Meet Andrea Scheppe of AzAndrea Real Estate

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Scheppe.

Hi Andrea, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hello! I’m Andrea Scheppe, a North Phoenix native, born and raised near Desert Ridge, and I’ve lived, worked, and played all over the Valley of the Sun. My husband (a retired contractor and fellow Phoenix native), our toddler, our rescue pit bull, and I love Greater Phoenix, and we are proud to call it home.

After graduating from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Communications in 2005, I began my career in commercial real estate with Sperry Van Ness Phoenix. After a few great years working directly with the company’s vice president, I stepped away from commercial real estate and took a chance on a small-business partnership with Divaz Boutique and Grand Central Clothing in Tempe, Chandler, and Tucson, Arizona.

I spent over a decade co-owning and operating our four boutiques, and the experience taught me how to deeply connect with people from all walks of life. From sales and P&L, to negotiations, management and employee retention, I learned that everything matters when dealing with the complexity of the human psyche. Those years really shaped how I run my business today and after buying my own home in 2017, I knew real estate was where I wanted to be. I returned to the industry with sharper skills, real-world business experience, and a heavier understanding of people. I also spent five years doing live, on-air segments for Arizona MidDay on Channel 12/NBC for my boutiques, which I loved, and it truly sharpened my ability to think on my feet.

Over the years, I’ve been honored with several awards, including: Phoenix Home & Garden’s Readers’ Choice Award for “Best Phoenix REALTOR® 2025,” multiple “Favorite Neighborhood REALTOR®” awards on Nextdoor, HomeSmart’s Diamond Award, and President’s Round Table and Sales Awards. I was also selected as one of nine people nationwide for CoreLogic’s real property appraiser trainee program in Dallas, TX. That, by the way, was a huge honor at the time, and I was so bummed when Covid cancelled it. But I’m also a big believer in shaping your reality, so I knew better things were coming (and they did!). I’m also an active member of the National, Arizona, and Southeast Valley Associations of REALTORS®, which holds its members to a strict code of ethics, and I really value that.

Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs and creatives, from my father’s business acumen to my mother’s leadership in the local writing community, gave me a foundation of hard work and consistency that defines who I am today. I’d also like to mention my sister and best friend are both special education teachers and I am honored to know them!

Outside of real estate, I love studying quantum mechanics, esoteric concepts, artificial intelligence, and how they all link together. I am fascinated by the complexity of it all and I am constantly learning to better understand it. But I enjoy low-key things as well, like hiking, listening to ’90s alternative music, and keeping my houseplants alive!
As a Phoenix native, I also really believe in respecting our local landscape and being mindful of the energy we put out, and I’m teaching my son to have those same core values. Some might call it ‘hippy’ to talk about energy or frequencies, but in a high-stress industry like real estate, staying grounded and putting out positive energy is what keeps me sane. I also love spending time with my family and our very large (120lb), but very gentle pit bull, Sir-Snoop-A-Loop! He’s a rescue and he’s the best!

Today, I’m proud to be part of Valley Solutions Team, HomeSmart Elite Group at HomeSmart. We’re the number one team in the country at our brokerage! I work with everyone from first-time homebuyers to luxury clients, and I treat every transaction with the same level of care and respect as I’d want someone to give me. Buying or selling a home is a huge deal and should never be taken lightly. It’s a lot of money and people work hard for their income. I really aim to make my clients feel heard, respected, and seen.

My goal is simple: to make buying or selling a home transparent, low-stress, and enjoyable.
That’s me.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course it hasn’t. Real estate, like any 100% commission career, is one of the toughest paths out there. There is no salary or safety net, and deals can fall apart after months of hard work regardless of your effort. One of the biggest early challenges was the shift in mindset: realizing you aren’t just “getting a job,” you’re building a business. You are the CEO, the marketing department, and the janitor all at once. Even with my entrepreneurial background, being a business owner requires a level of discipline and self-belief that you have to tap into seven days a week.

Part of that business is managing the gap between the glamour people see on TV and the reality of the trenches. I’ve handled everything from cleaning dirty toilets and making leaky trash runs in heels, to dealing with 1:00 AM calls about squatters or stolen pool equipment. I do all of that while carrying the psychological load of one of the biggest financial decisions my clients will ever make. Because you never know what an underwriter or inspector might find, you have to live in a permanent state of high-readiness.

