was made to do this.
What was the most interesting job you've held?
I loved selling custom wooden doors. I love wood. I know it sounds funny, but my Corgi's name is Walnut because I was the best at selling walnut wood. ... As a 23-year-old, I got to set my own travel plans and had to grow up real fast. The workers started to respect me. That, for me, was how I came up with my slogan, "it's handled."
When did you start to feel like a local?
I think I really started feeling like a local, probably about 2011. ... When I finally moved to Indian Bend and Scottsdale Road and working at the door company, like, once I really got into that whole frame of mind, I think that's when I really started feeling like a local. But then when we bought our house in (the) Arrowhead (neighborhood in Peoria) in 2015 that's when I felt like a true resident.
What trends are you seeing the housing market now?
In this moment, we are in a buyer's market. There's more inventory for them to look at. They have more room for negotiations. So, they're asking for seller concessions. (Buyers) asking for the world, and some of them are unrealistically expecting the sellers to say yes. Nobody wants a fixer-upper — everybody wants to walk in because they're already putting so much money into the house. All the money they have is going into the mortgage payment. They're not going to have a lot of money to replace carpets and fix the roof — they want it ready to go.