Passion For Teaching, Real Estate Combine For Howell Resident

HOWELL, NJ — Colleen Newman is a Realtor who is also an ardent fan of Howell, her hometown.

She grew up in a home at Friendship Estates and now lives on 4.5 acres in eastern Howell.

And, in short, she loves it.

"I must walk at the reservoir four, five times a week," Newman says of the Manasquan River Reservoir area near her idyllic patch of the township.

When she isn't out on her walks or with the dogs, she and her husband enjoy gardening on their property. She's not too far from the beach or her job as a Realtor-Associate at Keller Williams in Spring Lake.

And her love of home is leading her in a new business direction as a Realtor, she says.

For 2023, she is offering webinars to educate both buyers and sellers.

It's not an original idea, she notes. Others in her profession have done webinars. But she says she wants to give clients and potential clients - or even people who never become clients - an extra dimension of value for their trust in her.

And she believes in education.

Newman went to Brookdale Community College in Middletown and then Ramapo College in northern New Jersey. And she considered going into teaching, especially history, one of her delights.

But real estate called to her, too.

"After-school care for me was in my mom's real estate office. I was growing as a Realtor before I ever knew what was happening. I like to think I took my love for teaching and now apply it everyday as a Realtor. When everyone is educated we all can grow together, right?" she says.

She sees "brainstorming" as a vital part of either buying or selling a house. And she says educational programs can help people who are making what is one of the biggest decisions of a lifetime - buying or selling a home.

"I can't help but think a lot of people are afraid to even pick up the phone and call a local Realtor because they know they aren't ready to make the move. The neighborly teacher in me had this idea to start having webinars - a no-obligation educational segment to help my neighbors brainstorm," she says.

In February, Newman hosted a home-buying webinar via Zoom, inviting a local attorney and mortgage representative.

At her upcoming March 14 webinar, "Preparing To Sell Your Home," one expert will discuss staging your home; another will discuss mortgage options, including pre-qualification.

You can sign up for the free, two-hour program here.

Donna Balkovic is a professional organizer and is a featured speaker for the webinar. She is the owner of Donna's Place for Everything. In addition to her advice in the webinar, she will give one attendee the prize of a free in-home consultation (a $100 value), Newman says.

Kevin Liotta, the other speaker, is a loan officer for Home Team Mortgage, Newman says, and will discuss mortgage options, including how to be pre-approved for buying a home.

According to the Eventbrite sign-up page, topics to be discussed by Liotta and Balkovic include:

• What to expect from buyers, and how to balance your needs with the "baggage that comes along with selling your home."
• The best strategy to buy while selling.
• How to finance a move and make it all possible.
• Downsizing tips, including organizing and staging, from Balkovic, who has been in business for 20-plus years.

Newman says she hopes her webinar series is of value to people in the community:

"Trust is very important in any business, especially real estate. How can I get anyone in my community to trust me with the largest asset of their life if I don't provide them with value and grow their trust?"