MARYANND’AGOSTINO

In her teen years, Maryann D’Agostinoplanned to go into law, and thought she wouldlive out her professional future as a litigatoron par with F. Lee Bailey. She had no ideathat her high school job as a receptionist in areal estate firm would take her on a verydifferent, but equally challenging, path.

She became licensed when she turned 18 andheaded off to college. After graduation, shestill planned to go to law school, butencouragement from a real estate brokercaused her to change course. She began hercareer with Bruce Associates in 1981, andthirty years later, she has built an impressive

reputation as one of the most reliable andhardest working agents in the business.

In 2013, she received the Five StarProfessional Real Estate Award and has alsoreceived the NJAR Distinguished Circle ofExcellence Award. She ranks in the top onepercent of New Jersey agents for units sold,and has been named the recipient of both theService One Association of REALTORS®Superstar Award and the New Jersey Circleof Excellence Platinum Award on multipleoccasions.

Today, D’Agostino focuses primarily on REO,

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MARYANN D’AGOSTINO

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and says it is one of the most rewardingprofessions she can imagine. In spite of theever-increasing government regulations, bydiligently educating her clients, she is able tohelp people achieve things they never thoughtwere possible. During one of her favoritetransactions, she helped put a 65-year-oldcouple into the first home they had ever owned.“No one had ever taken the time to show themhow to purchase a home,” she says. “I’ll neverforget it, because they sat there and cried andhugged me at closing.”

Those moments balance out the parts of herjob that are not so heartwarming. For instance,

it often falls to her to evict people who havesuffered tragedy like job loss, illness andfinancial ruin.

“It weighs on you, but you just have to havecompassion for them, treat them with dignityand remember than we are all human beings,”she says. “It’s about treating people withrespect and kindness.” The toughest situationsoften provide the most opportunity forkindness. D’Agostino frequently spends timeconnecting people with agencies that can helpthem, or discussing how they can get theirown properties back. A lot of this work isn’tattached to a commission check, but she

A GUIDING LIGHT

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adamantly believes that money isn’t the mostimportant thing.

“I make a comfortable living, but it’s notabout getting paid,” she says. “You never cantell when a small kindness will pay off downthe road,” she says. “When these people doget back on their feet, who are they going toremember?” D’Agostino says. “My reputationis the only thing that counts.”

D’Agostino has two assistants who handlethe administrative side of things, but shedoesn’t have a team of other agents workingwith her. Over the years, she has tried theteam model, but she couldn’t find anyonewilling to work the way she does, whichmeans beginning work at 7:30 a.m. and oftenanswering emails until 1 a.m., all whilemaintaining a well-rounded personal life thatincludes family, church, physical fitness andcommunity service.

“This is a tough business and I have highexpectations, but I never expect anything ofanyone else that I don’t also demand ofmyself,” she says.

MARYANN D'AGOSTINOBruce Associates,

REALTORS® and AppraisersStratford, New Jersey

(856) 784-6000maryann@madproperties.com

“You never can tell when a small kindness will pay off

down the road. When these people do get back

on their feet, who are they going to remember?

My reputation is the only thing that counts.”

Because the professional can be so fraughtwith emotion, D’Agostino says that somedays she wishes she had gone a simpler routeand sold new homes. She has sold luxuryproperties and completed many simpletransactions, but in the end, nothing is ascompelling as those people who truly needhelp and can’t find it anywhere else. She givesthem more than real estate services. ForD’Agostino, it’s personal. She educates,informs and makes sure there will be nosurprises for the client at the closing table.

“I try to make it a smooth transition for them,”she says. “This is a special time in people’slives, and I want them to walk away glad theybought that home.”