Welcome to our latest segment of “Insights for Agents,” featuring a truly insightful conversation with Amber Biddison. With “Foundations in Nonprofit: Insights From Amber Biddison’s Real Estate Vision,” we delve into the synergy between community service and real estate success. Amber’s unique path through the nonprofit sector has enriched her approach to real estate, blending passion with profession.
Highlights of the Interview:
- Amber’s extensive nonprofit experience and its impact on her real estate career.
- The transition from public health to property sales during the tumultuous year of 2020.
- Amber’s advice on balancing the intricacies of work and life in the fast-paced real estate world.
We invite you to watch the full interview and embrace the depth of Amber’s experience. For those who prefer reading, a detailed transcript is available to capture the essence of our conversation. And if Amber’s story has sparked your interest, or you’re seeking guidance on finding your own balance in the real estate industry, don’t hesitate to reach out. Click the contact button to get in touch with Tom for more information about connecting with Amber or to discuss your professional journey in real estate.
Transcript (Unedited)
Tom Heath
Welcome back. Another one of our fabulous interviews with a Tucson real estate agent, whose life has sort of transcended real estate and is involved heavily within the community. We have Amber with us today. Kind of excited because you have a background that’s really interesting for any professional, especially in the real estate world. Tell us a little bit, what did you do before real estate?
Amber Biddison
Before real estate, I worked 14 years in the nonprofit world. I started my nonprofit career with Susan G. Coleman, Southern Arizona. I’ve worked with Boy Scouts, Catalina Council, worked with Mobile Meals. I’ve worked with Literacy Connects here in Tucson. So I’ve had an expansive career in the nonprofit world.
Tom Heath
I just think that is fascinating because not only do you work with these organizations, but you get to know them intimately because you’re helping to raise funds and you’re really developing a community presence for them as well. How did you get involved with that, like what was your motivation?
Amber Biddison
So I graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Master’s in Health Education. So I moved to Tucson in 2005 actually and my first job here was actually at Canyon Ranch. So health and wellness has always been really a big focus of my life. So after my time at Canyon Ranch, I really knew that helping people and helping with wellness was where I wanted to go. And I started volunteering with Susan G. Komen.
Tom Heath
That’s how they get you. It’s those volunteering. I always tell people, be careful.
Amber Biddison
Don’t sign anything because they will get you. And it’s true. I started off on the executive committee with Susan B. Komen and then it turned into a position and I helped with one of the races for the cure and turned into a job and then that led actually to a job with the American Lung Association. I was there actually for eight years. It was my longest term position. Yeah, so don’t be careful what you wish for. So health and wellness is just really drove me into the loved, I know this sounds funny, but I loved fundraising. And I loved event planning. And that’s really a big part of no event.
Tom Heath
Sounds crazy at all. That sounds like if you enjoy that, yeah, then then I mean, I don’t enjoy it. Event planning for me is like who’s ordering the pizza? Yeah. So yeah, not not so much. That’s why we have Lisa, because she is the event planner around here. Yeah. So you get to know like, where I think it caught my interest was Literacy Connects. I had trouble because I was involved with that when it was like Literacy Connects and there’s Literacy Volunteers, like these different organizations that came together and formed Literacy Connects, which if you’re not familiar with is a really
Amber Biddison
great organization here in Tucson. Really great organization and they continue to do amazing work in the community. One of my jobs right before actually, that kind of that job right after that was the catalyst into my real estate career. So my time in nonprofit ended right, shortly after that job. And I realized, so my job ended at Literacy Connects. And I had a little bit of time, kind of, I’d been in nonprofit world for 14 years, and took a little bit of time and wanted to figure out what what did I want to do with my life. And someone at the time mentioned, well, what about real estate? So I looked into it.
Amber Biddison
I took the class. And during class time, I really fell in love with real estate. Although, you know, it’s just class time, but I loved it. I’ve never heard anybody falling in love with real estate during class time. During class time. Most people are like, I became an agent despite me to suffer. It was interesting but I just I found it fascinating. So actually after I passed my test I took a full -time job at the University of Arizona and finished a year there and then part -time job at Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona after that and right around March 2020 I had been in real estate for about a year and a half, doing part -time non -profit work, part -time real estate, and just really decided that that was the time I wanted to jump in full force, feet first, full -time. And so March of 2020, I went full -time real estate.
Tom Heath
And if I remember, the very first transaction prior to that was your own, right?
