Sue Cook makes real estate sound easy. From her first meeting with potential clients to the closing, she is there, guiding them through the transaction using the best tools and technology the industry has to offer. "I'm not just a salesperson," she says. "I take the time to learn about my clients' needs." The actual efforts she puts in are anything but easy, of course - something she found out early on. "When my children grew up, I decided I wanted a career that would be fun," she says, 'one that would enable me to work only when I wanted to. I always liked real estate, so I said to myself, "Let's go sell some real estate!"
Famous last words! Once Sue got into it, she really liked it, but she realized it was hardly a part-time job. She considers it a 24-7 job and makes herself available at all times, and the clients keep coming. But she enjoys real estate and is happy with her career choice.
She's business includes buyers and sellers of properties throughout northern Virginia, but her expertise is primarily in Prince William, Stafford, and Fauquier counties. She loves being an agent with Berkshire Hathaway for the marketing power of the marketing power of this global brand. "Berkshire Hathaway provides us with so many great marketing tools, which makes us stand out," she says. She uses social media, all the real estate websites, ecards, printed fliers, and creative thinking. After a transaction has closed, she stays in touch via email, social media, phone calls and more. She also keeps a list of recommended handymen to share with her buyers, because she knows they will be doing renovations of making some changes.
Since real estate is a full-time proposition, Sue spends most of her spare time with her family: two grown boys and her husband. They go to movies, on beach trips and one-day adventures and enjoy cookouts on the deck... "It's your typical family life," Sue says.
What is not typical is her dedication to giving back. Sue is devoted to the Sweet Julia Grace Foundation founded by past clients who lost a child. The SJG Foundation fills the void for local families whose children are chronically or seriously ill by granting wishes, providing non-medical gifts that offer fun, comfort, and improved quality of life. Volunteers also try to make a "grand finale" for each child. "For example," Sue says, one little boy really liked cooking shows, so they put together a big event and sent him to New York City to be on Chef Bobby Flay's show. He really enjoyed it. With every home I sell, I donate to Sweet Julia Grace Foundation. It is a wonderful organization doing wonderful things for the local community."
As Sue looks toward the future, she might add a few more designations to those she has, which include Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), Broker Price Opinion Resource (BPOR), Graduate. REALTOR® Institute (GRI) and, Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource (SFR)."My goal is to beat what I did last year," she says, "through networking, socializing, listening to people hearing what they want," Her greatest challenge in the business - as well as her greatest joy - is to know what buyers want before they know. "It's a wonderful feeling," she says, 'to know that I listened to them, learned exactly what it was they wanted, and then it worked out to be the perfect home."
