ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
New agent makes her mark in area home sales
There’s cleaning up, and then there’s “cleaning up.” Niki McClain, a dental hygienist for 15 years before going into real estate, has managed to do both.
In less than a year and a half in business, she already has done well enough to win the Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors’ annual Rising Star Award, which honors Realtors who have been in the business fewer than four years and have already found success.
“I’m very grateful for to the (association) board for choosing me for the Rising Star award,” a surprised McClain said afterward.
But first, rewind to early 2015 and a moment of reckoning.
“I have three kids, and I finally decided when my third was going to school that I needed to figure out what to do,” recalled McClain, 37. “My mom has been a Realtor for, gosh, 10 years, and she had been kind of giving me the
nudge. So I went ahead and got my license.”
She joined her mother, Tresa Flake, at RE/MAX Elite in Norman, in July 2015. “The idea was that she and I were going to work together,” McClain said.
But McClain decided she couldn’t make the drive from Edmond to Norman every day, so two months later, she transitioned closer to home with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties’ office near NW 164 and May Avenue.
Then, just weeks after that, Tresa Flake announced she was moving to Africa, where her husband, Daniel Flake, had just accepted a job.
“It was just a crazy set of circumstances,” McClain said. “I was like, ‘What? Even if we’re not working together, you’re the person I’m supposed to go to.’ ”
But by October, parents gone, McClain was facing a new career alone. “So, I had to step out and tell myself, ‘OK, you’re somewhat on your own.’ There is a seven-hour time difference, after all.”
‘Success story’
Fast forward to December and the Rising Star Award. Industry figures show between 70 and 90 percent of fledgling real estate agents leave the field within the first year. McClain, with 14 sales closed by her first anniversary with Berkshire Hathaway, has bucked that trend.
“Niki is an amazing success story,” said Helen Bozman, the Realtors association executive. “She seeks out mentorship from more experienced Realtors and has been commended for her excellent customer service and professionalism.”
Mentors have, indeed, played a big role in her success, McClain said, including her mother and fellow Berkshire Hathaway Realtors Jared Kennedy, and Regina Yager.
“I have gone to them probably more than I should,” she said with a laugh. “But they’ve been wonderful to me. And I have really good friends and family that are helping me with referrals, which is how I want to build my business.”
But the real secret to her success? “I wish I knew,” McClain said. “But I think it’s a Godgiven thing right there — I’ve just been blessed, especially with the success rate low for the first year.”
McClain and her husband, Josh McClain, have been married 15 years and have three children: Gracie, 12, Paxton, 9, and Lola, 6. They moved to Edmond from Kansas five years ago after Josh McClain accepted a job in the area. She was drawn into the community almost immediately, possibly another element to her success.
“I really love to be involved in the community any way I can,” McClain said. “I think that’s where I have met so many people about the time I was trying to grow my business. I think they just go hand in hand.”
Community work has given her the opportunity to nurture both her business and her adopted hometown, she said.
“I feel strongly about giving back — that’s a big deal to me. But you go to these community events, and it’s amazing how many people you meet. I think that’s been huge for me.”
After a busier-thanexpected January, McClain said she hopes to keep the momentum going through spring and summer. She’s not content to rest on her laurels.
“I would really like to build my business on referrals, so that’s where I see this year going for me,” she said. “Just continue getting involved with everybody so I can build up my business.”
“I really love to be involved in the community any way I can. I think that’s where I have met so many people about the time I was trying to grow my business. I think they just go hand in hand.”
Niki McClain