We had the pleasure of sitting down with Anna Tran earlier this week. Born and raised in Ottawa as a first-generation immigrant, Anna grew to know and love this city like no other. Her hard-work ethic, and dedication to providing the utmost quality service to her clients, is what gives her an exceptional track record as one of Ottawa’s youngest Real Estate Brokers.
Interviewer:
So for those who don’t know, who do we have the pleasure of speaking with today?
Anna:
Hi, my name is Anna Tran and I sell real estate in Ottawa.
Interviewer:
Tell us how you got started in real estate?
Anna:
I actually got started into real estate when I was about 16. I interned at a team in New Orleans. And from there, I was going to go to university after get a commerce degree, but I decided to just jump into real estate real estate license. So I got my real estate license right after high school.
Interviewer:
There’s a lot of satisfaction when it comes to the real estate game for many different reasons people join, but what would you say is your biggest satisfaction when it comes to being a real estate broker, as well as an agent?
Anna:
I enjoy that I get to work for myself on my own schedule, which means I can work as much or as little as I want. And the biggest satisfaction I have is being able to work with clients, helping them find their dream home or their first home or an investment property. So that’s been really Really fun for me to be able to work with people and help them grow their portfolio.
Interviewer:
So you started in this business when you were 16. Obviously, there’s a lot of highs and lows when it comes to the journey of being successful. How do you stay motivated when things are not going as smoothly as they should?
Anna:
And happens and you’re always learning. And there’s always going to be problems that arise just due to the nature of it’s such a big purchase. So I always continue to learn, go to conferences, talk to people talk to colleagues, colleagues some different marketplaces. And for me, it’s definitely a lifestyle. I don’t see it as a job. I see it as something I just love to do. So I feel like it’s easier to stay motivated when you genuinely enjoy it.
Interviewer:
Nice. So you say you talk to a lot of different people and a lot of different markets and industries. What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t doing real estate?
Anna:
Oh, man, there’s so many options. I think it’s super cool you’re doing with the whole media, and I think that It’s really fun space because a lot of real estate, it’s also marketing yourself, doing those advertisements and selling yourself as a realtor and why people should work with you. I think the marketing space is a great one. I don’t know, I might even just open a coffee shop or something could have gone so differently.
Interviewer:
What do you think your most important part of any real estate property is? Obviously when the wife sees the kitchen, she falls in love with it instantaneously. But when you’re selling a home and investing in a property, what do you think the most important aspect of each property is?
Anna:
It’s definitely the kitchen, the kitchens, the heart of the home, it’s where people go to eat and have meals and cook together. I really do think the kitchen is the heart of the home.
Interviewer:
So again, you’ve started in this real estate game at such a young age being 16. And now there’s a lot of up and coming real estate agents, both male and female who want to be in a position Just like you are today, what is some advice that you would offer them on their journey to becoming a successful real estate agent?
Anna:
It’s how I did it and I think it was a good way. Work on a really high performing team and learn from them. Tell them hey, I’m going to follow you around and do your assistant work for free. Gain that knowledge to get you that much further.
Interviewer:
Life is about manifesting goals. So where do you see yourself and your team in the next five years?
Anna:
Yeah, there’s so many goals in terms of personal goals, financial goals, sales goals, career goals, and I just want to keep growing and learning as much as I can. I would love to renovate more homes and get into construction. I think that’s a great space as well. But I’m excited to see where the real estate markets going to be in five years, because every year every market every month, we’re pivoting right so that’s so important.
Interviewer:
How have you in your business is found the effects of this pandemic (Covid-19). has it affected your business drastically, or have you guys been able to sustain throughout?
Anna:
Yeah, it’s interesting because Ottawa being a government employee city, we didn’t feel a huge hit compared to markets like Toronto or Vancouver, people are still getting mortgages and buying homes.
We’ve really been able to change our protocols. gloves, hand sanitizer, masks, doing online virtual tours, FaceTime viewings, putting dollhouse tours up, it’s helped expedite the industry whereas our industry would have probably taken a lot, a lot longer to get where it is now.
Interviewer:
What are some tips that the viewers can benefit from, whether it be about business life and merging the two to get to their end goal, whatever that end goal may be.
Anna:
Oh, man, that’s a tough one because now it’s business and life and motivation. I always like to say stay true to yourself, whether it’s business relationships, personal life, believe in your core values, your ethics, and don’t do anything that would cross that.
It’s so easy. It’s $1 sign in front of something and say, okay, well, I’m just going to do that, but at the end of the day, it’s your reputation and your brand. So stay true to your beliefs, and have a work life balance. It’s good to work hard, but don’t burn yourself out. So enjoy life because you never know what’s going to happen. So work hard and enjoy life. That would be a second one.
A third one says tough You’re making me think today. Keep learning. I think that’s so important, whether it’s learning about yourself, evolving, learning about what you like, or don’t like your business practices. Always be open and be a sponge because it’s easy to see people be set in their ways. So always learn from people older than you, younger than you, everyone
Interviewer:
Before we close off, are there any major benefits from shopping in the Ottawa market in comparison to different cities like Toronto, or Montreal?
Anna:
Where government city so it’s always been very stable, which is good. It’s a great investment. So I think because we’re not based off businesses like maybe some other cities like Toronto, you see the Toronto market fluctuating a lot. Ottawa market doesn’t fluctuate nearly as much so it’s very easy.
Interviewer:
So if the people are shopping for a new home, and they’re looking for an agent in order to make that happen, where can they find you
Anna:
on Instagram at @AnnaTranOttawa on Facebook at @AnnaTranrealestate and always shoot me an email hello@ annatran.com and I guess my website www.annatran.com haha.