Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Bousquet.
Hi Kathleen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My career and marriage began in the medical field in the 1980’s. I left medical imaging for medical device sales and enjoyed that stimulating career with my growing family until my husband’s business travel made it impossible to continue long term. I got a “secret” Master’s degree in Secondary Education online while working and in 2005 left a lucrative career in medical sales to become a middle school science teacher. I had a schedule that mirrored my sons’ schedules and morphed into that science teacher who also directs an annual musical production. Again, it was a good life. Paul and I yearned to leave the cold and early dark evenings of Massachusetts for Florida and at age 55, with our oldest out of college and the youngest beginning his sophomore year at Stetson University, we moved to central Florida.
Two weeks before the move, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. Once settled into an apartment in Sanford I began chemotherapy treatment before surgery. The chemo was strong but I was strong and healthy and after the side effects passed, I got onto my beloved bicycle and headed for the Lake Monroe bike trail, my happy place. One morning, when crossing a street headed to the bike trail, I was struck on my bike by a car, resulting in breaking all the bones in my right lower leg, and my left arm. I was put back together by some talented surgeons and spent my second month in Florida as an inpatient, beginning recovery from the orthopedic trauma while continuing my cancer treatment.
My abdominal surgery for the ovarian cancer was scheduled at Moffitt Cancer Institute after four rounds of chemo, and at my pre-op testing they included a mammogram which was due. That was when I found my breast cancer from 18 years earlier had recurred in the same area. So while the abdominal surgery was a success, with no evidence of disease, after three more rounds of “just in case” chemo, I had a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction.
Once I was literally back on my feet after months of physical therapy for my leg injuries and recovering from the abdominal surgery and mastectomies, I was ready to get back into medical sales, but my 13 years out of the field, despite having many former colleagues referring me and job hunting full time, it was not meant to be for a 55 year old woman to reenter this field.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
By now, Paul and I had house hunted and found our new home in Longwood, in the Woodlands. I learned a lot about the real estate market in Florida, including the issues that come along with homes built in the 1970’s and the challenges with insuring them. I threw myself into learning more, and decided to become a Realtor. I went to Real Estate School in March of 2020, and took the exam in May, when it was first offered after the lockdown. So I became a Realtor in a state where I had recently moved, with few local contacts, during a pandemic.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
After fantastic initial training at Weichert Hallmark, I decided that sharing the information about recent sales and currently available homes in a very hyper-local way. I chose several developments very similar to where I settled in the Woodlands in Longwood, designed and created custom flyers for my immediate neighborhood and hand delivered to about 400 doorsteps per month starting in the summer of 2020. I still walk these neighborhoods regularly and have now had over 20 listings within a five minute drive of my house. My church and choir family at All Souls in Sanford who embraced me and prayed for me when I was a cancer patient in a wheelchair are also a big part of my community today. I’m an active member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, helping our neighbors in need in Sanford and Lake Mary, and also serve on the Woodlands Community Association. I love my Weichert Hallmark family, especially my work family in the Longwood office, and am grateful for good health and love the Florida lifestyle. As a transplant from the northeast, I love living in a climate where I can bicycle 12 months out of the year.
How do you think about luck?
Was it lucky to begin a new career during a lockdown? It turned out that the diminshed supply of houses for sale in 2020 and 2021, combined with the artificially low interest rates made for an incredible time to get into Real Estate. I tell new agents now tales of how I learned to present multiple offers to my sellers so they could make an informed decision, and get that transaction to closing. I learned how to differentiate my offers when acting as a buyer agent in a multiple offer situation as well. So my timing was lucky for sure.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Kathleen-Bousquet.WeichertHallmark.com
- Instagram: Kathleen_bousquet_real_estate
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleensellsorlando
