Leading Woman

LEE MINTZ
LUXURY REAL ESTATE AGENT
LEEMINTZ.COM 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED FROM BEING A WOMAN IN YOUR FIELD?

LET’S LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. I STARTED MY REAL ESTATE CAREER IN MY EARLY 20S SELLING LUXURY HOMES TO ATHLETES AND CELEBRITIES. 85% OF MY CLIENTS ARE MALE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 40 AND THE MAJORITY ARE IN THEIR 20S. WITH THOSE DEMOGRAPHICS, I HAVE FACED MANY CHALLENGES THAT I HAVE OVERCOME AND MASTERED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WAS LEARNING HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUNG MEN WITH EGOS, MONEY AND WHAT THEY THINK “POWER” IS.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THOSE CHALLENGES?

TIME AND EXPERIENCE HAVE BEEN MY BEST TEACHERS: THE MORE I FINE-TUNED DEALING WITH CLIENTS, THE EASIER IT GOT FOR ME. I ALSO LEARNED TO EMPOWER AND CHALLENGE MY CLIENTS BY EDUCATING THEM THROUGH KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION. KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE ARE WHAT CARRIES POWER, NOT EGO NOR MATERIALS ITEMS. GAINING MY CLIENT’S RESPECT HAS LED TO SOLID, LONG-TERM TRUSTING BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS THAT COME WITH ENDLESS REFERRALS.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER WOMEN LOOKING TO EXCEL IN YOUR INDUSTRY?

NOT A DAY GOES BY WITHOUT A WOMAN ASKING ME HOW TO GET INTO REAL ESTATE. THE WOMEN WHO ARE ALREADY IN REAL ESTATE ASK ME FOR SITUATIONAL ADVICE ON COMPLEX CLIENT DYNAMICS. I TELL THEM ALL THE SAME THING: SHOW UP ON TIME, ACT AND LOOK PROFESSIONAL, AND KNOW YOUR SH*T! YOUR CLIENT WILL RECOGNIZE AND RESPECT YOUR EXPERTISE ONCE EXPOSED TO IT AND THEY WILL TREAT YOU HOW YOU TREAT THEM.

WHAT CAN MEN DO TO BETTER SUPPORT WOMEN IN YOUR INDUSTRY?

THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. IT WOULD BE VERY IMPACTFUL IF MEN TOOK WOMEN A BIT MORE SERIOUSLY IN MY INDUSTRY. IN A MAN’S EYES, A WOMAN SHOWING HIM A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR HOME IS “SEXY.” I GET IT. HOWEVER, IT’S WELL BEYOND THAT. THERE IS A LOT MORE TO REAL ESTATE THAN JUST SHOWING A HOUSE, IT’S A COMPLEX INDUSTRY THAT I NAVIGATE TO MAKE MY LIVING. SO, IT’S INSULTING WHEN IT’S MINIMIZED TO “SEXY”. I’VE BEEN SELLING LOS ANGELES REAL ESTATE FOR 19 YEARS AND I BELIEVE I’M AT THE HEIGHT OF MY CAREER FOR A REASON.