Twenty-two-year-old Crystal Bailey came to Virginia Wesleyan from upstate
New York with plans to own her own bank one day. But those plans were interrupted
by a spring 2007 internship at Judy Boone Realty in Norfolk, Va., a requirement
in the Liberal Arts Management Program.
"I did not know that I wanted to do real estate," said Bailey. "When my fiancé and I were looking for a house, the light bulb clicked and I said 'I could do this.'"
With the light turned on and burning bright, the ambitious student went straight to David Garraty, professor of management/ business/economics.
"Professor Garraty asked me if I was sure that I wanted to intern at Judy Boone Realty," Bailey recalls. "He told me they'd never had a student in LAMP do an internship in real estate."
"And I told him, there's a first time for everything."
The first-timer who only had dreams of banking soon fell in love with her internship, the company and real estate. Bailey passed the Real Estate License Exam in May and accepted a full-time position with Judy Boone Realty in August.
Bailey describes her internship as an opportunity – she wasn't just filing papers and answering phones – something her supervisor stressed from the beginning.
"I got to see how the process works," she said. Her main responsibility was assisting a real estate agent on a proposed project of 144 condos in Norfolk. For the project, Bailey gathered local real estate information, came up with marketing ideas to sell the condos and was introduced to real estate professionals. In addition, Bailey learned the commercial side of real estate. She became acquainted with zoning and building laws and worked closely with construction companies.
Bailey says that her supervisor "stressed real estate and exposed me to people in real estate," from the time she walked through the door. "Her main focus was getting me exposed," noted Bailey – a valuable tool in a highly competitive workforce.
In addition to the condo project, Bailey assisted other real estate agents. She has a fond memory of helping one agent find a home for a handicapped client.
"I learned that the real estate business is not about you – it's about your client," said Bailey. "It's getting the joy of finding your client the perfect house."