Traditionally a male-dominated industry, real estate is eventually witnessing the rise of powerful women leaders who are breaking the existing gender stereotypes and making the environment more inclusive than ever. These women are not only reshaping the landscape of real estate but also inspiring a new generation of professionals to challenge preconceived notions.
One such prime example of powerful and resounding leadership is demonstrated by Malinda Koncar (Licensed Real Estate Salesperson at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty). Malinda’s commitment to women’s empowerment extends beyond rhetoric. By fostering inclusion and offering guidance, she is recognized for contributing to a more positive and sustainable landscape for women in the industry.
Triumphing a Challenging Transition
Malinda’s career as a successful realtor has been a journey of several hardships and an undetermined spirit to climb the ladder of success. While embarking on a career in real estate, she experienced numerous significant challenges, particularly while transitioning from the fitness industry with limited knowledge of the real estate landscape. Her unfamiliarity with the industry norms and intricacies marked a substantial hurdle that she had to surpass. During this journey, Malinda Koncar also came to terms with the pervasive issue of gender biases–a challenge she had to confront head-on.
Leaving behind the fitness sector for real estate, Malinda grappled with gender-based obstacles that manifested in subtle yet impactful ways. The industry’s landscape presented a considerable learning curve, with gender biases being a pronounced aspect of her challenges. As a woman entering this domain, she faced a distinct propensity for bullying, not only from male counterparts but also surprisingly from fellow females, creating a complex dynamic.
While navigating such scenarios, Malinda observed that some men resorted to loud and indignant behavior, attempting to bully or intimidate her to achieve their desired outcomes. Simultaneously, she also noticed a similar assertiveness, at times bordering on intimidation, from certain women in the industry. This duality of challenges added an extra layer of complexity to her professional journey, requiring her to handle varying forms of intimidation from both genders adeptly.
Besides the above, another initial hurdle she faced was adjusting to the necessity of standing her ground, finding her voice, and dispelling any apprehension about utilizing it. In view of these, overcoming the fear of confrontation and challenging those who sought to intimidate them became integral aspects of her professional growth. These challenges highlighted the importance of resilience, determination, and self-advocacy in a field where gender biases and power dynamics can shape interactions.
In response to these challenges, Malinda did not merely adapt but actively worked to change the narrative. She confronted gender biases head-on, demonstrating that a woman’s voice is both powerful and indispensable in the real estate industry. By standing firm, she asserted her presence and paved the way for a more inclusive and equitable professional environment.
Strategic Expertise in Motivating Clients
As a licensed real estate professional affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Pennsylvania and Ohio, Malinda Koncar is dedicated to seamlessly integrating strategic expertise with a sincere comprehension of her client’s objectives. Her mission revolves around guiding clients through the real estate process, providing educational support, and assisting them in making informed decisions.
In her role, Malinda prioritizes empowering clients to address their questions independently and make decisions that align with their goals. Her approach goes beyond mere guidance; it fosters client autonomy and enables them to achieve the desired outcomes in their real estate endeavors. Within Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Malinda utilizes her licensure in Pennsylvania and Ohio to bring a wealth of knowledge to her clients.
By combining strategic experience with a genuine understanding of client goals, she ensures a seamless and informed journey throughout the real estate process. With a relentless focus on empowerment, Malinda is a dedicated advocate for her clients, helping them navigate the complexities of real estate transactions with confidence and autonomy. Moreover, her commitment to education, strategic support, and client empowerment embodies her role as a trusted partner in achieving real estate objectives.
Recognized Realtor at the Helm
Malinda’s commitment to client welfare, impressive attention to detail, and ascent with Berkshire Hathaway showcase the profound impact marked by her dedication and strategic effort. While reflecting on her professional journey, she recounts her humble beginnings, selling just one home in her first year, which was a challenging sale by the owner. The financial return from that sale barely covered her costs for gas and other expenses. Despite this initial hurdle, Malinda’s perseverance and commitment over the past five years have propelled her to remarkable heights within the real estate industry.
Currently holding the impressive rank of number 7 among solo licensed agents in Pennsylvania and Ohio within Berkshire Hathaway, Malinda has achieved recognition in the Chairman’s Gold Circle. Her accomplishments include winning a cruise, signifying a remarkable ascent from her modest start to becoming a successful agent in her demographic. This trajectory underscores Malinda’s dedication, resilience, and continuous growth within the real estate profession.
As a recognized real estate agent at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Malinda focuses on effective communication with clients, building a robust network, and guiding them through the intricacies of real estate transactions. Her responsibilities span from assisting clients in qualifying for loans, locating suitable homes, formulating strategic offers, negotiating on their behalf, and providing education to empower informed decision-making. Recognizing that real estate transactions represent significant financial investments for clients, she also ensures meticulous attention to legalities, contracts, and protection measures.
Recognizing the gravity of the responsibilities associated with real estate, Malinda emphasizes the need for thoroughness to safeguard the interests of her clients. For many individuals, a real estate transaction is the most substantial financial commitment in their lifetime. Hence, she focuses on navigating the complexities of contracts and legalities to ensure every aspect aligns to protect the clients.
Driven by the Collective Ability to Collaborate
At Berkshire Hathaway’s helm, the paramount objective for Malinda is prioritizing the client’s interests above all else. Achieving this requires effective collaboration with various stakeholders, making it particularly crucial to establish strong networks with lenders, title companies, and closing entities.
Additionally, Malinda emphasizes the importance of a seamless process that extends beyond client interactions to encompass all aspects of a transaction that fosters friendly and communicative relationships with clients and lenders, title companies, and all parties involved in the real estate process. Moreover, the focus on network building goes hand in hand with providing excellent service to clients. Establishing solid connections with lenders contributes to the efficiency of financial processes, ensuring clients receive optimal support in securing loans. Likewise, maintaining positive associations with title companies and closing entities facilitates a streamlined and problem-free conclusion to real estate transactions.