Amber Biddison
like you kind of? My very first transaction was my little sister. So her husband was Border Patrol and they were getting relocated. So it was, yeah, so family. But probably close to my second or third was my own house. Yeah, correct. That’s good. So you practice on the family. Make sure
Tom Heath
you got this figured out. Yeah, and I’ll do it my own. I’m like, yeah, I gotta start with my own. Yeah. I just, I find that I talked to agents and a lot of them kind of got started because they, They had an experience and they either had a really good experience or a really bad experience, and then they wanted to do a better job, or wanted to be involved with that world. So there was some connection to their personal transaction that led them into real estate. Yeah. You know, when you got started though in 2020, full -time, like, okay, you know what, enough of this transition, I’m ready. Yeah. And then the world shut down. Yeah. What was that?
Amber Biddison
So I was working with a coach, I was at a coaching program at the time, and my coach and I were talking and I said, okay, this is either going to be the best thing ever, or I’m going to end up waiting tables after this. And you know, 2020 was an absolutely amazing year. I mean, we all hit the ground running, there was no stopping that whole entire year. So it was definitely an amazing choice. I have no regrets about going full -time in 2020. I don’t think I could have done it if I wasn’t full -time in 2020. It was busy.
Tom Heath
Very interesting time in our world because the world is shut down and you’re meeting with people. But the stimulus that was happening and driving these interest rates down and people were wanting to buy, it was a very surreal time, I think.
Amber Biddison
It was, I mean, we had clients that, you know, there were lines outdoors when listings would hit the market. You know, people were wearing masks and we were carrying around boxes of gloves and Clorox wipes and, you know, but it was the busiest time.
Tom Heath
Probably a very interesting time for someone with a public health background to be involved in real estate. Yeah, like the exact right thing that you’re the person they needed.
Amber Biddison
Yeah. And it’s so funny, because when I graduated college with my health education, you know, honestly, and truthfully, what I really wanted to do with my life was work for the CDC and do pandemic, like work, like that was what I was really most interested in. So it was kind of interesting to watch the pandemic unfold and what how the world was unfolding. I realized quickly that I’m not very good at statistics. And so that was not my thing. But it was really interesting because that’s what I had wanted to do for a lot of my 20s was work for the CDC and things like that.
Tom Heath
So now we’re into 2023. We’re in a different environment. That’s definitely more challenging. How are you finding it now?
Amber Biddison
Honestly, 2023 has been as busy for me as 2020 was. There are different challenges.
Amber Biddison
Not as much inventory for buyers. We’re seeing in some price ranges, multiple offers. People don’t have as much time to think about houses in some price ranges.
Tom Heath
And it’s a very, again, I think the market that we’re in now is also somewhat surreal. It’s completely different reasonings. But it certainly doesn’t feel like we’re in a normal market. Are you still with your coach?
Amber Biddison
I actually just left coaching, but I was with her for four years.
Tom Heath
Is that something that, I’m always curious, because there’s some, again, that are, I think with any coach, it’s, it’s a success story when you graduate from them. Yeah, you get to move on to something different. And would that something you recommend for people to get?
Amber Biddison
Absolutely. Anybody new in real estate, I think coaching, or finding any kind of mentor is highly recommended. And,
Tom Heath
you
Amber Biddison
know, find somebody that has experience and that can, my coach was really great in 1920, 21, 22, keeping me on a path, you know, there’s 2020, 2020. And after 1929, or 29 in 2019, 2020, 2021, just keeping me on a path, because there’s, you know, real estate is very cyclical, up and down, there’s busy times, there’s slow times. So for me, she was my accountability partner, and one of many accountability partners, but she kept me on a path. So when I started to not do, you know, phone calls or emails, she would keep me accountable and make sure that I was staying true to the plans that I had made for myself. So I think it’s great for anybody new in the business, or even anybody that’s been in the business for a while, then, you know, needs to get back on schedule.
Tom Heath
I 100 % agree with that. The coaching, and I’ve gone through different periods in my career of coaching, and it’s, you know, they’ve been different coaches. There’s different goals and some, they helped me get to a certain spot and I think we both recognize that this is what we needed to achieve together. And then you move on to something different. When you’re, when you’re talking with these coaches, I’m just curious, was it all business or did they help you with kind of like a work -life balance?
