Carol Parker

I think through the eyes of my kids, they saw and see to this day how hard I work. You never think you're going to sell million dollar homes, and I am. I'm very proud of my referral group, the C2C Group. We're very well known, and I get a lot of kudos for that. It's something I do just free, I don't get paid or anything, but it's a lifeline for some people and it's a family. I feel like I've cultivated business for Carol Parker where my clients become my friends. I just texted someone this morning about maybe having a baby. I make sure I keep in touch. I guess I'm just proud of the business I've created, particularly through the eyes of my four kids.

Do every possible thing that you can do. Somebody wants you to do an open house, do the open house. Somebody needs you to run something to a client, or can you do an inspection? I'll pay you $100. Do the inspection. Do every possible thing. Everything. Listen, keep your eyes and ears open, because it's a learn-as-you-go type of job. Be open-minded to finding a mentor. I really leaned on particular people. I have a mentor, and he's now retired. He taught me the commercial side and some specific things, and I still see him. Every few months we go for coffee or get a glass of wine, and he's my friend. My father had passed in 2019, and he's now quite a father figure to me in a lot of ways. I feel like if you can find somebody that can mentor you, grab ahold of that person, because if they're a generous person, they're just gonna teach. In my company and in my referral group, I don't have the experience compared to many of these people who've been in it 30 years. I can pick up the phone and call any one of them. It's such a nice resource to say, hey, I have a problem, how would you handle this? It's so nice to have that at your fingertips. So be kind and smart. Find someone who's willing to help you along the way and take advantage of that.

I think going through it, I love what I do. I always tell my kids that if you find something that you do, it's not a job, because when you love it, then it's just your passion, and oh, that's right, you get paid. I feel like I found another chapter in life that I just love and enjoy. I know I have a very good team of people that help me, and I've got a wonderful broker that's very knowledgeable, so I have resources. I always say, even as a mom, it takes the village, and fortunately I have a good village. I don't plan on retiring any time too soon. The joy of finding something that someone feels so good about, home is your safest place in the world, and it's your most expensive thing you're gonna spend money on. I take a lot of care to be sure that my clients are really happy in the end. I don't care what I have to do to make them happy. When they get in my car, there's snacks there, there's waters. I see a lot of goodness in people and what they do for the families. I think I pride myself on that. It's very natural for me. I felt a little sense of, like, I gotta take care of this person. I have a good village, and it takes the village.