Mildred Thomas

Top Agent Millie (Mildred) Thomas has been fascinated with homes from the time she was a little girl. She says, "I remember being about five years old and going to look at model homes with my parents."I would take off on my own and explore the houses." So when she and her husband got married and started rehabbing investment properties, it was a natural fit. "We did that for several years, then I worked in banking for 10 years, too. Finally, Millie's mother-in-law, herself a REALTOR in Florida, convinced her that her skills and experience would serve her well as a real estate agent. "That was 32 years ago, and I've loved it ever since," Millie says. Now, Millie and her team serve the North Fork of Long Island with residential real estate services. "Our office is in Wading River, about a mile from the beach in wine country," she says. "We serve all the small towns in the area plus some points east, as well as senior living communities in Ridge and Riverhead." And because their New York state license allows them to practice real estate in four boroughs, Millie's team will sometimes sell in Queens or Brooklyn. "But for the most part, we stay local," she says. Millie herself primarily focuses on working with sellers, many of whom have come to her via referral or are repeat customers. She tells the story of one family she works with whose third generation is beginning to use her services. {(The original couple had seven children, four of them have worked with me and now one of the grandchildren just contacted me," she says. "I've been to Anniversary parties, Christenings and so many other family events with them," she says. "They've become good friends." Along with her highly personalized service, Millie cites experience and excellent negotiation skills as giving her a competitive advantage. "Clients have to know I really care about them and what their needs are," she says. They have to feel comfortable enough to trust their largest investment with me," she continues. "Moving is a very stressful time for people, regardless of the reason for the move. Clients need to have someone who can orchestrate the whole thing for them, take the stress and burden away and make the transaction as smooth as possible." Millie has served on the Long Island Board of REALTORS® for 13 years, and has received their Distinguished Service Award. She has also been honored as "Person of the Year" in Wading River. She has also earned a number of specialty designations, including the GRI, ABR, TECH, ITI and SRES. Yet for her, the most rewarding aspect of her chosen career comes directly from her clients. "I really just love helping clients reach their goals and getting that smile at the end that lets me know I've done a good job," she says. It's important to Millie to give back to the communities that support her business. She is active with the local Chambers of Commerce and has supported a variety of causes, including the Ronald McDonald House; Seeing Eye Foundation, Little Flower Children's Home and Breast Cancer Foundations. "I started an annual 5K Walk/Run for the benefit of Breast Cancer Research 29 years ago." she says proudly. She was the owner of Landmark Realty of Long Island, Inc. for 21 years and recently merged with Signature Premier Properties. I chose Signature because their company culture is similar to Landmark. Millie now works as an Assoc. Broker in the Wading River Office & is also affiliated with the Hampton Bays Office. Signature is a larger company and has many locations both in Nassau, Suffolk Counties, the East End of LI & Florida.