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Lindsay Higgins Realtor, Classified Realty Group, North Reading

 

 

What was your most interesting job before going into real estate? In addition to real estate, I also own a digital marketing agency, L2L Creative Group. I’ve had the privilege of working with some amazing clients behind the scenes and worked on some fun projects. I helped one of my clients get national attention for opening the first-ever “Caddyshack”-inspired bar. I’ve worked with Boston comedian Steve Sweeney. I also worked behind the scenes for the town of Braintree and marketing some of their events, including the Braintree 4th of July Celebration, Take A Bite out of Braintree’s first-ever restaurant month, Pizzapalooza, and Halloween Gamefest.

Where did you grow up? I’m originally from Braintree and can say I’m a true South Shore girl. I went to Blue Hills Regional High School, where 10 different towns in the South Shore attended, so I’m familiar with many surrounding towns because my friends lived all over. My last house was in Hingham, and then I moved to Boston (Charlestown), where I’ve resided for almost three years now.

Growing up, what did you want to be? I went to a technical school in high school, so I was training to become a hairdresser. However, even then, I knew I wanted to be “the boss” and work on the management end of the business, not behind the chair. My senior year of high school introduced an entrepreneurship class taught by Tommy Heinsohn’s son, Paul, that changed my life. Ever since that class and the first class I ever was at the top of my class in, I went full steam ahead.

What do you do to relax when you’re stressed? Taking a hot shower is my go-to when I’m stressed. Someone once said, ‘do you ever wonder why you come up with an idea in the shower?’ It’s because you are not doing anything else, and all the life distractions are gone, so you have the clarity to think clearly.

If you could meet any well-known figure (living or not), who would it be and why? If I could meet any well-known figure, it would have to be Marcus Lemonis. I’m a huge fan of watching his show “The Profit” on CNBC. I even applied to be on his TV show “The Partner” because our skill sets are complimentary. Working with people, especially business owners, is hard. I think as a female working with male business owners, it can be challenging sometimes. I like his gentle approach in helping businesses that need it but may not want to admit that.

What is Boston’s best-kept secret? Charlestown! When I first moved from the South Shore to Boston, I didn’t know a lot about Charlestown except that it may have been a rougher area because of the movie “The Town.” I LOVE living here. It’s city living with a community-like feel. It’s only one square mile, and you can walk pretty much everywhere. It’s also one area of Boston that is the most dog-friendly I’ve ever seen, a bonus for me and my dog, Copley!

What do you love most about the industry? Because of my marketing background, I love working for my sellers on the overall presentation of marketing their home. From the graphic design of the listing presentation and social media to the digital marketing of the listing and getting it seen by as many people as possible, and getting everything set up at an open house — I love it all! It’s all in my wheelhouse of what I do within my full-time job as a marketer. Even better, it’s always nice to be complemented by other agents on my work doing it all as well!

How do you distinguish yourself from the crowd of agents? I think owning a digital marketing agency gives me an advantage over other agents because I understand consumer psychology and am also a tech geek that understands HTML and algorithms.

What is the most difficult aspect of your job? With owning my marketing agency over the years, I’ve become very comfortable in my daily routine of working behind the computer, putting my phone on silent, not looking at my email and getting my work done. My friends will make fun of me because I usually make my personal phone calls/answer texts outside of “business hours” to stay focused. It’s what has worked for me over the years in maintaining a work/life balance. But with real estate, everything is instant and time-sensitive. If you get a call about a deal and need to put an offer in when you are out at dinner or on vacation, it has to get done ASAP, or else you may not get the sale and get paid.

What’s your best advice for generating new leads? Unless you reach out individually by phone or text to every single person you know on a daily basis, your sphere of influence isn’t thinking about you and that you can help them in real estate. People don’t know you are in real estate unless you tell them. So how do you do that? Post about it on social media and send out email newsletters.

What has been your greatest accomplishment? My greatest accomplishment is that  I successfully avoided bidding wars in my last two buyer-side transactions. The best part was that one deal was at the asking price, and the other was only $5,000 over asking.

What are you binge-watching/reading/listening to lately? I’m currently watching Season 2 of Charlestown-based “City on a Hill” on Showtime. I also just rewatched the OJ series on Netflix that came out in 2016. Sometimes you need some mindless shows to enjoy with a glass of wine, so that’s when I’ll watch “Real Housewives of New Jersey.” Some of my favorite series include “Mad Men,” “Ozark,” “Better Call Saul” and “The Kennedys” series on REELZ.

What’s your favorite meal in Boston? I LOVE going out to eat! A few of my favorite meals to get locally include the guac at Monument in Charlestown, the bolognese and shishito peppers at Dryft in Revere, the burger at Lola in the Seaport, and wings or prosciutto and fig cauliflower pizza at Exchange Street Bistro in Malden.

Architecturally speaking, what is your favorite building in Boston? Architecturally speaking, I LOVE the interior and exterior design of Reelhouse, a restaurant located in East Boston. Everything from the color scheme to the decor is beautiful. It’s my favorite place in Boston to go to for the views in the summertime.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you on the job? Being fairly new to my role as an agent, nothing really weird has happened, yet (knock on wood)! However, the first time I showed a house on a lockbox I was pretty embarrassed when I couldn’t lock it back up in front of my clients and had to call the listing agent to help!

What’s one thing people are surprised to learn about you? Ever since I was little, I couldn’t wait to get my “working papers” when I turned 14. I’ve always had a strong work ethic. So, people are usually surprised when they hear that I left corporate America and started working for myself at 23 years old.

What is your favorite vacation spot and why? My favorite vacation spot is Aruba. If you are going to go somewhere tropical, the weather there is always beautiful because it’s so close to the equator. There is really something for everyone to enjoy there.

In 10 words or less, what is your advice for someone new to the industry? Role-play the process as if your BFF was buying/selling.

What’s your favorite real estate iPhone/Android app? Dotloop (coupled with Scanner Pro) is excellent. My broker has templates and forms set up in Dotloop, making my life a lot easier to get things done electronically and on the go.

Who are your favorite people to follow on social media? After a long, busy day, that’s when I turn to social media, especially Instagram, for comedic relief, to decompress and to stay connected to my family and friends. I especially enjoy these two great accounts on Instagram @BostonHardHat to see what is going on with real estate developments in Boston and @OnlyINBos for social enjoyment. You can follow me on Instagram at @leaveittolindsay.

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