Victoria Doran, a sales associate affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Barrington, was recently inducted into the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council’s Hall of Fame. A Realtor for 32 years, she discussed what attracted her to real estate sales and how she works with first-time homebuyers.
PBN: How did you get into the real estate business?
DORAN: I always used to love looking at houses. We live in an area where the architecture is so beautiful. I grew up in East Providence. You have beautiful houses on the East Side and other areas of Providence. I owned a candy store. I had a child, and knew I couldn’t do that anymore. I thought, I’m going to give it a try. It’s a great career. I knew I could raise my children, have a flexible schedule. I’m a self-motivated person. It worked for me.
PBN: As a Realtor, you represent buyers and sellers. What makes the buyer representation interesting to you?
DORAN: Representing buyers is very rewarding, whether it’s the first-time homebuyers or sellers moving up or downsizing. I’m always excited to see how happy people are when they buy a house.
PBN: In the last year, what have your first-time homebuyers been looking for?
DORAN: Obviously, they all want a good investment. Some of them want condos. They’re young professionals, they don’t want the responsibility, but they want the benefits, of taking care of a home. You have the multifamily [buyers] who want someone to help subsidize their mortgage payment. You have the young people who want the cute house with the white picket fence. [Rhode Island] has all of that for first-time homebuyers.
PBN: If you have a first-time homebuyer who is unrealistic about what they can afford, how do you counsel them through that?
DORAN: Any buyer, especially first-time homebuyers, I always tell them, please get yourself pre-qualified so that you’re comfortable with the process, and you understand what you can afford. Then they know what they can afford to look at.
PBN: What is your assessment of the 2015 market?
DORAN: For the last nine months, the market has been on a steady incline. Realtors are busy, which is great. It means home inspectors are busy, the lawyers are busy.