In the News

Swanson sells real estate using humor and hustle

By Ivette Fernandez
Tribune Pinecrest

Lana Swanson is not like other Realtors in many ways.

People remember her by her red hair and her laugh, and she is a very funny person.

But she is the first to tell you that once the jokes are over, what you have is a Realtor^® who is capable and that can represent you successfully.

In the 70’s Swanson was a single mother and found herself having to raise her three children on her own. With tremendous determination and will, she maintained her home in Pinecrest and started at the time a retail window treatment business known as The Drapery Exchange that branched out to three locations. She also owned and operated a manufacturing company.

Her children went to Pinecrest Elementary and she then sent them to Guliver.

After her children left home, Swanson met her husband. She decided she did not want to work for crazy hours any more. “I sold my business, down to the last button, “ she said.

Displaying her humor, she said she chose becoming a Realtor^® because “it looked easy enough.” She saw the hours would be more flexible and the job, fun.

Moving forward with her new endeavor, Swanson would have to learn the workings of interest rates, loans amortization, real estate laws and such. She immediately realized the job would prove to be more that pointing out the closet space.

In a short time Swanson was a pro. Her strong business drive and negotiating skills gave her a tremendous edge.

"It's not about me. It is about the best deal for the buyer and seller.”

Some of her best leads come from a professional lead organization called The Progress Club, where there is only one representative per industry. With the same “chutzpah” she always has shown as an entrepreneur, Swanson is now a respected and top-selling Realtor.

She advises customers who are looking for a Realtor to “look into their history of accomplishments and qualifications, and the houses they have sold and in what price range. Get referrals and make sure you are comfortable with the person. You are going to be working very closely. "

“ A Realtor^® has to be a psychologist, teacher, maid and business person. I am often all things, “ she explained.

Swanson was born in New York and moved to South Florida in 1967. When she originally moved down to the Kendall area, people would tell her that she was moving into the Everglades.

“A lot has changed since then, “ she said.

She lived in Pinecrest for 14 years.

“I think it is a wonderful place to live. We would ride bikes and play tennis. The area is most beautiful and the schools are excellent.”

Her friends jokingly have nicknamed her ‘the Mayor of Miami,” because everywhere she goes, she is greeted by people she knows.