By treating her clients like friends and family, as opposed to taking a transactional approach, Mary Serle, a broker associate with @properties, has built a loyal clientele that keeps coming back. “My biggest sales accomplishment in the past year has been the amount of repeat sales and referrals from past and current clients,” she says. “I find it to be an extreme compliment that a previous client will return to me to assist them in buying or selling real estate again. I love the fact that most of my business comes from referrals.”

Serle believes her clients appreciate her honesty, consistency and talent for listening. “They know I will reach the end goal for them with professionalism, empathy and a whole lot of heart,” she explains.

Some of that “heart” comes from a personal connection she feels for her clients. “Another source of my business is from military and veterans,” she says. “Being the proud mama of a veteran makes me proud and protective of my military and veteran clients.”

Serle approaches her business “one sale at a time” and enjoys the satisfaction she feels after successfully helping each of her clients. She primarily works in Chicago and the Chicagoland suburbs, both areas that she understands and knows well.

A member of the National Association of Realtors and the Naperville Chamber of Commerce, Serle stays busy. When she is not working to serve her clients, she can be found spending time with family, reading ferociously or staying active through biking, yoga and Pilates.