Lauri Lee recently joined the Providence offices of Residential Properties Ltd., where she works with both buyers and sellers and specializes in the East Bay and Providence.
A native of Washington, D.C., she is a freelance writer and columnist for East Side Monthly, and for two decades worked in private and public education. She spoke recently to the Providence Business News about real estate and the current market.
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PBN: You have a varied professional background. What attracted you to real estate?
LEE: Real estate really enables me to bring together all of my strengths, skills and experience. My … strengths really lend themselves to real estate. I’m not only able to engage with my clients but also with other professionals.
When we moved to Rhode Island in 2008, we immersed ourselves in the community. I’m known among my friends as a resource. They’re always asking me for advice about where to go, where to eat, who to call for certain things. So that knowledge of the state, along with my background in education, marketing and writing, really helps me to provide the best possible service for buyers and sellers.
PBN: You are a former teacher. How often do you use your background in education to explain to prospective buyers, who are new to Rhode Island, what their options are in communities?
LEE: All the time. Because I’ve worked in public, private and charter schools, that knowledge allows me to inform my buyers of all of their options. I’m also able to give them information about application deadlines and admission processes. So that’s helpful as well.
Schools are always a concern for homeowners. Even people without children often ask me about the schools because good schools help to keep property values high.
PBN: How challenging has 2020 been for you in making a career switch to real estate?
LEE: Not only was it a good time to leave the field of education, but also my ability to complete my real estate license course online, through Zoom, made it easier for me to become certified. They are required to be done in person, so they put in some requirements, such as you had to have your camera on, you had to sign in with your full name … but that that made it a lot easier.
The frenetic pace of the market, which is in many ways a result of the pandemic, has meant my learning curve has been very steep. I’ve really been able to jump in and hit the ground running. I have three deals that are closing in the next three to four weeks.
Because many of us are working from home, I haven’t had the benefit of interacting with my colleagues. Zoom and Google and Facetime have been invaluable in forging relationships, not only with my co-workers but my clients as well.
PBN: What advice would you offer families who want specific neighborhoods or towns but are having trouble finding listings in their price range?
LEE: I try to get them to keep an open mind. There is such a range of options in our state, despite its small size. I work with the buyers to help them find the amenities that are most important to them, in their price range.
And if they are set on a specific area but the price is more than they’d like to spend, I’ll talk with them to see if they’d be willing to buy a fixer-upper or if they could adapt to a slightly smaller home. If there are comparable neighborhoods in communities they might not have considered, I’ll suggest they expand their search.
PBN: What do you make of the national press saying people are leaving cities for rural locations? Is that happening in Providence or the other cities?
LEE: I’m not seeing that. Providence is such a unique city because we’re incredibly walkable. I don’t see people leaving Providence. Both the East Side and the West Side continue to be very desirable. Homeowners want the convenience of being able to walk to restaurants and shops and parks, all of which we have.
The pandemic has definitely underscored the need for an outdoor space, whether it’s a yard or a porch or a patio. But again, those are all things you can have in the city of Providence. In bigger cities, that might not be true.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at MacDonald@PBN.com.
