Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Nelson.
Hi Leslie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My path to real estate began when my husband and I built our home in Lakeville. This was before any professional real estate experience but was a time filled with excitement as I envisioned our future family life unfolding within those walls. I saw more than just rooms taking shape; I saw Sunday morning pancake breakfasts, movie nights in the living room, and countless memories waiting to be made. This experience sparked such passion that I joined our builder’s sales team where I worked for about 3.5 years and loved every minute of it. However, my husband and I were in a phase of life with big changes! Once we had our first baby, I knew I needed to make a shift so that I could build a career around our family. And with that, Nelson Home Co. was created. August marks 3 years of owning and operating Nelson Home Co. and I have had the privilege of helping some of the most phenomenal families navigate big life changes.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh gosh, that’s a loaded question! haha!
Yes and no.
Deciding to start your own business from the ground up is always a big leap of faith and it takes time to gain traction. During that build, you question if this is actually going to work… Should you have just stayed in the safe/comfortable position instead of taking a chance on yourself? There’s certainly some unknown and self-doubt!
While I had nearly 4 years of experience in the industry, running my own company under my own brand was new. This is the largest investment of a client’s and understandably they want to work with someone they trust. In the beginning, friends and family were my first clients (thank you!) because they trusted my industry knowledge before I had the google reviews as social proof!
In addition, I knew I was building my business the “slow” way, but the path I was taking was in alignment with the long term vision for my brand. Many agents start by joining a team that gives them online leads which is a great jump start to a new business! However, I knew meeting complete strangers at an empty home just wasn’t something I was comfortable doing. So instead, I leaned into social media to showcase my knowledge and taking phenomenal care of the clients that I did have.
Slowly but surely I started building a book of business with my most DREAMY clients. The ones who were referred by my friends who think we would be a good fit, like-minded moms who feel like they already know me from social media, and friends of previous clients who call because they want the same client experience.
Taking the “slow” way had it’s challenges and we had to make some lifestyle adjustments and sacrifices as our household income dipped for a year or two but having come out on the other side of it now, it was ABSOLUTELY the right choice and I’m working with clients that I truly align with.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I’m a twin cities real estate agent. I help both buyers and sellers with one of their biggest transitions in life. I have a particular passion to work with families building new homes – with over 3 years of experience working in sales for a builder I have background knowledge of this process that many agent’s do not. It’s a very specialized niche and not every agent understands the process in a way that allows them to represent their clients well.
Something that sets me apart from other realtors is my focus on the whole family through this process. I am a mom of 2 young kids (4 and 1) and I understand not only the logistical chaos it is for parents to walk through the process of selling and buying homes but how emotional and confusing it can be for kids to navigate the transition. I have developed resources to help parents strategize and put systems in place to alleviate stress as well as activities and tips to engage kids in the process, help them understand what’s happening, and become excited about their new home.
Lastly, I’m the wife of a police officer and I understand the sacrifices every first responder family makes to help keep our communities safe. As my small way to say thank you, I have developed a program called Frontline Families. Any twin cities law enforcement, fire personnel, dispatcher, EMS, and military member qualifies. As part of the program they receive discounts or rebates through myself and lender/title partners if they choose to use participating companies.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Well… Like many agents, I did not grow up planning to go into real estate! It was more of a happy accident. My educational background is actually in biology. I have my bachelors in Zoology and Ecology with a minor in Spanish and my Masters in Conservation Biology. I’m a numbers nerd and my masters thesis was statistical modeling to evaluate sea turtle reproduction and mortality rates. I also had the privilege of spending a time at field research sites in Costa Rica and Antigua collecting data.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nelsonhomeco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslienelson.realtor/#
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslienelson.realtor/
- Other: https://www.nelsonhomeco.com/blog
