Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Perkins.
Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I moved to Scottsdale at the end of 2003 after graduating from Denison University in Ohio. I contacted fellow Kappa Kappa Gammas (my sorority) as a way to network for a job. I found Tina Tamboer, a pillar of the real estate community today, Back then she was a title rep and she hired me to be her assistant. She has since left the title industry and has become the most important housing analyst in Greater Phoenix. I stayed in title and throughout the years learned from the market and moved up the food chain. Today, nearly 23 years later, I am the Director of Industry Research and Senior Account Executive at Navi Title.
I was Tina’s assistant for a few years and became a title rep in 2006. In 2008 when the market crashed and the industry shrunk, many title offices were shut down. I was given a new territory at the end of 2009. Starting over in the midst of a real estate market that was falling apart was challenging but not impossible. I focused on education and grew my business. Over the years the market improved and my business grew.
When they sent us home in 2020 for Covid, as a sales rep, I had to reinvent myself. I built my website from scratch, gutted my CRM, and started blogging. I had already been doing in person real estate market updates for my clients but nothing online. Blogging opened up a whole new world. I met housing analysts from across the country and my updates improved and I started creating my own charts and data analysis. I have about 1200 subscribers on Substack, am regularly quoted in the Phoenix Business Journal (Angela Gonzales is awesome), and do several market updates a week, both in person and on Zoom. The real estate market is constantly changing and my goal is to bring real insights on how to manage today’s market.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, definitely not a smooth road. The real estate industry is cyclical and does change a lot. I started in March 2004 and worked through the real estate boom of 2004-2006. Homes sold quickly and prices were increasing fast. The market shifted seemlingly over night. Real estate transactions all but collasped by the end of 2007 and the market crashed in 2008. Home prices dropped by nearly 60% from 2008 through 2012. And the market didn’t normalize until 2014. Covid caused a sharp drop in home sales, tons of contract cancellations, and then a huge spike when mortgage rates hit all time lows. Real estate was booming from late 2020 through mid 2022. The market has been rather slow since late 2022 and mortgage rates are higher than they have been in 25 years. Real estate is a zero sum game so I have had many colleagues come and go throughout the years. When the market contracts everyone is fighting for less business. I have had to constantly pivot to match the market in order to stay relavant. Sometimes it is easier than others.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Navi Title?
Navi Title is a 5 year old company and is a force to be reckoned with. In only a few years we have managed to reach #1 in market share and have a dominate footprint in Greater Phoenix. I have personally worked with the owners for nearly 18 years. We have all lived through the same markets and industry challenges. Our leadership is made up of people who have done the work and been in the trenches. My role as a sales rep is to bring in business to our escrow officers. Our clients are mostly Realtors, loan officers, and investors; anyone who deals with real estate transactions. We handle the paper work and provide title insurance. I am able to get in front of a lot of industry professionals by giving regular market updates.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The real estate industry is always changing and will continue to change in the years ahead. AI will definitely play a role in the evolution. I do not think everyone will be replaced. Humans need humans.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theazmarket.com/ and https://www.navititle.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahgperkins
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahgperkins/
- Other: https://substack.com/@sarahgperkins
