Realtor helps her clients build a dream home checklist

ARealtor for 20 years, Dee Braaten is also licensed in New York. With a Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy and a Master of Science in health science education from State University of New York, she was an occupational therapist in pediatrics and adult rehab and a professor at several colleges and universities.

In those professions, she learned to counsel, watch and listen.

“I’m here to teach and guide my clients about the market and about the process,” she said.

Having moved eight times in 12 years, Braaten understood real estate and turned it into a new career. She serves Fairfield County in Connecticut and eastern Westchester County in New York.

“I know all of the trials and tribulations that go with the process, the fears and all that and also I have a great arsenal of resources that I can call on to help people in the process,” she said.

When working with buyers, Braaten does a consultation, asking the top five things they want and need in a home. She has them write the list so they can see it.

“Talking and writing are really different things,” she said. “[Writing] solidifies that for them.”

Braaten gets a picture of what is important to them and they start to pick out properties. She explains home buying and answers questions throughout the process.

“Communication is key,” she said. “We are in this together. We are a team.”

Business: Keller Williams

Expertise: Relocation, luxury, distressed properties

Works: Ridgefield, Danbury

Lives: Danbury

Contact: (203) 240-6120, deebraaten@ kw.com

With sellers, Braaten does a home walkthrough and goes through the comps to see where similar homes are in the market to determine the price point.

“I call it strategic positioning analysis, we look at how many months of inventory there is in their market,” she said. “That will scale how long it may take to sell. Then I give them my four Ps of real estate: purge, pack, paint and polish.”

Braaten is a single mom with three grown daughters and a dog named Callie. She is a member of the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce, on the Advisory Council and Rise and Shine Network and is president of Master Networks Ridgefield.