Today we’d like to introduce you to Anasuya Engel.
Anasuya, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Los Angeles, at age ten I decided I was going to be a fashion designer, and after graduating high school, I went to Otis School of Art and Design and got my BFA, majoring in fashion design. After that, I worked as a designer for over 20 years. I had worked as a women’s wear designer from small, independently owned companies to large corporations, finally starting a kid’s clothing of my own after my daughter was born in 2010. I had the business (called Peas and Queues) for almost ten years, but when the pandemic hit, many of my wholesale customers closed down, and a friend of mine who is a real estate agent was looking for an assistant. I decided to have a complete pandemic career change and dive full force into a career I had always thought about. I had been following for years my friends who have been in real estate, also often going to open houses I ran across, just out of curiosity, and keeping tabs on all flips in my area… wishing I could have done it myself. Now I have been working as a realtor for over two years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Because of the Pandemic, my start in real estate was different than the usual road, many more challenges to overcome. But also, the market in LA really blew up in a way it never has. First, when it usually takes a couple of months to get an appt to take the exam, it took me nine months to get a test date to take it because for months, they closed the testing down, then when they did, they could only fill the rooms at 1/4 capacity. I finally got it in March of 2021 but I was able to work hard and learn a lot as an assistant before I actually passed the test. Also when I started, we had no open houses and had to make appointments to see anything, as well as sending paperwork for each client when we would enter each property, claiming that they knew they could get covid, etc. It was a bit of a paperwork nightmare. Also, the amount of buyers was crazy, especially compared to the amount of homes on the market, there would be recorded amounts of offers on each house, sometimes up to 50 offers on one house. It was not easy to get a winning bid, and everything went way over, I felt like I won the lottery when my clients opened escrow, but thankfully I was successful many times!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a real estate agent, part of a small team of women (hearth LA) that is part of a small female-owned brokerage located in Mt Washington (MaisonRE). MaisonRE is owned and ran by an old acquaintance of mine, who was in a band with a high school friend of mine back in the later 90s. Most of us are creatives, designers, stylists, and musicians who have decided to take the leap into real estate. Because we are a small group, I feel my education has been enhanced because I have such direct access to people who are both extremely experienced, as well as peers that are all going through the same struggles. Because we aren’t a huge brokerage, if someone chooses to use me as their realtor, I am there for them 100 percent. The larger ones, you may be pawned off to younger, newer agents, assistants, or agents the somewhat just dial in their services rather than be so hands-on. My clients are embarking on probably the largest purchase of their lives, and largest investment, I want to be there for them every step of the way, in absolutely every way I can be.
My clothing business was a smaller, local business as well. I feel like it is somewhat similar. With kid’s clothes, you could come to me for locally sourced and ethically made clothing, where profits go to someone who will be improving the community. (I had a small studio store on Glendale Blvd in Atwater Village, and I loved getting to know the community and my customers well). Now in real estate, especially in my area of Atwater Village, it can feel the same. There are a couple of real estate groups that have the monopoly on the area. But I know that some people don’t necessarily want that and would like more individual attention. As in retail (to bring it local), would you rather go to Starbucks? Or cafictio Organico or black elephant? Im the cafecito organico and black Elephant!
Another plus I can give my clients, growing up in LA I know it like the back of my hand. I grew up on the west side, went to college downtown, and have lived in my house in Atwater Village for 20 years. I know the east side (NELA) better than anything right now, and most of my sales are here, but because of my childhood, I really know so much of all aspects of LA, and if needed I can help in any community. This past year I have sold and had clients from Hermosa Beach to Ladera Heights to Mar Vista/Culver City.
At Hearth LA, we also take community service seriously, and with every sale, a portion of our commissions will go to a charity. We have three at a time that clients can choose from, we choose grassroots charities that directly affect and help our immediate communities. I believe strongly in community service, whether it’s fostering a dog from the shelter, or serving food to the homeless, I like to make sure I am able to incorporate that into my work. My team and I are planning on some group volunteer activities we could do this year together too.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Most of all, I think I have been able to put my clients at ease, to gain their trust to allow me to help them through such a large transaction. I don’t do that in any other way than just being my genuine self. I don’t want to be a salesman or be something I am not. I am an honest person, who cares about the well-being of my clients, and I think it ultimately shows.
Good communication is a very good asset to have with both your clients and the other people you are making the deal with. In owning my own business, with many different people and players involved, it was also imperative to be able to keep clear communication at all times. There is also so much new information that clients are looking to me for, so being able to communicate it all clearly to them can also ease their anxiety and help for a smooth transaction all around.
Paying attention to details, which is something I definitely needed and used greatly in my apparel design and with my own company is also important. Now, in real estate there are many many small details, which if ignored can be catastrophic, so that is a very important thing to be good at!
Contact Info:
- Website: hearthla.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anasuyaengel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anasuya.engel
