When I woke up last week, I was greeted with many Happy Anniversary well wishes from LinkedIn to celebrate my 9th year in real estate. I am proud to have called Re/Max my home since I started.
I entered the field with no real estate background. I was a Communications Studies major at Virginia Tech (go Hokies!), but left school in my 4th year due to family issues. The company I worked for in high school and on college breaks hired me as an Assistant Manager, so I packed up my things and moved from Blacksburg to Manassas to start work.
The Cosmetic Center was a discount cosmetic and beauty aid local chain, as well as a full service salon that was ahead of their time, specializing in discount pricing before discount was "in". I oversaw the operation of both store and salon prior to the company going out of business in 1999. When they closed, I had been the store manager of the very store I worked at in high school. It was a bittersweet good-bye.
Working with the public and my employees was my passion. I was fortunate to have great staff and to be recognized for numerous sales and managerial awards. I was disappointed when the company closed, but with a six month old, decided to step out of the workforce for awhile to be a full-time Mom.
A couple years later, I went back to school at George Mason University to get a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management. I began working at a satellite communications company in their Human Resources department, where I stayed for about a year until my second child was born. Sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer screen all day was not for me. My role had limited interaction with the employees, which was disappointing.
My in-laws at the time were the Broker Owners of a local Re/Max office. They had been urging me for years to pursue a career in real estate, but I didn't think it was a good match for me and always changed the subject. They entered into a partnership with a Title Company, so in 2003 I got my Title Insurance license and became a contract Settlement Agent for the next 2-3 years.
As it was around most areas of the country, the real estate market was surging at a skyrocketing pace. The pace was frenetic, the problems with closings were too numerous to mention, and brand new agents were making hand over fist while being unable to answer questions about their own contracts. I became well versed about the title and contract side of real estate. As the market started to peak I began classes to become a real estate agent.
Nine years later, here I am. I was licensed in 2007, shortly after finding out I was pregnant with my third daughter. Morning sickness and the demands of two other young kids kept me from really building my business initially, but as the housing bubble burst, I rode it out and managed to come out on the other side successfully.
A great client relationship is very important to me, and I treat my clients as if they are my only one. Buying and selling a home is one of the biggest decisions and business transactions in someone's lifetime, so recognizing and respecting the importance of my role in the process is what I strive for. Providing stress-free and excellent service is my goal to earn referrals and repeat business. I pull from my previous work and educational experience to keep a pulse of the market and economic conditions that affect real estate, and to understand the intricacies of working with different types of people and personalities in a transaction.
I look forward to getting to know you. If you are thinking of buying, selling, or renting real estate, please let me know how I can put my experience to work for you! Find me on Facebook, look up homes in your area, and check out more of my blogs.
Chrissi Chapman Topoleski
Re/Max Real Estate Connections
Haymarket, VA
571-330-1750
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