Women’s History Month: Female Realtors® Tell Their Stories

This Women’s History Month, two more female Realtors® share their experiences in real estate.

Kim Yoder Rickert has been a licensed Realtor® for 18 years and is a member of Centre County Association of Realtors®. She has served on various committees and as the president of the Pennsylvania Residential Real Estate Council, as well as on Centre County’s board of directors and as the association’s 2024 secretary.

Yoder Rickert decided to become a Realtor® after she and her husband had a poor experience selling their separate homes in 2005 before buying one together. Her husband suggested that she try the job, and she became licensed a year later, looking forward to advocating for people buying and selling homes who needed guidance. She especially enjoyed the flexibility being a Realtor® offered, as she had a young daughter at the time.

“I wanted a career that allowed me to grow in my professional life, pursue more education in the field and rewards you for your work,” she explains. “Real estate has allowed me to work my own schedule, and with dedication I have been able to make more money than in any other sales career that I have had. It has also allowed me to meet so many people that I respect and have learned from to improve my business. I have traveled many places to attend conventions and educational events, have been enriched by people from all over the country and am looking forward to continuing to serve as a volunteer for the Realtor® organizations to which I belong.”

“I enjoy helping the clients that I work with and find it very rewarding to be able to help them realize the American Dream,” Yoder Rickert continues. “I think that people appreciate someone taking the time to explain the process to them and helping them reach the finish line.”

Yoder Rickert is most proud of her initiatives towards helping other women get started in the real estate industry. She has mentored and educated them both as a broker and associate broker. “I love seeing them realize that they can be successful in their own businesses without having to work 60 hours a week for someone else,” she says.

“If done right, a real estate career can empower you to be a woman who feels that she is making a difference,” says Centre County Realtor® Kim Yoder Rickert.

Despite challenges, such as merging her office only to eventually separate due to different professional goals, Yoder Rickert speaks positively of the Realtor® job and encourages other women to pursue it as well, highlighting the ways she believes being a woman helps her in her career.

“I think that it is obvious that in many buying or selling situations, the women in a relationship are often a big part of making the decisions or are driving the purchase,” she notes. “As a woman in real estate, I can relate to those clients and give them the kind of support they need in making decisions to buy or sell. I think that I can be more empathetic and more patient than most of my male counterparts, and I understand the motivations or obstacles that may come up in the transactions.”

Yoder Rickert stresses the importance of being driven and says, “Being in control of your own schedule and your own earning limits makes the career worthwhile, especially to women who are raising children or have other responsibilities. If done right, a real estate career can empower you to be a woman who feels that she is making a difference.”

“Treat your career like a regular job,” she advises. “If you put the time in, you will be rewarded financially.”

“From the first local board meeting that I went to, to regularly attending and participating at PAR meetings, I have loved the interactions with other Realtors® who are always welcoming,” Yoder Rickert finally adds, sharing her love of volunteering in her associations and the benefits of connecting with others. “I have learned a lot that they never teach you in real estate school from my Realtor® friends around the country.”

Stephanie Garomon is a member of Bucks County Association of Realtors® and has been a Realtor® for 37 years. She has served on BCAR’s Board of Directors since 2020 and currently serves as the 2024 BCAR president.

Garomon first became a Realtor® because of the flexibility it offered while she was raising her children, and, having recently moved from New York to Pennsylvania, she found the homes here to be beautiful and unique. Being a Realtor® also helped her become more familiar with the new area.

“I have met wonderful people along the way and have been able to stay informed in local news, people and government, and it gave me the flexibility to volunteer at local non-profit organizations,” she says of her career in real estate.

“I love the challenges of working with people who all have their own unique situations,” she adds. “No transaction is cookie cutter. They keep me on my toes and I enjoy helping everyone navigate through one of the biggest sales of their life.”

Garomon is most proud of being elected president of BCAR and becoming a PAR director. She has enjoyed working for real estate boutiques in New Hope and is also proud of being able to balance time with her children and grandchildren with her professional career.

“I would like to see more women in leadership positions in the local, state and national organizations. There are more women than men in real estate, but there are fewer women in leadership positions. That needs to change,” says Bucks County Realtor® Stephanie Garomon.

“Some people, and I’ve encountered only a few, initially only wanted to work with male Realtors®,” she shares. “In every case, I was able to change their minds and had successful, respectful relationships while going through the process.”

“I would like to see more women in leadership positions in the local, state and national organizations,” Garomon adds, hoping to see more representation in higher roles. “There are more women than men in real estate, but there are fewer women in leadership positions. That needs to change.”

“Real estate opens doors to many areas of interest,” she concludes. Women tend to have the multi-tasking skills to be a good Realtor®, and we need more women in leadership roles. It empowers women to have financial freedom and financial independence.”