Learn more about this Indiana broker-owner, and find out about the “disastrous” experience that pushed her to get her real estate license and become a true residential expert.
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For Indiana broker-owner Mary Sherer, real estate is a family affair. Along with her daughter, she is the owner of ERA Crossroads where she’s not only a managing broker and team lead, but a top producer in her own right.
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sherer has been in the business for over 30 years and says she’s “been blessed to work with repeat clients from the moment I began in real estate to today, whether that be helping them or their many family members buy, sell or build.” She has been active with her local board for more than two decades, “serving on multiple committees and as a board member for both our local association and the MLS.”
Learn more about Sherer and find out about the “disastrous” experience that pushed her to get her real estate license and become a true residential expert.
Name: Mary Sherer
Title: Broker-owner
Experience: 30-plus years
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Brokerage name: ERA Crossroads
Rankings: Top 5 percent of UPSTAR agents (UPSTAR is the real estate board for Northeast Indiana)
Team size: 3
Transaction sides (individual): 67 (2023), 44 (2024 YTD)
Sales volume (individual): $16,305,459 (2023), $10,805,384 (2024 YTD)
Awards: UPSTAR Realtor of the Year (2022)
How did you get your start in real estate?
My husband and I had a horrible experience when purchasing our first home, with a basement that could have been a swimming pool. As disastrous as the process was, I was enthralled with how to ensure my next purchase would be better, so I decided to get my license, and the rest is history from there.
How did you choose your brokerage?
Up until the last year, I had owned another major franchise for 12 years, but I always felt something was missing. So, when my daughter joined me in the business in 2021, we began our search for a new franchise that would better fit our boutique approach to real estate and client care, which led us to ERA. We could not be happier with the franchise, the level of support our staff and agents receive, and the quality tools and resources available to our clients.
What do you wish more people knew about working in real estate?
It is not all fun and games and making commission. We take our jobs as real estate professionals seriously. We are supporting people in one of the largest purchases or sales they will ever make in their lives and must be more than someone who fills out paperwork.
What’s something you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
There is not a single deal worth dying over.
What’s your top tip for freshly licensed brokers?
Every hiccup or bump in the road is a learning experience. It is a chance to improve your skills as an agent and to grow in your relationships with your clients.