I passed my Virginia real estate licensing test in January 2005. Shortly after, I went shopping for a place to hang my license. Two different friends, both in real estate, recommended two different brokerages. The first one was a real estate brokerage masquerading as the sole business of one agent. There were promises of many leads, but the head kahuna was to get all the credit for the sales you made. Unless your Mother was selling her house, then there MIGHT be an exception. I'd worked plenty of sales jobs and that didn't sit well. If you earned a client, you should get credit. But the fear of starting a real estate business from scratch was daunting and the thought of those leads were tempting. Even though I was moderately annoyed that the big kahuna that got all the credit for my hard work didn't even pop out from behind the curtain to say hello during my interview, in my mind, the next interview at Long & Foster was a formality.
As soon as Eileen Durkan walked into the conference room of Long & Foster Realtors®in Haymarket, Virginia, I felt I'd found a home. She was friendly, confident and not at all pushy. She explained her office philosophy that her job was to get each agent up and running in their own right. Help them be as successful as they wanted to be. Not to take the credit for all their hard work. She said real estate was a business where ultimately, you were working to establish YOUR name. Long & Foster offered training, and an established, recognizable Brokerage to back you up, but ultimately, with Eileen and the company, you were working to establish YOU.
The ease of conversation and the friendly atmosphere in her office took what I thought was a slam dunk for the other guy and won me over. I've never regretted that decision.
Eileen's confident competence and easy-going friendliness created an atmosphere that made Long & Foster's Haymarket office a place where a new agent that had no clue where to start, could get a good footing. Her positive energy flowed downhill. Experienced agents were there to lend a hand and help newbies like me out. And in turn, when I gained experience, I returned the favor and helped those that needed it.
Eileen's office was not perfect. Just like a family, agents are sure to have their disagreements. But Eileen garnered an atmosphere of plentiful thinking. There was enough business to go around. We supported one another and were all stronger as a result.
Our Long & Foster office in Haymarket eventually combined with Eileen's newest office in Gainesville. There she oversaw the blending of two "families." Two offices coming together might have been rocky for two other groups, but Eileen's two group of agents welcomed the opportunity to work with one another.
Eileen truly fostered a feeling of family. She's presided over our business struggles and successes. She's watched over us in our moments of personal tragedy and celebrated with us in our moments of pure joy. In fact, she did something I will never forget on my wedding day.
I am positive that I would not be the agent I am today without simmering in the environment Eileen Durkan provided for those first, nearly six years of my real estate career. I'll miss her when I hit my next transactional issue. She's a been great listener and always gave very sound advice. And what I liked best is she was never without her sense of humor. I'm so glad to have worked for her. And I'm glad to be part of her retirement celebration today.
I'm sure that the office Eileen has created will take our new Managing Broker under it's wing and make him feel welcome. That's the level of professionalism she has instilled in us and it will serve us well throughout our careers.
Happy Retirement, Eileen!
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