Five Questions With: Mary Baron

Mary Baron is the newly named Realtor of the Year for the Northern Rhode Island Board of Realtors. She is principal broker for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Cumberland and a longtime real estate professional. She responded recently to questions posed by the Providence Business News.

PBN: What attracted you to real estate and when did you enter the profession?

BARON: It is a fairly common story. When my husband and I purchased our first home in 1987, I was simply fascinated with the whole process – learning the basics of home construction, the legal aspects of buying and selling, discovering the neighborhood gems within our Rhode Island communities, and becoming aware of real estate as a business.

A few years later as I explored a career change, I discovered I had an aptitude for both sales and teaching, and so selling real estate became a natural fit. There is a lot of education that happens during a real estate transaction, especially with first-time buyers.

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PBN: Tell me how the market in northern Rhode Island is faring this year. Is it improving?

BARON: The lull in the spring market when Rhode Island was essentially locked down due to COVID-19 gave way to a strong resurgence of activity. Currently, the market now in the northern Rhode Island market is active in all price points and with all types of housing, including condos, new construction, lake houses, starter homes, multifamily homes, and across the spectrum of buyers – first-time, move-up, investors and folks from out of state.

Anecdotally, we have seen an uptick in sales of houses with more land in rural settings. With mortgage interest rates at an all-time low, buyers are anxious to secure a property, and therefore need to be decisive and be prepared to bid against other buyers. The current market, however, is still lacking adequate inventory.

PBN: You’ve served in a variety of leadership positions in real estate. What do you enjoy about getting involved in this way?

BARON: By nature, I am someone who gets involved. When I was new to the business, I volunteered on committees and taught consumer classes and immersed [myself] in training to move through leadership positions. The more I got involved, the better I became at my profession; and with that came professional fulfillment.

As a managing broker with about 50 agents in my office, I believe my commitment to volunteering and learning and mentoring brings value to those I work with, and by extension, to the buyers, sellers and everyone involved in the process. Also, as a young Realtor, I had the benefit of some very strong, wonderful mentors. The knowledge and business acumen that they shared really helped propel my career. At some point I understood it was my turn to do the same and participating in leadership is my way of giving to the next generation of Realtors.

PBN: You served on the RI Realtor Foundation. Tell us about that work.

BARON: One of the most satisfying volunteer positions has been serving as a trustee for the Realtor Foundation. Our mission statement says it all: “The purpose of the foundation is to provide resources to help create more productive and enriched communities by offering financial and other forms of assistance to enhance quality of life, and to assist individuals or entities affected by personal or natural disaster.”

We have contributed to a number of charities all over the state reflecting all kinds of needs. We also have a branch focused solely on military needs called Troop Support. It is this commitment to aiding the organizations in our communities for the people in need, be it temporary or ongoing, that continues to inspire me and makes me tremendously proud of our Realtor organization.

PBN: What advice would you give someone trying to break into the profession in 2020?

BARON: Realtors entering the business now have an array of sophisticated digital tools at their disposal to learn from and learn about – from virtual tours and flash closings to predictive analytics. And while these tools can be a great help, learning these mechanics of the stuff doesn’t make an agent a successful Realtor. Real estate is a business. It is a business about people and about community. It takes time and commitment to learn the craft. It is a business about people buying and/or selling something that is critically important to a way of life. We guide them through it. Be good to your clients and customers, and the business will be good to you.

Mary MacDonald is a staff writer at the PBN. Contact her at MacDonald@PBN.com.