January 2023 ~ RISING STAR ~ SUSAN HANSON

Rising Star: SUSAN HANSON

HONESTY & INTEGRITY

By Brandon Jerrell

Honesty and integrity are paramount in all good businesses, but it is especially important in companies that rely on client interactions. And there are few industries that depend on client interactions more than real estate.

Susan Hanson with Eagles World Realty knows this reality well, so she makes sure that honesty and integrity are the backbones of everything she does. This is also the mindset that she has established for the recently formed “The Hanson Group.”

“We will not waiver on this. Without honesty and integrity, you cannot truly serve your customers’ best interest, and that is most important to me in this business.”

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Susan was born in Southern Vietnam towards the end of the Vietnam War. “My family were refugees from the Fall of Saigon. I was born in Vietnam and came to America when I was only two years old. We left the day that Saigon fell, we were flown out on a military helicopter–my mom with two children in tow and a brown bag with only a few belongings (what would fit in the bag).” Susan continues, “My mother is my biggest hero. Through all the trials she had to face, she raised me to be strong and to work hard and know that wherever you came from in your past, you can overcome these things and build a wonderful life.”

Susan’s family lived in North Dakota before relocating to Florida in 1983. She graduated high school in 1991 and moved to Jacksonville in 1992. From there, she went to vocational school to become a travel agent.

The Hanson Group: Left to Right: Andrew Wotton, Susan Hanson, Aliyah Henderson, Milia Kahayan (marketing director/administrative assistant)

“I worked for a wholesale travel company in 1994 and stayed with them for 12 years. This is where I learned relationship-building,” she shares. “I worked with travel agents to build vacations for their customers and to this day I remain friends with many of the agents I worked with, some I have only ever spoken to on the phone, but nearly 30 years later I still maintain those connections.”

Susan later became a mortgage broker, but that career was met with some challenges with the soon-to-come crash. However, she did not back down from the challenges, and she was able to push herself through them.

“I became a mortgage broker in 2006, but after the crash, I struggled quite a bit. Not only from the loss of income, but also the burden of eight investment properties that had all lost a significant amount of equity,” she recalls.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

Susan decided it was time to step up and tackle the issues standing in her way.

“I think all of the things I have gone through in the past have strengthened me and taught me to be a problem solver. I have learned that being solution-minded is a big part of being successful. I do not let challenges get me down. Instead, I face challenges head-on.”

Susan continues, “I am always looking for solutions to any problems that arise. I am tenacious in that regard. I don’t give up easily. I think that in this business, having a solution mindset is so very important because there has not been a single real estate transaction without at least a small challenge, some are major challenges. However, finding solutions and executing them to get deals done is very exciting to me and the satisfaction of my customers is my greatest reward!”

In order to save her investments, Susan worked with many lenders for many years to do loan modifications and settlements. During this time, she took a job with a property and casualty insurance company. There she learned many of the ins and outs of property insurance. So much so that she was offered a position with a financial firm to build an insurance division. However, she soon decided that her passion was in real estate. With her many years of experience, it was clear that becoming an agent was the most logical conclusion.

FINDING HER DREAM JOB

Susan jumped fully into real estate in 2019. Despite having “taken the long way around,” her many years of related experience have proven to be one of her most valuable assets. “I am so thankful to have the background that I have. Everything I have done in my professional life has prepared me for this business. I think it makes a big difference in the level of service I provide.”

Even with her many years of experience, Susan knows that there is much more to be learned. She explains the philosophy that she likes to live her life by: “Never stop learning because life never stops teaching.”

Susan with her mom when they arrived in the United States.

Susan says that being able to use her knowledge to help guide her customers is the most fulfilling part of her work. “Having personally gone through many ups and downs in my own real estate situations, as well as my professional background, allows me to provide a higher level of service. Being able to use that knowledge and experience to help people is the most fulfilling aspect of this career.”

Family Life

Susan’s family is relatively small. She currently lives with her partner of 30 years as well as their four rescue dogs and cats. “We love to spend time at the beach and around the house gardening and playing with our fur-babies,” she beams.

Susan and her partner of 30 years, Devon Smith.

“My mother lives in California and visits twice a year. When she visits, we travel around Central Florida trying different Asian restaurants and visiting friends. I have one brother who lives in Texas and a nephew in Maryland. We have family get-togethers on my partner’s side every couple of months or so, and we love to meet up at Corky Bells in Palatka for lunch and laughs.”

Susan and her mom.

Susan’s dad served in WWII and was a civil engineer in Vietnam when he met her mom.

Congratulations to Susan Hanson, this month’s Rising Star. It is clear that many great things are to come from her and her new team — especially from a team built upon honesty and integrity.

Website: loanhanson.eaglesworldrealty.com