Page 30 - Robeson Living Fall 2020

Interested in Real Estate?

Getting started in the Real Estate market has gotten a lot easier agents are the ones that can succeed during both.”
thanks to Robeson Community College. The college re-booted
its Real Estate Course last fall and has already seen students Getting started was easy for Skipper, who is now an agent with
successfully enter the real estate market. Britt & Co. Real Estate Professionals. For the last 28 years,
Skipper has worked for a local timber company and has man-
For Kena Skipper, becoming a real estate agent is something aged to keep this job and do real estate sales on the side. She
she has always wanted to do and thanks RCC for making that is selling homes mostly in Robeson County but has clients in
happen. “I would watch HGTV and think, that’s what I want Cumberland County as well. “The market is flourishing, and
to do. Find the perfect home for a family,” Skipper said. When interest rates are at an all-time low. A lot of people are taking
she saw that Robeson Community College was offering the advantage of purchasing a new home, plus it’s a great time to
Real Estate Course, she knew now was her time. Skipper start- list homes for sale because of the influx of buyers,” says Skip-
ed the course last September and by April had sold her first per.
home.
Sara Lawing, a real estate broker for more than 11 years in
According to Realtor.com’s August housing data release re- Cumberland County, is the instructor for the RCC course. “The
veals that a hot late-summer housing market has pushed home real estate pre-licensing class is the first step in opening doors
listing prices into double-digit growth territory for the first to the future for students who enjoy working with people of all
time since 2017. According to Martin Stark, Broker for Re- backgrounds, leading them through the challenges of buying,
max Real Estate in Lumberton, low mortgage rates have spiked selling, or renting property.” According to Lawing, the three-
buyer activity in Robeson County, resulting in low inventory month course will provide the foundation for anyone looking
and increased cost of materials has forced up the price of new for a career in real estate.
construction.
And according to Stark, there is always a need for real estate
Stark has noticed an influx of agents since the housing market brokers. But he says, there will always be a small group of
has improved. “Typically, when it’s a good market, you tend to top producers. According to Stark, not everyone who gets in
see more people getting in the business, and then during times the business is willing to do what it takes to be a top producer.
of recession, you see some dropout,” says Stark. “The good “Eat, breath, and sleep real estate and always tell the truth,”

Page 30 Robeson Living ~ Fall 2020