Patti Jo Fitzpatrick—2023 Minnesota Realtors® First Vice President and Associate Broker, Coldwell Banker Realty, St. Paul, MN
I’m pleased to see that since I first started in the business, women now have greater confidence, incomes, and knowledge about homeownership. More women are taking charge in the home-buying process and taking educated risks. And as a mother, it’s been my great joy to work alongside my daughter, Kari, in running a successful, women-led real estate team.
Deb Hansen, RCE, AHWD—Chief Executive Officer, Realtor® Association of Southern Minnesota
I am a single woman who bought my own house several years ago. Growing up with a single parent in rental properties until I was in junior high, I learned the value of owning your own home.
Julia Lashay Israel, ABR, AHWD—Head of Inclusion and Belonging at Keller Williams Realty
Q: An increasing number of homebuyers are single women. Tell us about a single woman whose homebuying story inspired you. What was it about her experience that resonated with you?
A: A few months ago, I received a call from a past client. It was the 5th anniversary of her first home purchase. She called to thank me for my part in her journey. She was a first-time homebuyer who used down payment assistance to purchase her home. Over the past 5 years, the home she purchased provided a level of stability for her and her two children. She had joined their neighborhood organization, became a member of the governor’s housing task force, and saw her son receive a scholarship at the after-school community center program in their neighborhood. She reminded me that her down payment assistance had been forgiven after 5 years and after I ran a comparative market analysis (CMA) for her, we learned that she had $91k in equity in her home! I, too, purchased a home using down payment assistance as a single mother and was incredibly proud and honored to be a part of her story and journey.
Marti Kaiser, RCE—Chief Executive Officer, Fargo-Moorhead Area Association of Realtors®
Q: Oprah Winfrey once said that “a mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” Did you have any female mentors who played such a role in your life? If so, how did she make a difference in your life and career?
A: My role model would be my mom. My parents divorced when I was 12 and I have two younger brothers. She was a stay-at-home mom who, after the divorce, rejoined the workforce taking on two part-time jobs. She was able to continue making mortgage payments on her own to keep her family in our home. In addition to being a single mom taking care of three kids and working two jobs, she also went back to school. She obtained her B.S. degree in three years. My mom is the strongest woman I know. She taught me to believe in myself and that hard work pays off.
Kelly Schepers, GREEN, MRP, PSA—Premier Real Estate Services, St. Cloud
Q: An increasing number of homebuyers are single women. Tell us about a single woman whose homebuying story inspired you. What was it about her experience that resonated with you?
A: To be honest, this trend of single women buying homes doesn’t seem like anything new to me. I purchased my first home by myself 20 years ago. I’ve been surrounded by circles of women friends who did the same thing. I’ve been helping single women purchase and sell properties for almost 14 years, and I’ve been inspired by each and every one of them. Each woman has a story motivating her to make a change, from my first-time homebuyers struggling to stretch every dollar they earn to my women investors.
Homeownership is an empowering, life-changing journey. Not only is it a natural progression of personal wealth building, but it is also the definition of self-reliance and perseverance. I love to watch and be counted among the trailblazing women who have empowered coming generations of women to follow in their footsteps and take it to the next level.
Q: Oprah Winfrey once said that “a mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” Did you have any female mentors who played such a role in your life? If so, how did she make a difference in your life and career?
A: I would start with the most important woman—my mother. Thrown into the fire just before marriage to my father, she was presented with a choice to stay or walk away from a life that would not be easy. My father, a teacher, coach, and Vietnam War veteran suffered a double brain aneurysm shortly after my parents were engaged. He was left unable to communicate, walk or care for himself. Doctors told my mother and my dad’s parents that he wouldn’t recover enough to live outside of a nursing home. My mother could have left, and no one would have blamed her. She didn’t. She believed in him, and started the excruciating journey of recovery with him, fighting to find medical personnel that would back them.
My parents were married the next year. My dad was still in rehabilitation learning to live with his new limitations, but far exceeding expectations with my mom at his side. He would continue to improve, walk, talk, drive, and care for the home and kids, but would never be able to return to work as a teacher. My mom was our family’s sole breadwinner. She was a teacher. A mentor. A champion. We faced many hurdles including her own cancer diagnosis a few short years later. Four children were brought into this family, and we were constantly aware how abnormal it was to have a woman at the head of our household. Homes were purchased. Moves were made. Lives were built. She was the rock. She set the example. She didn’t back down and showed me how to be an advocate for what you believe in, especially if they say the odds are not in your favor.
Deanna Wiener—Realtor® and former Minnesota State Senator
“Over the last 50 years, women have achieved a lot more equity in homeownership, and that’s an outstanding achievement. . . . But Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) continue to have much lower homeownership rates than white Minnesotans. This hits the Black community particularly hard. Something must be done. This is not who we are. We can do so much better. . . . Real estate has never been a nine-to-five job, and it never will be. You have to be passionate about helping people, solving problems, and always being open to learning from others.”