Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Listar.
Hi Heather, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in a small northwestern town in Pennsylvania (78 miles S of Buffalo). My brother and I were raised by our single teenage mother, who was diagnosed with Leukemia while she was pregnant. She spent most of our childhood in the hospital, fighting for her life while we spent it displaced in various households. Sadly, she passed away when I was 13, and my brother was 14. I lived with various family members, navigated the foster care system, and eventually had a teenage pregnancy. I am forever grateful that my mom’s eldest sister and her family took me and my daughter into their home until I got emancipated and loved us unconditionally. When my mother passed away, I was journeying to find my biological father. I promise you that part of my story is for Lifetime TV. What’s important is that I found him, spent a few wonderful years getting to know him, and gained two siblings, and I am incredibly grateful for that. Sadly, he was killed by a drunk driver when I was 17. Throughout the trauma in my childhood and teenage years, roller skating was always my escape. It was my freedom. It was the only fun, consistent thing in my life then. It allowed me to escape the sadness, be with my friends, get lost in music, and have fun. I had an uncle who always ensured I had the $3 to go to our local skating rink every weekend. I have never forgotten that simple act of kindness that got me through those years. I graduated high school, obtained a two-year degree in criminal justice, and completed a single-parent adoption for a beautiful little girl who became part of my small family by age 21. I knew I would move away from my small town and do big things. I have always believed in not being a victim of my childhood. I wanted to be a victor, role model, and mentor for anyone who had a rough start. I am addicted to expanding my being and wanting to leave this world a better place than I came into it.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It could have been a smoother road! I am not from Greenville, SC, and relocated here in 2001, only knowing two people. I was a young single mother with two small children and just starting in a new city. There were many times I relied on the food pantry to feed my girls, but that is where I met a beautiful stranger that provided me with childcare for years. That woman blessed me on my journey because, without childcare, there is no career. I was only nine months into my first twelve-month lease in SC at my apartment complex when I was robbed while in the shower with my three-year-old home. I went to my management company with the police report. The perpetrator admitted to following my routine for weeks to steal the rent money I had saved in a drawer in my home. I asked the management company to allow me out of the remaining three months of my lease so we could leave and I could secure a safe home for my children. My request was denied, and an eviction was filed against me. I remember a young Heather telling that manager to file her eviction because I would have it on my record for the rest of my life if it meant my kids would be safe. That eviction can be previewed online under my maiden name. I also remember knowing right then that I would become a property manager and handle those situations differently. Lastly, I did not grow up in the Real Estate industry, nor did I have a generational company passed down to me as many of my colleagues have. I had to work hard, make connections, and get recognized to earn credibility. I started my real estate career at a hard money company and took on every responsibility I could to expand my experience and eventually my title within that company. I had enough experience and knowledge to start my own company when they closed the doors. This position was one of the biggest blessings in my career. My boss informed me years later that I nearly did not get the position due to a small piece of a tattoo showing during the interview. That was a close call. I grew my first business (a property management company) from the ground up on a shoestring budget with years of local networking and building trust within my community. This is what led to my success in selling real estate years later. It also led to my roller derby name, “Property Damage Her.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Real Estate Broker with Keller Williams Drive in Greenville, SC. I help clients skate through all types of real estate transactions. Every aspect of my branding is to exude positive energy and the fact that your real estate transaction can be fun! Roller skating is fun but requires balance, skill, flexibility, agility, and endurance. I provide all that. It also has a long history of diversity and inclusion; what a perfect way to describe me and how I feel about my real estate business and clients. There are thousands of qualified real estate professionals in Upstate South Carolina, and I love working transactions with them, but they are not like me. If I were not a real estate professional, I would want to work with a professional, experienced, educated, driven agent with a sense of humor who can make a transactional experience fun! I am exactly who I would want to work with. I am a certified relocation specialist. A unique service that I offer beyond the typical real estate service transactions: I help clients that are moving here from other countries on work visas find housing, get their social security number, their driver’s license, a bank account, child care, or whatever it is that they need.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
It is all about the energy you put into the universe. I am driven, responsive, positive, and upbeat. I love people and show compassion and kindness daily. It is that simple. I know I am truly blessed and want my clients to feel they are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://listarproperties.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherlistarrealtor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherListarRealtor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-listar-a4a51517/
- Other: http://www.upstaterollergirlevolution.com This is my roller derby team! I am Prop Hurtee Damage Her “05”, otherwise known in the roller derby community as ‘Props’. Please come out and support roller derby and all the amazing things we do for local charities.
