Listing it, loving it: Senior brings class concepts alive by selling real estate

When Lillian Robeson was a little girl, she and her mother frequently tuned into HGTV to watch shows about houses … renovating houses, flipping houses, selling houses.

“I’ve always had a certain love for houses in general. I love seeing all of the different layouts,” said the senior business administration major from Dexter, Michigan. “After taking a few business classes, I thought real estate might be something I’d be interested in,” she says.

So she did something about it. At age 19, Lillian received her real estate license. After shadowing an agent for a day, she began to take online real estate licensure classes.

She chose to affiliate with a brokerage firm, KW Realty Living and its Bunn Warren & Associates Team, in Brighton, Michigan, near her hometown. The team has proven to be excellent mentors and role models for her.

“They’ve been great,” Lillian said. “We have the same core values. If I’m struggling, they’re there to help.”

She finished the 40-hour licensure course right before finals her sophomore year and admittedly “took the test more times than I wanted to.” But once she passed, she walked right into the real estate business.

During summers and breaks, Lillian has returned to her home to show houses, communicate with clients, assist in their transactions, and even completed one transaction of her own. Along the way, she’s learned a lot.

“The housing market is very unpredictable,” she says. For example, this summer she experienced a “very slow market, not many clients.” Because of the variables and buyers’ individual financial situations, an agent never really knows the outcome of a sale until you final closing.

“It’s a seller’s market but there’s a lot on the buying side too. I just think people are scared of the interest rates.”

Though she’s still learning the field, her eyes have definitely been opened to what lies ahead. “It’s a very tough industry,” she says. “You have to know a lot about how to approach each transaction and the steps to get there.”

From her team, Lillian has learned about being a great leader. Her mentor, John Lundwell, has been phenomenal, answering her questions, giving thorough explanations and routinely checking on her well-being. “He really cares and listens and treats me as a person first, as an athlete and a student next, and then as an employee.”

Perhaps most importantly, Lillian has seen the concepts she’s learned in her ‘Berg business classes reflected in the real world. “There’s a lot of correlation with theories and practice from my classes that I see at my brokerage firm and with my team,” she says.

Lillian is still considering career options in the world of real estate. Regardless of the path she chooses, she will be well prepared. And never bored.

“It really does keep you on your toes. Every transaction is different for different reasons. There’s just a lot of variety of people and circumstances. I enjoy it because you don’t sit at a desk all day.”

She has some advice for current ‘Berg students who might be considering trying something new like she did: Go for it!

“Try new things and don’t be scared,” she says. “If you fail, get back up until you succeed. Don’t let people make you think you can’t do something you’re very capable of.”