Erin Spalding has had a successful, multi-faceted career and is today managing broker for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty Ponte Vedra Beach/Nocatee Office.
What are the responsibilities of your job?
I’m managing the office. I’m managing the budget. Making sure that we stay within our budget guidelines and are profitable.
On top of that, I am managing a little over 120 agents, independent contractors, plus our admin and our business partners.
My sole responsibility with my agents is to train them, coach them, mentor them, support them, be their biggest cheerleader. You know, whatever it takes to help them be successful in their business.
That’s what I love and enjoy doing. That’s what my passion’s about, so it’s very rewarding.
How busy is your office?
Our Ponte Vedra office is our highest producing office. We don’t necessarily have the highest number of transactions because our offices that are averaging at a lower price point, obviously they have a lot more transactions.
But we’re dealing at that high-lever price point. We have a lot of high-end clients and C-level professionals that expect the best of the best in their representation.
That’s something that I love about this business model that Linda Sherrer [founder, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty] set with our company, that we work as single agents. So, we have the highest level of representation for our clients.
I think the data speaks for itself. We are the leader in the luxury market share, and the leader for all the market share for all of Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties.
What can you tell me about your individual approach to this role?
Another thing I love about our office is we have outstanding professionals who impress me every day. I mean, the amount of experience they have, it’s very humbling because, personally, I’ve only been in this business under six years.
Being able to lead this team with the wealth of knowledge they have, the experience they have, is very humbling. But we’re not competitive with each other. It’s so collaborative, it feels like you’re part of a family.
Everyone’s friendly. Everyone’s willing to collaborate and help each other. That’s part of our culture, and I’m super proud to maintain that and have agents feel comfortable and welcomed, no matter how often or how little they come to the office.
They’re independent contractors. What they put into it is what they will get out of it. But I want them to feel comfortable when they walk through those doors.
My background was in private club marketing for high-end luxury resort clubs, and I did a lot of presentations to real estate offices because I was selling a lifestyle. I partnered with Realtors. They’re selling a home, but they’re also selling a lifestyle. The Berkshire agents always stood out to me as being the most knowledgeable, the most welcoming — they just stood out. And so, when I became licensed — because that’s what I finally realized I wanted to do — I chose Berkshire Hathaway because of that. The training and support it offers is unmatched, especially for newly licensed agents.
One of the hardest things starting out as a new agent in this industry is having confidence in what you’re doing. That comes through practice, your training, through the support of your broker.
What should potential homebuyers know about this market?
One piece of advice I have for buyers in this market right now is to just be ready, because the market’s going to change. What goes up must come down. What goes down will come up.
People are going to keep buying and selling real estate. That’s always going to happen. But being ready, being prepared, being pre-qualified, talking with the lender, talking with your financial adviser if you have the cash reserves — but just be ready because when that home comes on the market, if it’s priced right and if it’s ready to move in, it’s going to go quickly.
It also really depends on looking at the micro-market and not nationwide. Even a specific neighborhood, because things happening in Marsh Landing are very different from what’s happening in The Plantation, or what’s happening in Sawgrass Country Club, or what’s happening in Nocatee. You really have to look at the micro-market.
Having a knowledgeable real estate adviser that can keep you up to date on what’s happening, who can give you the data so that you can be knowledgeable and you can stay ahead of it.
Tell me about your background.
I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I wanted to go to a large school. I wanted to get out of state and meet new people. And I was lucky enough to be accepted to the University of Florida. I graduated in 2008 after four amazing years there.
My first job was in Jacksonville, working for a large recruiting company. I started as a recruiter and after three months was prompted into sales. Eventually, I found my way into the private club memberships and marketing position.
My first role with that was actually at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast. They hired me to create a new membership level for them because this was after the market crash. This was in 2012.
So they hired me to create a new membership category, and that went really well.
… I moved to Tampa to be a director of membership for a private club there, but after six short months, I was recruited back to be the director of membership sales for the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and the Lodge & Club. In 2011, my parents had followed me to Ponte Vedra Beach. So, we wanted to get back to the east coast of Florida. And it was a no-brainer to work for a five-diamond resort and club!
I did that for three years and had the opportunity to work from home and be a private club membership consultant. I did that for clubs out in Texas and South Florida. Hammock Beach actually hired me back to consult for their membership sales. They also wanted me to help with property management. Researching it, I was like: I really need my real estate license.
So, I pursued my real estate license and then just decided I was just going to do that full-time. I knew that Berkshire Hathaway was where I needed to hang my license and get the best training, the best support. My career just kind of took off from there with Berkshire.
I did leave Berkshire for a little bit. I was recruited to be an agent mentor. … That was great. It was a lot of fun, and I realized how passionate I was about agent mentoring and helping others.
… After a few months, Berkshire Hathaway had leadership opportunities available, and I was able to come on as an assistant manager.
Then, we had another opening to be the managing broker.
What do you like most about living here?
I really love how Ponte Vedra Beach is upscale but has a laid-back side. It’s luxurious without being overly flashy. I feel like people love the blend of affluence and relaxed coastal living.
Also important to me for building my family is, you know, the top-rated schools, and our weather here is great. Mild winters. Plenty of sunshine, so a great outdoor lifestyle.
But also the proximity to Jacksonville International Airport or St. Augustine to explore and indulge in the history.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love spending time with my husband and my two kids. I’m blessed to have my parents 10 minutes away. My mother-in-law is also in Nocatee.
Very lucky to have their support and help with the young ones while I’m working full time and my husband’s working full time.
We just adore our children and spending time with our family and friends.
Family’s very important to us, and I feel like that’s the type of manager that I am. And I feel like that’s what my agents feel, is that they can call me anytime, they can come to me, they can talk to me about whatever, because it just feels like a family.
I’m just very grateful to be a part of this amazing company with our great leadership. …
