REAM: Why did you decide to follow a career in real estate?

JS: To start, I wanted to pursue a career in real estate because I come from a family of painters and contractors. As time went on, I realized it was much bigger than that. As a Senior in the UCONN School of Business, I’ve done a lot of trial and error to see what the best career for me would be. Considering I use to work in a restaurant, I knew working and helping people was the career for me.

REAM: As a young professional, what is one of the challenges you face in the industry? How do you overcome them?

JS: As a young professional in the real estate industry, I believe the biggest quality I have to build in my future clients is trust. They may not perceive me as experienced or knowledgeable, but I have done a lot of research and work before my license to help show them I can handle it. My main focus will always be caring for my clients and showing them more attention than any other agents.

REAM: Who are your real estate mentors? How do you seek to emulate them?

JS: My mentors in real estate prior to getting my license were Steve Gold and Ryan Serhant, both from Million Dollar Listing NY on Bravo. I don’t watch TV often, but I came across their show one day. After doing more research I found out Steve Gold is from in Stamford, CT, and that helped show me that anything is possible. Since then, I’ve read both of Ryan’s books, Sell It Like Serhant and Big Money Energy. Now at Coldwell Banker Stamford, I will be mentoring Ken Fried, one of the top agents at the branch. I will learn a lot from him, and I can tell we’ll be a good fit together.

REAM: What perspective does the younger generation bring to real estate? How can clients benefit?

JS: Real Estate is constantly changing, and over the past few years the industry has changed more than ever. I believe your social media and online presence is going to be a huge factor in getting results in the future. As a part of the younger generation, I am already up to date on these strategies and how to work the ins and out of social media. Not only that but going into real estate I already have a strong sphere of influence with 1,500+ friend/followers combined on my accounts.

REAM: What do you enjoy most about your day-to-day job?

JS: I would say what I enjoy most about my day to day job is the people I work with. My mentor Ken seems like he will be a great fit for me, and the office I joined as well. They work together and are always there to help. Also, the tasks that I do on a daily basis will not mainly consists behind my desk, or mainly on my feet. This balance in my work was a big factor as to why I chose to pursue a career in real estate.

REAM: What career goals do you have for the next five years? The next 10? Where do you see the peak of your career?

JS: In the next few years, I plan to set a strong goals for myself. To start, in the next five years I am looking to surpass 25M-50M in sales volume. Now this can be set for a ten-year period, or even achieved before my five-year mark, but I do want to set my bar high. I see the peak of my career being in about 5 years, so setting this bar high is a great measurement of my success. I will be 28 in five years.