Local StoriesOctober 5, 2022

Hidden Gems: Meet Lauren Zgutowicz of Team Meg G & Lauren Z at Compass

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Zgutowicz.

Hi Lauren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I got my real estate license in 2008. That was such a crazy economic time that I decided to postpone jumping into the real estate industry full time. Instead, I went back to the University of Georgia to get my MBA. While in graduate school, I joined a boutique brokerage and started slowly building my client base. My first few clients were former consulting coworkers and classmates. After graduating, I focused full-time on growing my business and aligned myself with a luxury real estate firm in Buckhead. I spent seven years there as a solo agent before joining Compass as one of their founding members in Atlanta. At Compass, I’ve formed a team with Meg Garrido (Team Meg G & Lauren Z). We’ve found strength in our partnership, seeing consistent and exponential year-over-year growth!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
For anyone who works and has a family, balance is always a struggle. I used to feel guilty regardless of how I spent my time. When I was working long days on the weekend, I felt guilty for missing out on activities with my children. When I took time away from work to focus on my kids, I felt guilty that I should be out networking or getting new clients. It took many years for me to understand that balance cannot be achieved every single day – instead, it has to be achieved over the long haul. There are days, weeks, even months when I have to spend a disproportionate amount of time with clients and on work… my family understands! Then there are times when I have to give myself permission to go on a vacation with family and relax… and not check my email twelve times an hour! Real estate can consume as much of your life as you let it, and that can lead to burnout. I don’t have specific hours or days “off” – I work as hard and as much as I need to for my clients when they need me to. When I have slow days or weeks, I try to focus my energy on my family. I think this is really important for people who want to stay in a sales career long-term!

We’ve been impressed with Team Meg G & Lauren Z at Compass, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Meg and I are proud of our track record. Together, we have over 30 years of client service experience. We do zero paid advertising – our business comes exclusively from repeat clients and referrals. Everyone knows a handful of realtors – so when it comes time to actually decide who to work with, we’ve found that our clients choose us because they trust us. We pride ourselves on our constant attention to detail, creative solutions, and round-the-clock client care. In the past two years, being creative has been particularly important to our buyers because inventory levels have been so low. In 2021, over 25% of our buyers closed on homes that were off-market. We tapped into our agent networks and neighborhood knowledge to find opportunities for our clients!

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I truly believe that all realtors are risk-takers! As a realtor, you have to trust yourself and your abilities 100%. Being an entrepreneur can be scary and overwhelming at first because you wonder if you will be successful and where the next set of clients will come from. My advice is to take the time to meet as many professionals in the industry as possible – they are going to be the people you lean on. I have wonderful connections – lenders, closing attorneys, vendors – that I go to for advice and counsel. Having a strong network is incredibly important!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
JON-MICHAEL SULLIVAN PHOTOGRAPHY MELISSA SCHOLLAERT PHOTOGRAPHY

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