Fleur Howgill - Ravensbourne College

Washington D.C.'s Finest 
EG: What are some of the prevalent real estate trends within the Washington, Maryland, 
and Virginia markets, and how has the experience of selling homes in three states 
deepened your insight?

FH: The regional market has been incredibly strong over the last three to four years. There’s a shortage of high-end properties, and there’s been a big influx of buyers. So a good property will move incredibly fast, and we’ve seen the best properties attracting as many as 20 offers in a few days. It’s essential to have an agent who knows the market intimately, who works quickly, and can adapt the way they work according to their client.


EG: Having lived in London and being well travelled across Europe, the U.S., Australia, and Asia, how do you utilize your diverse international experiences and knowledge to benefit clients?

FH: One thing that travel shows you is the wonderful diversity in our world. That means international clients want many different things – a fenced garden for the dog, a bilingual school nearby, a kimchi fridge, an easy commute to work, a huge wall for the Jackson Pollack. Nothing surprises me any more – I’ve been asked to find houses with everything from a wallaby park to a helicopter pad!

EG: Does the strong presence of U.S. government officials in Washington D.C., have a positive impact on the housing market, in ways that other U.S. states do not benefit from?

FH: To be honest, it’s probably the Realtors who benefit most! Every time there’s a new President, there is a huge changeover of personnel in Washington, D.C.  In January 2017, there will be up to 32,000 new jobs up for grabs across the executive and legislative branches, creating a possible 2,560 additional home sales in the D.C. metro area – a 5 percent increase over the 50,000 homes sold in the area last year. That’s great news for us!

EG: There is a saying that ‘whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right’. Has goal setting and personal development had a strong impact on your career?

Of course! Success in any career depends on goal setting. But it’s particularly true in real estate. I’m self-employed, so I have to make my own career path. If I don’t set the goal, put in the effort, constantly manage the tension between finding new business and looking after the clients in hand, nobody else will.

EG: Describe some of the unique needs and requirements of ultra high end clients, and what kind of experiences must you adapt to with million dollar real estate, that may not apply to lower-priced homes?

FH: In some ways, an ultra high-end client is often easier to deal with. They’ve nearly always bought property before, often internationally, so they have at least a basic understanding of how the process works – though here in the U.S., it’s always slightly different in every state. They tend to have a clearer idea of what they want, which is very helpful to a Realtor. Sometimes, of course, what a client wants is just not feasible – even with multi-million dollar budgets. And then it’s a question of manging expectations. Explaining to a client that if they want a tennis court and a pool, they may have to look in Virginia or Maryland rather than downtown D.C. That can require a lot of tact.

EG: In your expert opinion with 15 years of experience dealing with luxury real estate, what would you say are the most commonly identifiable traits that you share with other highly successful real estate agents, that ultimately lead to your continued success? 

FH: I think all highly successful real estate agents must have two things – empathy and attention to details. We need to be empathetic to work out what our clients really want. That part of the job is a bit like being a matchmaker: you take the individual or family, and you work out what’s on the market that is right for them, within their budget. But don’t forget that realtors are also the people who write the contracts.  So we need an incredible eye for detail – something of a legal mindset. You actually have to get your clients into that dream home, not just show it to them.