I have been defined as an over analytical perfectionist, but I feel those traits are an asset in the real estate industry. I’m also very open about my journey with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) since my diagnosis in 2000. Twenty-six years later, I view it as my superpower. It has given me a level of hyper-vigilance and emotional intelligence that allows me to catch subtle shifts in a negotiation or red flags in a contract. My brain is wired to anticipate problems before they surface and I’ve learned to channel that energy into being the, “calm in the storm”. My goal is to carry the stress of the deal so my clients don’t have to.

However, being that “always-on” advocate can make you unavailable in other parts of life, and I’ve had to learn the importance of boundaries. I recently made the professional decision to part ways with a client because our communication styles didn’t align. Real estate is a high-stakes, intimate process, and I’ve learned that for a transaction to be truly successful, there must be mutual respect. I work incredibly hard for my clients and I expect that same level of professional courtesy in return. It’s about keeping the energy of the deal focused on the goal, not the ego.

Ultimately, I try to articulate my value from my first meeting with a new client. Whether I’m translating complex purchase contracts, negotiating with psychological framing, or researching bankrupt solar companies and reviewing CFD fees, I’m looking for the things the public doesn’t always know to look for. I once saved a client over $2K from a lender who tried to relabel a buy-down, and once got a rep to paint a client’s home out of his own commission because I had everything documented. My point isn’t that the job is hard; it’s that when it’s done correctly, the client never sees the drama.

So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road, but it’s been fantastic nonetheless! Nothing worth having is easy, but every challenge has made me better at what I do, and for that, I’m grateful. 🙂

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m a Phoenix native who knows Phoenix well and is proud to live here. The heat, the weird neighborhoods, the commute routes that look fine on google maps but ruin your life at 4:30 PM. That knowledge is at the foundation of what I do. I grew up in this market and I live, work and play in it every day.

I’m most proud that everything I produce comes from my real point of view. I don’t try to sugarcoat reality. If a house backs up to a busy street that will haunt your resale value, I’ll tell you. If a commute looks fine on a map but is a nightmare in person, I’ll tell you. My clients stay with me because they know I prioritize their long-term wealth over a quick sale.

Many of my clients are relocating here from out of state, so I spend a lot of time explaining how the Valley works by helping them understand not just where to live, but why that area might fit their lifestyle and/or future goals. I help them understand pricing between areas, which master-planned communities tend to hold value better, why certain streets command a premium price while the next street over doesn’t, how the desert environment affects day-to-day living, etc. The rest of my business comes from referrals from childhood friends, family, and people I’ve met through every stage of my life in Phoenix. There is no higher compliment than when people from my distant past call me up to help them buy or sell their most significant financial asset. That’s the point in your career when you know you’re doing something right!

I’m also a firm believer in specialization. While I’m capable of handling any transaction, I choose to focus where my local knowledge is deepest. For me, it’s about the client getting 100% expertise. For example, even though I’m licensed to practice anywhere in the state, I won’t drive to Flagstaff to sell a home on a mountain I know nothing about. A local agent there can articulate that lifestyle and the nuances of that area better than I can, and there’s real value in that. I would never take that value away from someone.

Ultimately, I’m here to help people make grounded, strategic decisions so they don’t look back with remorse. Buying or selling a property is an emotional and exciting time and it can absolutely overtake rational decision-making. I use my background in psychology, sales, analysis, and communications to keep the focus on the goal, and to ensure my clients feel heard, respected, and protected.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Sunlight. That sounds weird, but it’s true. Many people take sunlight for granted, but that’s why people move here. The sun is uplifting. It is how we survive. It gives us life. I will always remember the breezy, sunny days of my childhood while walking to Smitty’s and Pistol Pete’s on 32nd St and Bell Rd in North Phoenix. Or walking to high school through the desert (before our neighborhood disappeared via eminent domain for the 51 freeway). Oh and the desert parties! It’s all homes now but we definitely put our time into the dirt that built Desert Ridge. I like to think our carefree energy lives on there today. Maybe that’s why Desert Ridge is such a desirable place to live now. People can feel the youthful vibes we left behind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://AzAndrea.Com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azandrea_realestate/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndreaScheppe.AZRealtor or https://www.facebook.com/AzAndreaRealEstate
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azandrearealestate/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/azandrearealestate

Image Credits
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