Things happen for a reason. Cliché? Perhaps, but it’s one of Alicia Torrance’s favorite sayings.
Given how the last year, year-and-a-half has gone for the Wheeling native, it’s only reaffirmed her belief in that cliché.
To illustrate that point, we must travel back in time to five years ago. Torrance’s friend, real estate agent Jennifer Paull, advised her to sign up for online real estate classes. Torrance did so, but with her full-time job and not only taking care of her daughter but trekking across the tri-state area for travel sports left her feeling drained. There simply wasn’t enough time.
Fate, as it generally does, intervened a few years later. Father’s Day, 2019, Torrance was playing a pick-up game of soccer and tore her ACL. Surgery was a necessity, and her recovery didn’t allow for her to continue working.
Torrance suddenly had a lot of free time on her hands.
“I had just put it on the back burner and didn’t finish the classes,” Torrance said. “Then I was off work for 12 weeks and was talking with Jennifer Paull, and she told me to get online, sign up, and finish the classes she told me to take five years ago.
“She was really the person that kicked me in the rear and believed in me.”
Despite jumping into a new career, followed by the onset of the pandemic a few months later, she has flourished; so much so that she was named one of Paull Associates’ top producers and its 2020 Rookie of the Year.
That’s quite the rebound from being injured and out of work and potentially regretting not following through on the good advice she’d previously received.
“When I found out I had received the Rookie of the Year award, I was humbled, and I did feel a sense of relief that maybe I can make it in this career,” Torrance said. “When I tore my ACL, I was pretty down on myself for getting hurt. In hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise.”
Pandemic Real Estate – Better Than Expected
Torrance began her career in the industry, and then, a quick three months later, life went haywire for everyone as the pandemic and all its uncertainty were realized stateside.
You would think that alone would make this a terrible time to get into the real estate industry. But as Torrance and her coworkers soon found out, the opposite was true. Despite the uncertainty, people were still willing to part with their money and make milestone-type purchases.
“I had no idea the world was about to be flipped upside down when I started in this industry,” Torrance said. “I was still working full time as a waitress and was unsure what real estate would bring. But by the middle of February (2020) I had closed on my first transactions and had a handful of properties in contract.
“A month later I closed on my fifth property, but the stay-at-home order was issued, and I was skeptical of what the rest of the year would bring.”
But as Torrance recalls, lucky her phone kept ringing and ringing. Buyers were still searching for homes. The ability to work from home, coupled with historically low interest rates also helped a little.
“If you wanted that next bigger home, or to move into that neighborhood you’d been dreaming about, 2020 was the year to do it,” she explained. “And on the flip side, sellers took advantage of eager buyers, and the houses were flying off the market.
“I had a condo literally go pending sight unseen after about one hour of being on the market.”
A fellow agent Torrance worked with on a deal from a other agency admitted to her that this was the “busiest market and craziest market she’d ever seen.”
Why Real Estate?
“Is it fair to say HGTV,” Torrance offered with a laugh when asked about what got her into the industry.
In all seriousness though, she’s always had a love of interior design and an appreciation for the historic architecture and building styles still found throughout Wheeling and beyond locally.
“There is a beauty to a lot of these historic houses in Wheeling that just need a little bit of love,” she said. “I knew we had some really cool houses in Wheeling and being an agent just confirmed it.”
It’s also confirmed that Torrance many years in the food service industry also paid off. She possesses a keen attention to detail and can determine what her clients are searching for quickly, often without being told.
Initially, the buying side of real estate came easier to Torrance, helping prospective homeowners find that perfect home.
“I have always paid attention to detail in my serving experience, and that’s carried over to my new career,” Torrance said. “I really get to know my clients, what they want, and what they are looking and what works for them and their family.
“On the buying side, that is key.”
Torrance also knows that being a seller’s market, houses come on and go off the market at a rapid pace. She wants to make sure her buyers get the home they truly want, but also not take too much time and potentially lose out to another bidder.
That’s why she has them make a list of the 10 most important things they are looking for in a house, BEFORE they set foot inside the first showing.
“Bedrooms, bathrooms, style, neighborhood, what they are looking for in a home,” Torrance said. “Buyers really have to go into house hunting prepared but, on the other hand, you don’t want them to miss a house. That can be stressful.
“It’s gratifying and heart-warming though when you get to be a part of the transaction during such an important part of someone’s life.”
Interested in Alicia’s personal touch to the industry? Check her out at Paul Associates or find her on Instagram.
