Haute Residence continued its "Chat with Haute Residence Leaders" series with a conversation featuring Cristal Clarke, representative of the Haute Residence Network in the Montecito, California area. She was hosted by Haute Media Group Cofounder Seth Semilof.
Watch their conversation below.
The topics included Clarke’s illustrious career from Berkshire Hathaway, her growth of knowledge and expertise in the Montecito, California area, and her ascendancy in the real estate market.
Since she joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in 2018, her unsurpassed market knowledge, real estate expertise and roster of highly qualified affluent clients have helped propel her into the top 5 among the firm’s more than 50,000 agents worldwide. Beginning as an art history major at UCSB and UCLA, Clarke made the switch to real estate fueled by her passion for houses and architecture. She states, "I thought the two would really meld beautifully together and I am a people person. I thought real estate was a really good avenue for me to direct my attention to. I love the business aspect of it and the negotiation side, so it's been my whole career."
Photo Credit: Cristal Clarke
Here are some of the questions and answers from the exclusive interview with Clarke.
Seth Semilof: When you started, how long did it take for you to get some success?
Cristal Clarke: You have to put in the hours and put in the time to make things work. I was willing to do that. I got some listings I was super excited about and picked up a lot of buyers. Then, it just started to roll. Now, we are here today, so it's been a wonderful ride in real estate. I love this profession. I love working for Berkshire Hathaway. They are an amazing company. They really let me blossom to another degree.
SS: Tell us a little about how you built the business to be so successful. How are you able to execute so many transactions?
CC: You can only be as good as the people around you. It was important for me to have the right people in my sphere so that I could do what I am best at. I have some great assistance. I have a professional writer that write for me. I have a PR person. I have someone who does all my social media. I have an in-house marketing person that does all my marketing. It is looking at the whole picture that allows me to be successful.
SS: Who is someone that touched you as you started the business that helped you become who you are today?
CC: I worked for man by the name of David Pets. He had an unbelievable company real estate company in Montecito. I was taught from him about service and how important services are to give to your clients. It is all about your clients. If you have the knowledge and you give good service, then you will be successful. He taught me a lot of great words of wisdom and that were always was very prominent in how I did my business from the beginning.
SS: What are some attributes that you believe people need to be successful when they start out in real estate?
CC: Clients like someone who is really enthusiastic about their properties and gets excited about it. Sellers love hearing you get excited about things because they are enlisting you to sell their property. Having a really good, positive attitude is key in this business and being very consistent. However you market yourself, it takes a while to get it going. If you are consistent, things have a tendency to go in a really good direction of who you are and how you present yourself and your property.
SS: What makes Santa Barbara so amazing if I’m looking to buy real estate.
CC: It feels like home having a community like we have. What we've been through here has really brought us together. The beauty that surrounds us is amazing because we have the ocean on one side and we have the mountains on the other. We do not have a lot of room to expand because of that, so it keeps it more of a small-town feel. It is a very wonderful place to live because there are so many great avenues in which people can explore. It has a lot of elements that people want in a lot of towns and that is why people are moving here.
For more information, please contact Cristal Clarke at 805-879-5000 or cristal@montecito-estate.com
Cristal Clarke is the exclusive agent the Montecito, California real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of her listings here.
