Name: Mary Cowan
Cowan and Zellers
How long have you been in the real estate business? What made you get started in the field? I’ve been doing it a little more than 25 years. I decided to get into it because a broker, Roger Turcotte, asked me to be in the business. I was in the mental health field and I loved it, but we were in the process of buying our house and Roger said, “I think you’d be good at this,” because I was that difficult person that wouldn’t get out of the car (if a broker took me to a house that clearly ignored our requests). I do love working around people, so I said, sure, I’ll give it a try.
What is your most memorable sale/client? One of my favorite clients was a gentleman who sold his property in Henniker. He had a beautiful lodge on a pond, and he collected old guns. The first time I went to see him, I walked into his house and saw guns everywhere and thought, “I’m crazy.” But he ended up being the most charming man. Every showing, he made me call him from the car and tell him when I was coming down the driveway, because he would go out there and set off a small cannon every time. He was one of my favorite, joyful clients, and the buyers who bought his house are still there.
Did you find your own house through a showing? I found my first house through one, and the house I live in now, I found out about it because I lived in the neighborhood. And guess what? I wrote up a full-price offer on the house and made it contingent on seeing it. I hadn’t even seen the inside yet. But we did the showing, and I’m still there now.
What are some tips and tricks of the realty game? For buyers, I would say sometimes the very best time, if you are really looking for that deal, people in the market during the winter are often very motivated sellers. Sometimes that’s a very good time for buyers to think about buying. And for sellers, they are always asking me, “How should I stage my house?” There are all those TV shows that tell you to depersonalize the whole place, but I have to tell you, I’m not a fan of that. In our area, we’re friendly people here. If people don’t see something personal, they don’t get as warm a feeling. That doesn’t mean to leave all the family photos out, and at the same time, you have to pick up your house and clean it like nobody lives there. But people like to make a personal connection.
What are some common no-nos that you see when you go to a showing? I think a lot of people forget, that, yes, sight is very important, but I will tell you – don’t forget about smell. The biggest things are get rid of the cat box, and cigarettes. If you are a smoker and you are going to sell your house, start smoking outside. I can’t put a number on it, but smell definitely effects the way people look at properties.
Can you remember any strange items on people’s wish lists or unusual must-haves? The only time I remember being mystified by a property was when I was helping design a home. I helped the builder design a home around a sectional sofa the buyers would not part with, and it was really screwing up the floor plan. We literally built a house around this sectional sofa, and it was difficult. That’s the only time I can remember being really mystified.
Give us a brief statement on the current state of the housing market/real estate game in Concord. What we are seeing is that inventory is finally being sold. In some areas there has been appreciation, here in Merrimack County, and in others we’ve seen more of a flat line, but what is significant is that if we were talking about the market a year or two ago, homes that were really well priced weren’t selling, and now they are starting to. But I think it’s unrealistic for us to expect any meaningful appreciation in the next five years. If people are waiting for that, I’ve got a bridge to sell them.
How many blazers do you own? How about none? I don’t have any – we don’t do blazers here.
How close to real life is House Hunters? I don’t watch TV, but I’ve certainly heard about it, and I think in our area, the brokers here are all engaged in good relationships. You don’t see that cut-throat stuff you see in major metropolitan areas. There are some amazing brokers in the area. Really, though, houses speak for themselves. Realtors are there to share information, but people today aren’t going to be “sold.” They do their own due diligence, and it’s a personal decision.
If you weren’t selling real estate, what would you be doing? I would probably be working in a women’s boutique somewhere. I love trying to find ways to make women feel beautiful. I’m like the little kid who plays dress up with all their girlfriends. That would probably be something I would love to do at some point.
Hidden talent? I’m a musician. I started my career as a musician, as a flute player. I’ve been playing since I was 6, and I played in a couple of symphonies and played in college. It’s probably something I’ll return to someday. The funny thing is I left music because I didn’t want to work every weekend – what was I thinking?
Guilty pleasure? I love to walk or run, or hike – anything that takes me outside makes me really, really happy. When I’m not working, I’m outside.
