2008: Coldwell Banker International President's Elite award, placing number one in Michigan.

2007: Coldwell Banker International President’s Premier Associate; number one GCI sales associate in Michigan. 2006: top one percent of all sales associates internationally. 2005: top one percent of all sales associates internationally. The list could continue indefinitely, but you get the picture.

Lynne VanDeventer has reached the peak of professional achievement in her 30 years helping families find their homes. Her continuing success has made her one of the top producing agents in the nation.

And what she loves about the business, through good times and not so good, is what undoubtedly makes her such a success. VanDeventer says, “I love the people I meet and the friends I’ve made, both work colleagues and families to whom I’ve sold homes. I love the stories with happy endings that make up my professional life—the family from Los Angeles who decided to resettle in the Midwest to give their children a safer place to live and better schools; the couple from New York City, both lawyers, who, after 9/11, made the decision to change their lives, found Lansing via the Internet and have since moved here and love it; the family whose home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina and who came here to live with virtually nothing of their former life remaining. Just recently, I’ve helped a newly hired professor at Michigan State University and his wife find a new home. We looked at 103 properties until we found the perfect one.”

VanDeventer says, “I guess for me, it’s not about how many houses I sell, but how I can help people achieve their goals.”

VanDeventer was born in Grand Rapids and moved to East Lansing with her family when her father’s business relocated. She says now, “Growing up, I was inspired by design. My mother and aunt had a background in design, and I thought, ‘That’s what I think I want to do, become an interior decorator.’ So I went to Lansing Community College, planning to transfer to Arizona State to finish my degree there. But I met a man whose father owned a real estate company, and he was a contractor, and they promised me that if I worked with them I could decorate all their model homes.

“Eventually he and I married, and he thought it would be a great idea if I got my real estate license. People would stop at these models when I was decorating them and start asking me real estate questions, and he thought I should know the answers. I got my license and the rest is history. I took to the business just like a fish to water; I just fell in love with it.

“With my decorating background, I find that in my sales career I’m able to overcome objections very easily by pointing out to my clients just what they can do to make a not-so-perfect house perfect for them. I help them see the possibilities.”  

VanDeventer entered the real estate business when it was a male-dominated profession. She says, “I was very inspired by Marguerite Moore, a local real estate agent and developer. At a time when very few women were in the business, she was ahead of her time. She paved the way for someone like me.”

VanDeventer has been with the same realty company since the beginning of her career, but the company itself has changed. She started with Hubbell Real Estate, which then became Century 21, then Prudential and now Coldwell Banker, which has recently merged with BriarWood. The name of the company is now Coldwell Banker Hubbell BriarWood.

Asked about changes in the business over the last 30 years, VanDeventer says, “We were just talking about that here in the office. When I first started, I was one of the few people who talked with clients about how to take a home they weren’t sure about but in a location they loved and make it right for them. Now, with the popularity of shows like those on HGTV, we’re finding young couples coming in and telling me just what walls they’re going to tear down and how they’re going to renovate to make the home just what they want.”

Another recent trend is the use of “stagers” to get houses ready to sell. With the tight market and the number of homes on the market, the extra advantage that a professional stager can bring to the table is worth the extra effort and expense that may be involved. By making relatively minor changes and presenting the home to appeal to potential buyers, a stager can often make the difference in whether a house sells or not. And of course, VanDeventer herself is always happy to offer suggestions.

VanDeventer also says, “Our business used to be newspaper-driven. People would see an ad or a house in the paper and call us. Now, the Internet is what our clients use to find us. That change has made such a big difference in our industry.”

While no one can say the economic picture is rosy, VanDeventer is optimistic. She says that since January there has been a surge of first-time homebuyers, lured into the market by lower prices and FHA incentives to new homeowners. “We’ve seen an increase in business just over the past few weeks. Good news in the community translates to good news in real estate.

“I have so much confidence in Lansing, because of the university and because of the growth potential of our city. I’m grateful to see some of the big companies in our community exceeding their goals. Consumer confidence is up and my own confidence in this city has always been strong.”

VanDeventer’s husband, Ted, is a local developer. Together, they helped raise Lynne’s brother’s children, John, now 22 and an air traffic controller, and Kate, 21 and a student at Central Michigan University, after the death of their mother.

VanDeventer’s sister, Diadre Pagliei, has worked with her for over ten years. As VanDeventer explains, “She works behind the scenes, which allows me to do what I do best—sell houses. I’m also grateful for all the support I’ve gotten from my husband and other family members, as well as Lauren Walker, here in the office, who follows up on all my showings and keeps me current with everything that’s happening. I couldn’t do it without them.”  

A home is a family’s biggest investment, and whether buying or selling in today’s challenging market, families need an accomplished professional on their side to help them through the process. It would be hard to find someone more committed to a family’s happiness than REALTOR® Lynne VanDeventer.