Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Dao.
Diana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story to where I am at today was not quite a straight path, but more of a scenic route. I was born and raised in a small town north of Houston (in Huntsville) and went to college at Texas A&M where I got my BBA in Accounting and my Masters in Marketing. After graduating with honors, I started working in the luxury retail sector at Neiman Marcus as an assistant buyer, because at 22 it seemed like ‘the’ glamorous sexy job and who didn’t want that?! After reality and the cost of living set in, I changed industries to accounting in 2009 and spent 4.5 years in public accounting on the audit/assurance side at PwC where I had previously interned while in college (pricewaterhouse coopers aka one of the Big4 global accounting firms). Very different pace and environment where I learned a lot but not where my passion was. Unsure of where/what my passion was, I switched industries again into a marketing role within healthcare. After a year at Memorial Hermann in a marketing role, I decided to make the jump into real estate in 2014 (with encouragement from the broker who represented me when I bought my home two years prior in 2012). It was a bit on a whim that I got my real estate license in 3 months and found myself as a full-time Realtor which I didn’t ever think I would be doing. Good thing I gave it a shot though because I love it and I can’t see myself doing anything different right now. At the time I started, I joined a very small brokerage, and I learned by just doing and hustling. Jumping in the deep end and just doing every part of the process with finding leads/clients, to writing leases and offers, going on listing appointments, and mainly helping buyers. There is a lot of value in learning all the small steps and knowing all the moving parts. Many new agents may start out having a transaction coordinator and don’t actually learn or understand the ins and outs of a contract, how to properly fill out a contract or the addenda required, how to properly upload a listing in MLS, etc. I learned ALL the steps and still learning in every transaction now as there’s so much value in knowing every detail of your craft.
After making that decision somewhat on a whim to get into real estate, I set a goal and made a deal with myself in year 1 of being licensed that I would only keep doing it another year if I met my goal financially that I set. I met my goal and managed to double my production volume in year 2 while only being in Houston 50% of the time, as I spent 50% of my town out of town/working remotely. After I saw what could be possible after my first two years, my drive increased even more, and I have continued to grow my volume year over year since I started. Now I can’t see myself doing anything outside of real estate or real estate-related activities which touch so many areas of my life currently. It’s something I’m really passionate about and have invested in as well which shows my passion around it. From personally owning 4 investment rental properties to co-founding a staging/design company.
I love working with all types of clients: buyers, sellers, renters/tenants, landlords… but I really enjoy first-time home buyers. It’s such an exciting and memorable milestone for people. As a Realtor, you get to be a part of a lot of the milestones in people’s lives. Often when people buy/sell or move, it’s connected to a life change. First apartment with a job out of college, to first-time homeowner, a couple getting engaged or married and getting their first home together, having children and getting a larger home, etc. I’ve been privy to knowing when my clients are expecting before others do, or when a client has eloped and hasn’t told all their friends yet! It’s exciting and meaningful moments that you get to connect with your clients and see them grow, succeed, and cross milestones.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with any road, there are bumps. One of the struggles for me was time, finding time for myself and how to allocate time with my business growing quickly and figuring out how to manage that by delegating. I distinctly remember losing out on about $3M of sales/listing business in one week period because I had way too much on my plate and stretched beyond my capacity to have the time I needed to properly be prepared for a couple of client meetings that ended with them deciding to go with another Realtor. I decided immediately after getting that message that they had decided to list the home with another agent, which also meant they were purchasing another home with other said agent, that I was finding and hiring a full-time assistant ASAP so I could delegate tasks off my plate and give myself the capacity to focus my time on building my business rather than being in the weeds/minutia of my business. One of the best decisions ever as I have the best assistant ever!
In general, having enough time (for everything) was also a struggle! As a Realtor (if you’re good at it), you’re essentially on call 24/7/365 to your clients, so making time for yourself and having a boundary between work and personal life has been a constant and ongoing challenge. I joke that being a Realtor, you’re on call more than a doctor/surgeon because at some point they get to leave the hospital and are ‘offline’ until their next scheduled shift. As Realtors, there are no boundaries/limits to when we are “on or off” since when the right house comes along for your client (which you don’t control) and you get a call to put in an offer, you respond. I am in the client service industry, so providing service at the highest level is what I strive to do. And if I were in my client’s shoes then I would expect responsive communication, professionalism and expertise/knowledge as part of good service.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about what you do?
I am a full-time licensed Realtor with 8 years of experience focused on areas centrally located in Houston in/around the 610 loop (i.e., Heights, River Oaks, Montrose, EaDo, Oak Forest/Garden Oaks) as well as west of town from Memorial and Spring Branch out to Katy/Fulshear. I specialize in representing buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants, and known for going above and beyond to meet my clients’ needs. I think what has gotten me to this point in my career and the growth I’ve seen and what sets me apart is what I bring to the table for my clients because of the passion and investment I have in them and what I do. I am constantly staying current on the market, continuing to educate myself on contract forms, trends, etc. I approach each client with looking at what is the best and right thing for them. I want to provide them with all the information and knowledge to make the best decision for them because that can look different for each person. I’m naturally inclined to have high attention to detail, so I will do everything I can to make the transaction as low-stress as possible for my clients and do everything in my power to go to bat for them and represent their best interests in negotiations. And I genuinely care about each of my clients who I develop relationships/friendships with. I enjoy going to their weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, etc. There’s a personal human element and relationship there, not just a transaction for me. Nearly 100% of my clients/business has been built on referrals and direct connections which truly speaks to how much I value relationships/connections.
Something I’m very excited about and proud of that has come from considering what needs my clients have that I can I help met for them to make the process better is creating Maven Home Solutions. Myself and my good friend Kelly Guynes are co-owners/founder of Maven Home Solutions which we started in 2020. Maven Home Solutions is a staging and design consulting company to provide clients with services that improve a home’s function, design and value. I noticed my sellers at times needed to have a design consultant to come in with an objective eye to coach them on how to re-arrange their existing pieces or replace a few pieces to better showcase the house and highlight the features so it would photograph, list, and ultimately sell better. Some just had a vacant home and needed full on staging which we could do also. Or I would have clients that would want to remodel a kitchen, bath or other parts of the home and need guidance on that. On the other side with buyers after purchasing, some also would want to have a designer help them with how to set up their whole house or living room. All of these client needs lead us to create Maven Home Solutions to meet those needs. With my market knowledge regarding what can improve a home’s value, how to sell a home quickly and what is important to a homeowner, coupled with Kelly’s passion and eye for design and function, knowing the remodeling process from beginning to end from personal experience of remodeling and redesigning her own homes – we created something really unique with Maven Home Solutions for clients.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I think I’ve learned different lessons at each chapter of my journey. For my first job out of college, working at Neiman Marcus taught me the detail of high-end luxury and the what next-level “wow” customer service looks like which I’m able to apply to so many aspects now. Working at pwc taught me the financial details in business and how to think in terms of numbers from a technical sense. Making sure everything aligns and adds up, figuratively and literally. Working at Memorial Hermann taught me I needed to find a career that was fast-paced and moved at my speed and one I felt excited/passionate about.
When you’re passionate about what you do and doing what’s right, you just keep continuing to grow your business by people sharing their experience with people they know. Do the right thing and it all comes together. It’s been working for me my whole life and has continued to allow me to grow to where I am now.
Working in real estate has taught me how much I value relationships and preserving them. Having good strong relationships are invaluable and can open so many doors in life in unexpected moments.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dao-properties.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianadao_properties/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diana.dao.33
Image Credits
Brittney Ellaway
TK Images
