When Angelia McDaniel started a new chapter in her life, going from engineering professional to full-time realtor in 2002, she had no idea where the life change would take her. In 2016, it took her to the ranks of KW Southwest’s Rising Star Award. No small feat considering she’s only been at KW Southwest for just over 2 years.
Angelia was a successful engineer but found that after her experiences in college as a student, working, studying, and participating in different organizations, her career was very one-dimensional. She says, “Looking at houses was something I did kind of as a hobby.” She thought of investing in real-estate at some point, and in 1998, obtained her real-estate license in order to facilitate buying and selling properties for herself, and maybe friends and family. She helped out a few of her friends, and they referred her to their friends, and her new “hobby” began to grow. But after just a short while, she was torn between her two careers. “I made a good living being an engineer, but I really enjoyed being a realtor. Because I love every aspect of it. That’s when I knew it was time for a permanent career change.” Angelia became a full-time agent in 2002.
Her engineering background, however, serves her well in real-estate. She sets up a clear process, with adjustable variables and puts that to work for her clients. “I’m a very process-based thinker and an analytical thinker,” she notes. “When it comes to evaluating asking price, offer amounts, possible future returns, appreciation, etc., these are all things I view as valuable from an engineering mindset, whether for an investment property or for a client’s own personal enjoyment. This is an extra benefit clients get from working with me. I’m going to analyze the transaction and inform you every step of way.” She adds, “Engineers solve problems. I’ve been taught to mitigate problems before they happen. That’s what we’re hired to do. I view real-estate in the same way. My client has a problem and I’ve been hired to solve it.”
Angelia has also been excited to hone new skills coming into real-estate. “A lot of things for me are black and white. What I’ve come to understand is that there can be a lot of gray.” She enjoys that every client is different, so every experience is different. “Peoples’ personalities, motivations, wants and needs, they change the process and it becomes even more complex and that, for me, is invigorating. It keeps me excited about the business.”
About 95% of her business is referral business. Angelia says, “I want to create an experience for them that forces them to talk about how their experience with me was different from their friend’s or colleague’s experiences, or even from their own previous experiences with real-estate.”
For Angelia, personal success is based around certain financial goals, but also maximizing what she knows she’s capable of. “It’s about the quality of life I live. Am I happy? Am I at peace?” Having time for her blossoming career AND family, including seeing her son’s programs at school, is a big part of the definition of success for this Rising Star.
