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Bunny Mostad and Deb Alderson, a mother-and-daughter team in Westport's Coldwell Banker office, agree on most things, especially when it comes to education. "Real estate is a career for us, a passion" says Bunny, "We spend a lot of time furthering our education in the business."
The two regularly attend the National Association of Realtors annual conventions. They are diligent in taking the courses and lectures, which update Realtors on trends, technology and marketing.
Bunny started in real estate in 1987, a year after buying a house in Weston. The market was coming down from a 1986 high, and she felt it was the right time to put down the groundwork for a full-time career. With a background in advertising and marketing, she understood the importance of educating herself about the real estate business.
But she credits her first broker manager, Mila Grieb, with pointing her in the right direction. She earned her GRI, or Graduate Realtors Institute, and CRS, or Certified Residential Specialist, designations and attended the convention, where she took every possible class. "I never saw a new idea I didn't like," Bunny says.
A few years into the business, she opened her own real estate office, which was later acquired by Coldwell Banker.
Four years ago, Deb Alderson teamed with her mother. "We divide and conquer," she says. With an MBA in information systems and a background in retail sales management, Deb's technology know-how blends perfectly with Bunny's marketing background. The two stay in constant contact by computer and cellphone, brainstorming and devising new marketing techniques.
Bunny's clients, scattered over lower Fairfield County, are often referrals. Deb is building her client portfolio by marketing to targeted neighborhoods. While delivering information about a Coldwell Banker blood drive, she also delivered personalized calendars featuring a picture of each home on the cover. Their goal, she says, is to offer people something of value at the same time as building name recognition.
"Our motto says it all," Bunny and Deb agree. "We are, 'Helping Families Find Homes - and Homes Find Families.'"
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