Amber Biddison
My coach was great helping me with work -life balance, you know I’ve gone through a lot of different personal challenges throughout the last four or five years So she was always really great helping with both of those things because our professional life Can’t be sometimes can’t be as successful if our personal life is going through turmoil, too So she was really helpful keeping both sides balanced or helping keep both sides balanced
Tom Heath
Yeah, when you jump into the business and hit the ground running, as you said, as fast as you did, I can imagine that the personal life, it’s easy to sort of push that aside and then you get to a point in your life, you’re like, wait a minute, this is not, this isn’t working out right.
Amber Biddison
And real estate is 24 -7, 365, I mean, we don’t necessarily have weekends on nights off like a lot of other companies, so it’s easy to lose the life side of the balance, yeah.
Tom Heath
Any, any quick tips for someone that’s, you know, again, kind of getting into this and trying to figure out, like, how do I, how do I, how do I determine what’s the right balance?
Amber Biddison
I think for everyone, it’s different. So, you know, I’m, I’m a single person, I have two dogs. So my life balance is just making sure that I take time for me. Somebody that has a family with kids, you know, their life balance is going to look a lot different, making sure they’re home for dinner or have time for soccer practice. or choir or whatever their life might be. So I think just finding your own personal balance. But in our coaching, a lot of times we’ve been told, if you need to subsidize and have somebody, you pay for somebody to pick up your groceries or you’re getting a housekeeper or you find that the things that you can outsource so that you can successfully live your personal life and your professional life. you know, find those balances.
Tom Heath
I like that. That’s a good, I think that’s really good advice. Because there’s things that I am not good at doing. And if I could spend a lot of time doing that or a little bit of money to have someone else do that and freeze up some time.
Amber Biddison
You know, if you’re gonna fight with your partner or spouse over, you know, who’s doing the laundry or who’s cleaning when, you know, if you can figure out how to budget that and then spend quality time with your family, you know, it creates that balance.
Tom Heath
There are a lot of fights in my household over who’s doing the laundry when it’s sad because I live alone Okay, I have these arguments Who’s doing it today? Yes, I will And my folks not gonna yeah, I’ve tried to train him on the laundry, but he’s he’s like, you know, same It’s a good. I love yeah, I just sit here make sure this couch doesn’t move away
Amber Biddison
I I the dogs on who’s gonna vacuum up all the dog hair exactly. They usually
Tom Heath
well, you’ve been doing this for a a fair amount of time now. And I think given the amount of volume that you’ve been doing, it’s sort of like you’ve been doing it for 10 years.
Amber Biddison
Sometimes it feels like it.
Tom Heath
Where do you see yourself going? Are you, are you happy with this? Is this something you’re, you’re, you feel like you’re moving forward?
Amber Biddison
Yes, I love real estate. So, you know, whenever I meet people out in public, we start having conversations and they say, oh, well, you probably don’t want to talk about it. And I will always tell them, I will talk about real estate all day, every day. It’s something I am very passionate about and I think you know real estate changes so dramatically all the time There is never a transaction. That is the same. So as a realtor Constantly learning every single transaction So I think that’s something else. I love about it Is every day is a new day every day is a different day
Tom Heath
Well, I think that’s a testament to the fact that you’ve been successful in two sort of polar opposite types of markets, you know, that you’re doing as well now as you did in 2020 is a testament to your ability to learn, grow and adapt. I think that’s fabulous.
Amber Biddison
Well, and, and, you know, to speak a little bit back to, you know, something for new, newer agents, you know, it is a different market from 2020. You have to work harder now. And I think I am a little fortunate that I came in in 2018, that in 2018, we had to work a little bit. Houses didn’t go listed one day and off the market the next. So we’re a little bit back to that where you have to market your properties, you have to go out and talk to your sphere to find clients. So we have to actually do work now again. And, you know, things are moving, I guess, just differently now, but it’s exciting.
Tom Heath
That’s what you said about real estate. It’s always going to be different. It’s always different. Next year will be different, a different market, different climate, and we’ll find a way through it.
Amber Biddison
I think if you’re a person that doesn’t like change, real estate’s not the place for you. That’s the nugget to take away from it. Yeah, that’s my take on it.
Tom Heath
How do people find you or do you have your social media websites? How do people track you down? I do. I’m on Facebook and Instagram
Amber Biddison
Amber Bitteson
Tom Heath
Realtor, okay business pages or personal pages both either way
Amber Biddison
They all kind of blend together these days. So yeah
Tom Heath
Yeah. All right. Well, thank you for your time. I really appreciate this is fun. This was fun. Thank you so much