Malinda also places a high premium on relationships beyond client-agent dynamics. Her approach involves actively engaging with all stakeholders involved in a transaction, recognizing that a collaborative effort from everyone contributes to achieving the end goal—successfully closing deals. According to her, a company’s effectiveness is amplified when everyone works cohesively, with a shared commitment to prioritizing the client’s needs and maintaining open lines of communication with all involved parties.
Ensuring Gender Encouragement at the Core
Being a woman leader in a male-dominated industry like real estate, Malinda’s philosophy and perception of feminism revolve around promoting equality, predominantly with equal pay in the industry. Highlighting how women neither seek nor demand higher salaries and commission splits, she says, “If you’re not asking, you’re not receiving.” So, feminism is trying to balance out the inequalities of gender differences. She adds that in the real estate industry, respect between genders and equal pay.
As a determined female leader, Malinda ensures inclusion while ensuring women empower each other within the organization. Prioritizing the importance of inclusion and women empowerment, she perceives these aspects as a powerful bond among women. Her commitment to these principles is rooted in compassion, empathy, and the desire to uplift others rather than tearing them down. One of Malinda’s notable strengths in real estate is building positive relationships with fellow agents and actively supporting them on their professional journeys.
In the industry, where collaboration is key, she recognizes the significance of amicable relationships with other agents. She acknowledges that working harmoniously with those who share a camaraderie is more effective than navigating challenges with individuals who may have engaged in negative interactions, such as attempted bullying. Moreover, keeping communication lines clear and maintaining a goal of mutual assistance lay the foundation of Malinda’s approach towards women empowerment and gender inclusion.
Additionally, a particular focus for Malinda is reaching out to newer agents entering the industry. Understanding the vulnerability of these individuals, who often face bullying or intimidation from more experienced agents, she takes proactive steps to offer guidance and support. Recognizing the industry’s harsh realities, where approximately 85% of new agents fail in their first year, Malinda dedicates herself to empowering and mentoring newcomers. By helping newer agents, she aims to ensure they overcome the initial challenges and embark on a path toward long-term success.
Essentially, Malinda’s commitment to women empowerment extends beyond rhetoric; she actively engages with newer agents, creating a supportive environment that counters the prevalent challenges faced by those new to the real estate business. By fostering inclusion and offering guidance, Malinda contributes to a more positive and sustainable landscape for women in the industry. “It’s not just the clients involved in the transactions. You need to be friends and communicate with all the lenders, the title company, and all sides to get the closing to the end,” she adds.
Striking a Balancing Chord between Work and Life
Balancing work and personal life in real estate poses a continuous challenge for Malinda. The nature of the job demands a round-the-clock commitment, as she frequently adapts her schedule to align with clients who, in most cases, have their jobs. This often means working when others are off, creating a dynamic that can be challenging to navigate.
When asked about harboring a perfect balance between work and life, Malinda Koncar says, “Work-life balance is really difficult with real estate. You are working 24/7. Considering the terms of people buying a house, they usually have jobs. So you’re working around their work schedules. So you’re working when everybody else is off, which makes things a little bit difficult.” With crucial tasks and submissions due by midnight or within a short five-day timeframe, finding equilibrium between professional and personal spheres becomes notably complex. Malinda Koncar acknowledges that achieving a harmonious balance in home and personal life is an ongoing pursuit that she is actively working toward.
The real estate profession, characterized by seasonal fluctuations, adds a layer of complexity to achieving work-life balance. Maintaining a sense of equilibrium becomes more demanding, particularly during the bustling seasons. The busy periods entail sustained and intensive work commitments, leaving little room for personal reprieve. During the quieter winter months, Malinda finds an opportunity to recuperate before gearing up for the renewed demands of the approaching spring.
Despite the inherent challenges, Malinda Koncar recognizes the importance of continuously striving for a more balanced lifestyle. Real estate work demands adaptability and resilience, and she is committed to refining her approach to manage the demands effectively. The acknowledgment that work-life balance is an ongoing pursuit aligns with her dedication to providing optimal service to clients while recognizing the need for personal well-being.
The Philosophy of ‘Women Empowering Women’
While recognizing there are numerous empowering women out there, Malinda Koncar draws her inspiration from Gabby Bernstein. Although that takes up a personal side of things to help women on a very personal level, while not so much in real estate, she believes she is more inspired by the everyday women who are working two jobs, raising kids, and trying to buy a house, some of the high-income earners. “I think it’s the day-to-day people I feel have more inspiring stories for me,” she adds.
Malinda is a seasoned leader in the real estate industry who believes there are certain qualities that women leaders must possess, specifically in a very challenging and highly technical job, to become successful. Some of these are strategy, negotiation skills, and collaborative efforts. Essentially, one must be very strategic.
While previously, the industry market was good, and people were used to doing the same thing, it has significantly changed over the years and has become volatile. Therefore, individuals must be able to pivot, adapt, and change quickly as the environment changes, interest rates rise, and market prices fluctuate.
“Adaptability, being strategic, having strong negotiation skills, and then adding that layer of compassion and empathy, to bring that full circle.”
Malinda.
For aspiring women entrepreneurs seeking to make a mark in the real estate business or in general, Malinda Koncar advises being transparent, honest, and passionate. “As long as you maintain transparency, honesty, passion, and drive, you’ll succeed no matter what you do. With real estate, you need to have tenacity and grit to keep moving forward when things get challenging and just not give up,” concludes Malinda.
