Meet Phyllis Harb of Harb and Co. in La Canada

Today we’d like to introduce you to Phyllis Harb.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In the 1980’s, I was in the mortgage banking business. During this period, many of the banks, savings and loans were merged with larger institutions. After several mergers, I decided I was done with number crunching and wanted to enter a more people oriented side of the business.

My mother, Joyce Serra was a Realtor with Stevenson Dilbeck in Glendale. I decided to partner with her. Newly married to George Harb and pregnant with our first daughter, our real estate partnership was ideal. But too quickly, my parents moved to Washington State.

I began my real estate career in 1989 and by 1991, had two daughters. Real Estate is a seven day a week career and I no longer had my mom as a partner. I needed to recreate how to make this work for my family. I began working with probate and trust attorneys who keep banker’s hours. I expanded my network to work with banks selling their foreclosures. And I created a new team and founded Harb and Co. I hired someone to return calls over the weekend, and most of my weekends were relatively free (unlike most successful Realtors).

The real estate climate once again changed and as my daughters got older they didn’t need as much Mom. Currently, I still work with a variety of probate and trust attorneys but the majority of my business is helping typical home buyers and sellers.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Selling real estate is a seven day a week job and is very difficult with young children. There were many nights I would get my daughters to bed and leave them with their father while I returned to the office. There is a lot of paperwork involved in a real estate transaction and I was able to get a lot done during these late nights.

Please tell us about Harb and Co.
A residential real estate is a people business. Buying and selling can be very emotional; there is a lot of stress for the client. Fortunately, my mortgage banking background makes me uniquely qualified to solve many of the problems that arise during the escrow process.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I grew up in Glendale as did all of my first cousins on my father’s side. After church on Sunday my aunts, uncles and cousins would gather at my grandparent’s home for Sunday supper.

Contact Info:

• Address: Harb and Co. c/o Dilbeck Real Estate
  1030 Foothill Blvd., La Canada, CA 91011
• Website: www.HarbandCo.com
• Phone: 818 790-7325
• Email: phyllis@realtorharb.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtorharb
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarbandCo
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhyllisHarb
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/phyllis-harb-la-canada
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/realtorharb

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