"If Diane were in the Army she would be a general. She just has this amazing, God-given ability to make people happy." This is how Diane Aronov was described by her boss, Broker and Co-Owner, Bobbi Feinstein.
"I interviewed Diane about ten years ago standing in her kitchen," she says. "At that time she was an assistant to her husband, who was a very good agent. Diane turned out to be not just a good agent, but an unbelievable one!"
For Diane, discovering her capabilities as a REALTOR was like coming home. "It all finally made sense," she says. "I mean, I had this marketing degree and management experience. I really wasn't sure what I wanted, I just knew what I didn't want."
After serving as a manager for Sav-On Drugs for more than twelve years, the last position overseeing construction, Diane took maternity leave. Not one to sit still for a moment, not even while awaiting the arrival of her firstborn, Diane studied for and obtained her real estate license during this "down time."
It turned out to be a fortuitous move, because upon her return to Sav-On she was offered what she terms "an inequitable position," so she decided to put her new license to work.
After four and-a-half years with RE/MAX, Diane felt it was time to move on. The most natural place to move to seemed to be Realty Executives, owned by friends Bobbi Feinstein and Jan Sanquist. "They adopted me," Diane explains with a laugh.
As a Residential Specialist Diane has found ample opportunities to implement the skills she acquired while earning her Marketing Degree. She's also found that the troubleshooting proficiency developed while working for Sav-On has also come in handy. "It's become my favorite aspect of real estate," she says. "I like taking on the transactions that no one else can figure out. I enjoy the challenge."
There are many people who are grateful that she has these impressive capabilities. Many like the Seller who netted $85,000 at the close of escrow when Diane sold her home. An hour later, the same Seller, who was headed for trust deed sale, would have netted nothing! A few days later the Seller's brother approached Diane, taking both her hands in his very large ones, and said, "You gave my sister her life back, thank you!"
"I've always seen myself as the common-man's agent," says Diane. "I don't try to put on airs; I drive a FORD, not a Mercedes. Most importantly, I remember that these are not just numbers or dollar signs, but real people with real lives. If I can help them I'm going to find a way." "What you see is what you get," she continues. "I'm like the 'cut to the chase-Reader's Digest version.' In other words, get to the heart of the deal."
Diane, who now ranks consistently among the top producers in the country, says she got her start by talking to people within her sphere of influence. That, she explains, is how she first became known as "The Queen of Sav-On." She adds that she has since graduated to "The Queen of Wal-Mart." "I talk to people wherever I go," she says, "and I have to admit I've met my share of clients while shopping at Wal-Mart."
One of the reasons she attracts so much attention while doing everyday chores such as shopping is due to a wildly successful ad campaign that featured her son Shaun saying: "My Mommy sells more houses than anyone I know." Diane smiles at the recollection. "It used to be that they would first spot my son and say, 'Where's your mommy... I need to sell my house,' then start talking to me about real estate," she says. "But now that he's older. They recognize me and come up to ask questions or just to talk." "He had his 15 minutes of fame," she laughs. "Now days I'm using my Pomeranian, Precious, in some of my advertising." The dog is featured in the ads that show the "dog houses" or the cosmetically challenged. "It's a cute angle when advertising fixer-uppers."
Of course, Shaun and Precious aren't the only "assistance" Diane has
received in her successful business. "I have a terrific team made up of wonderfully
talented people," she says. Our team is composed of a Transaction Coordinator- Margarita Garcia, Cheryl Polley- Buyers Agent and others.
While Diane is quick to share the limelight, the truth is she has been performing at the top level since she first entered real estate in 1990. She has the distinction of being the only REALTOR in this franchise to be awarded the Double Diamond and Top Gun awards, and has consistently ranked among Realty Executives Top 100 agents internationally, since 1999. During the Realty Executives International convention in Phoenix, Diane was ranked 67th out of 12,000 REALTORS. The opening ceremony entertainment was Pike Place Flying Fish Team out of Washington. She was brought on stage and tossed "the flying fish," which is a 15 pound salmon. She didn't bat an eye. Just calmly caught the slippery critter and smiled, showing this team achieved world famous status by mixing team work with fun. Because of her ranking and stellar track record, Diane was also asked to sit on the Top Producers Panel answering a variety of questions from the attendees.
In addition to maintaining a thriving business, caring for her 17-year-old son, and energetic pup, Diane finds time for a variety of hobbies including crafts. She is particularly adept at crocheting, knitting, and sewing. Diane says these activities are excellent for unwinding after a full day. "You'd be amazed at how fast I can crochet," she says. "It all depends on how my day went!" But for the most part Diane says the majority of her free time is spent in activities involving her church. Two of the projects that she's involved in are Habitat for Humanity and an outreach program in Sun City serving Thanksgiving dinner. Her son Shaun works with her on the latter. "In fact," she says, "we just completed framing two homes for Habitat for Humanity at the Convention in Phoenix." The organization built three homes in Moreno Valley since then. Habitat locates people who would not be able to buy a home on their own terms and helps them out. They have a lot of single moms who are very grateful for this huge assistance. In turn, recipients put in approx. 100 hours working on a home for someone else. "It's a wonderful program and I'm so proud to be affiliated with it," she says.
"What's really impressive," she adds, "is that so far Habitat has had zero foreclosures on these homes. It sends the message loud and clear that if you offer a hand-up to the right people, they can take it from there."
Building homes and working with Habitat for Humanity is something Diane has been happily involved with for years. She is especially proud of the fact that one of the homes built in Moreno Valley was funded by the franchise where she worked.
Though her life is full, Diane is able to maintain balance because, as she
says, "I've got my priorities straight. God, family, and then business. Once I got my priorities in the right order, my business more than doubled."
As for the future, Diane says she's enjoying every aspect of her life right now and sees no need for any major changes. "I have good friends, a career that I love, and of course my wonderful son. What more could I possibly need?"
Contact Diane Aronov
Realty Executives - Moreno Valley
