This article first appeared in Real Estate magazine’s special-edition Women in Real Estate issue. View the entire issue here.
Leveraging the gifts we are given as women is something we need to celebrate.
We are nurturing. We are natural dealmakers. Picture talking that five-year-old out of taking the last cookie and avoiding a fight with his sister all while cooking dinner, folding laundry, organizing the PTA meeting and cleaning the house. We are empathetic, we are homemakers by nature and we get things done. We know what women want—and, let’s face it, the woman is most times the one signing off on what house works for her family.
Using and celebrating these unique gifts has made every piece of difference for me.
Starting off was a leap of faith. I found myself in a position with a four-year-old, a two-year-old and a baby. My oldest had an autoimmune illness, and the medical bills piled sky-high. My husband was on a fixed income, so there were only so many options. We had no choice but to sell our house and move to a rental in order to pay the bills. If I ever wanted to own a house again, this was up to me.
I did what women do: I got things done.
I jumped back in with both feet. Having had my license for a few years, I had not been active during the time my kids were born. This time around, I was the woman who needed to do this. Failure was not an option.
I knew I needed a brokerage that would not only support me, but one where I was surrounded by people who pushed me every day to be successful. An office that had structure, systems and support. A place that if I wanted to put in the work, I would thrive.
I found that home in Lamacchia Realty. At the time, the office was comprised almost entirely of women. We all knocked it out of the park and hustled every day. That was the norm. Women working their butts off for their families. Women accomplishing their goals.
Within six months of joining Lamacchia Realty, I was closing on my own home. It needed some love, but it was an opportunity to sink our energy into a house that we could make a profit on. We were in. We turned the corner. I willed it to happen, and it was the best feeling. We were finally home.
Since that moment, I’ve used every piece of me to build a thriving business. Fast forward seven years, and Lamacchia Realty has grown to more than 300 agents, and I’m almost always in the Top 3. I have completed hundreds of successful transactions. My clients put their trust in me, and I use all of my God-given strengths to get it done for them, too.
Darlene Umina (Darlene & Co.) specializes in the sell/buy transaction in Boston, Mass., and MetroWest. Leveraging all of her skills from past experience, she makes the process seamless and lucrative for her clients. Four-time Lamacchia Realty President’s Club Member, and ranked in the Top 1.5 percent of the country in national reports, Umina will surpass $28 million in sales volume for 2020.
