Monthly member profile: Ferne Silberman

Realtor®: Ferne Silberman
Company: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty, Lancaster
Title: Associate broker
Years in real estate: 30 years
Specialty: Residential
Local association: Lancaster County Association of Realtors®
Designations: CRS, SFR, SRES

How did you get started in real estate?
Interesting question. In 1988, I experienced a life changing event. After 25 years of marriage and seven children, I became a single mom with six children at home. The youngest was four years old. After working in the food service industry, I was approached by a successful real estate agent and asked why I was doing that job. My answer was it was simple and I needed flexibility to be available for my children. He suggested I speak to his broker, which I did. The broker advised me to take the classes, he would pay for them and I would reimburse him with commissions. The first year in the business, my income was higher than what I had earned in the food industry. At that point, I knew this was a good fit for me. Working in the food industry gave me a good solid base for clients.

What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to the start of your career?
My advice to anybody starting in the business today is to continue to receive education, education, education. The business is continually changing and to keep on top of the changes, keep learning. In my opinion, the CRS classes are the best. When I was working towards my designation, the CRS classes I took advanced my career immediately with a higher level of production. Regarding designations, CRS is the best designation you can achieve because of the superior education. The classes are interesting and filled with content that is pertinent to succeeding in the industry. The content of the classes apply more to what we do every day for sellers and buyers. Triple Play is another excellent source for education, at a ridiculous low price.

Why do you love being a Realtor®?
I love the flexibility. I love being able to help people, but it is much more than helping people. It is being involved in one of their largest investment they will make, either with buying or selling. Making sure all the details of the transaction are taken care of so my clients can experience a great homebuying and selling experience. I love the social aspect of the business and becoming friends with my clients. It is important to me to listen to what the clients are saying. After spending one day with a first-time homebuyer, it was clear to me that new construction was the best fit for him. We met with a builder and his dream of homeownership came true. He gave me a wonderful review, but I was just doing my job by paying attention to what he was saying.

What do you attribute your success in the field to?
Attention to detail, staying focused on the client, caring for my clients, being available when needed and responding to phone calls and emails quickly. After the transaction, I stay in touch with my clients and build relationships. The majority of my business is from repeat customers and referrals.

What is the biggest challenge you face being a Realtor®?
Time management. It’s trying to find time for our large family, my husband and our friends. I am at retirement age, but retirement is not in my immediate future, as I love my job and the daily challenges it presents. At this point of time, it is my opinion that this challenge has been addressed and I am comfortable with setting those boundaries that need to be set. We are the only professionals I am aware of that change plans, including vacations, to be available for clients. It was difficult to learn to say, “I am sorry, but I am not available at that time.” Now, it is not a problem.

What made you become more active in the association?
When the children were grown and I had more free time, I became active with our local association, the Lancaster County Association of Realtors®. My personality has always been to volunteer. I’m a doer. I love volunteering, especially when I can stay in the background. When you attend the meetings and find a subject that you are passionate about, you want to be part of the decision  making, if possible. Standard Forms is extremely interesting to me, as well as serving on the Seller Disclosure Task Force. Why wouldn’t you want to be involved in decisions that affect us daily in our work?  My colleague from LCAR insisted I attend a meeting at PAR. I was hooked after the first PAR Business Meetings. It was so fascinating to attend the different meetings and absorb all the information.

How has being involved helped your business?
Being involved with local and state association has given me so much knowledge, especially with the Standard Forms. It is easier to explain the contracts to buyers and sellers who normally have questions. The networking at the meetings have resulted in referrals, which is a huge benefit. Knowing the legislative issues and what is being considered is helpful to our customers.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?
This mother of seven plus two stepchildren, grandmother of 18, great grandmother of two, loves to ride on the back of our Can-Am Spyder motorcycle. Last year, we flew to Salt Lake City, picked up our motorcycle and visited Jackson Hole, Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Ennis, Montana, Glacier National Park, Billings, Montana, Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Crazy Horse, Sioux Falls, Madison, Wisconsin, Terre Haute, Idaho and Cincinnati, Ohio.

What do you do when you’re not selling real estate?
I volunteer with Emergency Management Agency, serve on the Civil Service Commission for Mount Joy borough, head the committee to decorate the town tree for Winterfest, am a  member of Mount Joy Rotary Club and Mount Joy Chamber and do as many one-day motorcycle trips as possible. (Although I do work on the back of the motorcycles. Contract have been written and negotiated while riding. I love the technology that allows me to do this.)