All in the family: Realtors count on relatives to form productive teams

The real estate profession has become a family tradition for several Springfield Realtors. Husbands and wives, parents and children, and siblings are working together.

Overall, each family sees itself as a team, using each individual's skills to compliment each other's abilities. Often the team was formed because the family member originally in real estate needed help because of business growth.

Stengers

Beverly Stenger, whose husband Neil is in commercial real estate sales at Carol Jones Realtors, has worked with daughters Stacey Gold and Holly Stenger at Carol Jones Realtors for a year. Another daughter, Amber Stenger, does their Web site. Beverly describes working together as "nothing but good."

The mother/daughters team came about because Holly thought her mother "needed additional help. I told my sister Stacey if she got her real estate license, we could work together and help each other."

Stacey agreed partly because of the flexible schedule, and she likes knowing she can turn to a family member for assistance. "I really want to put my immediate family kids and husband first. Working with my family has allowed me to keep that as my priority," Stacey said.

To Holly, the most surprising thing has been seeing her "mother in another environment. I have been able to get to know her in a different way."

How well it's been working has surprised Stacey, who'd expected a little more tension. Still there are challenges.

While Beverly sees the hardest thing about working with family is a heavier workload whenever any of them is out of town, Holly said it's in "not bringing personal issues to work."

Describing her step into real estate as a "wonderful career move," Holly believes the best thing she has found through working together is support and encouragement.

Individual family members' skills complement each other and balance out the family team. For example, Beverly isn't computer and technological savvy; Holly is, and she has incorporated technology into their marketing.

"Mom has a lot more contacts than we do since she's lived in the community longer than we have," Stacey said.

Lakowskes

Husband-and-wife team Tom and Cathy Lakowske are at Murney Associates. Tom has been in real estate for 25 years and Cathy for 13. Both said they work together well and it helps that they have a good marriage.

"We enjoy working together because in real estate you have a lot of late-night appointments. This way we're together at night, instead of Cathy sitting at home or me worrying about her out alone," Tom said.

Still there are bumps. Tom finds the hardest part of working with his wife is "not to be bossy and remember you're working with the person you love, not an employee."

For Cathy it's "knowing when to turn the job off."

The Lakowskes' skills complement each other. "I'm a lot more business; she's more of a people person. For us it works extremely well," Tom said.

"It makes it nicer when you're showing a couple around and you're a couple. It takes the business edge off and makes it more like an outing," Cathy said.

The Hewitts

Unlike the Lakowskes, Kirk and Barbara Hewitt, another husband-and-wife team, have separate clients and work individually. The Hewitts are at Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realtors and have worked together 18 years.

"He has his selling style and I have mine," said Barbara.

Kirk said they match clients to their personalities. He calls that an added benefit of working together.

Also, if either has a work overflow, the other steps in and handles it. He describes himself and Barbara as doers.

Barbara said being in the same business lets them be more understanding, because they each know the pros and cons of the business and what the other is going through.

"You are together every day and everybody has good days, bad days and in-between days. You have to take the emotional attitude out of it. At work you have to be professional. That would be a challenge for anybody," said Kirk.

Barbara said it can be challenging because you "want to be careful not to take work home. Home should be family time. Our kids need us and we need them. We make the effort that they feel important once we're at home."

Another challenge is managing to take time off together when you're both doing a seven-day-a-week job, Kirk said. He added, that it is also "tough on the kids (and) the kids have become part of the team, too, like it or not."

Sometimes there are time conflicts. "We get into making decisions of who is going to take the kids to practice or an event and who is going to work. Sometimes Barbara has to meet people between 6 and 7 and I also have to meet someone then. We have to figure out which is going to their meeting. It can't always go my way and it can't always go her way," Kirk said. "It's a big challenge. Not everybody can do it. I will guarantee that. You try to be as fair as you can and still meet all your financial goals and family goals.

Said Barbara, "We learned a long time ago, if you want to stay married, you don't compete with each other. It all goes into the same pot, so to speak."

Adkins Family Group

The Adkins Family Group at Coldwell Banker Vanguard comprises wife Barbara Adkins, sales and marketing; husband Ron Adkins, general office and listing coordinator; and son Gregory Adkins, marketing, public relations and client services. The Adkins Family Group has worked together for one year.

Ron said they have less problems working together as a team because "we've had years of growing together as a family to work out any differences we might have. It enables us to work better as a team, and to truly understand the needs of other families."

One challenge is "learning to keep each other apprised of what's going on," Barbara said.

Said Gregory, "We all have our areas of strengths and skills and use them to the best of our abilities. My mother Barbara is a true people person. She will bake cookies for clients; people love her. My dad, a former home builder, has experienced what a lot of the people are going through. Being able to understand where they are coming from lifts a huge burden for some people."

He added, "In each and every transaction and with each client, not only is our individual integrity at stake, but the integrity of our family name is at stake. We share both trials and celebrations with each other. If one of us benefits, we all benefit. I think that's what makes our team strong."