Miyuki Lin: Living an Authentic Life

Miyuki is an award winning agent with NextHome Experience and top 50 realtor in Columbus, OH. She got licensed in 2017 and quickly worked to become an incredibly successful realtor. She is top 1 solo agent in year 2020 & 2021 and has sold over $50 million volume. She has helped countless families achieve their dreams of home ownership. Her winning playbook is predicated on authenticity and integrity as well as a well-rounded team comprised of exceptional talents who share a similar culture and vision. Miyuki credits her success to hard work, creativity, intellectual curiosity, and a supportive ecosystem of talented team members and trusting clients. 

Miyuki is action oriented and self-motivated. Once she sets her mind on a target, she goes all in. To her, life is all about experiencing and learning new things. This personal trait perhaps is the reason why she is ranked one of the top realtors in Columbus just after a few short years in the industry. She described herself as a blank canvas when she entered the industry at the age of 25. Her ability to overcome obstacles and absorb new knowledge early on in her career is driven by her constant quest for learning and asking questions.

In her personal life, she is unapologetically authentic. She is a strong believer that you cannot unlock your full potential if you don’t embrace your flaws and strengths. She is an avid adventurer. Every year, Miyuki sets goals for herself and picks up new skills, whether that’s swimming, scuba diving, surfing, golfing or dancing. Her optimism and passion towards living a fulfilling life create a magnetism that draws people to her. Additionally, Miyuki spends a lot of time outside of work traveling the world. She draws inspiration from people she met around the world and the stories they shared.

In this interview, Miyuki talks about her career in real estate and living an authentic life. 

What drove you to Real Estate?  

After graduating from Old Dominion University in Virginia with a marketing degree, I started working as a Sales Representative at Saks Fifth Avenue. Even before then, I had extensive sales experience through my part-time jobs at Abercrombie & Fitch and Nordstrom while I was still an undergrad. At Saks, I met a colleague who was also working in real estate, and I learned a lot about the industry, initially, from her. Because my dad is very good with home remodeling, I thought to myself: why not buy a home, remodel it, then flip it as an investment? Once I got into it, I saw there was a real demand for home purchases and sales in Columbus, OH. So, I decided to make the jump.

What was the biggest challenge you experienced when you first started your career in real estate?

When I first started, gaining trust from clients was the most challenging part. I was 25 when I entered the industry. To convince people why they should work with me instead of others who have decades of experience was the most challenging part. There is no easy way to gain that trust other than relentless hard work. As I gained more traction with clients, I became better and better with negotiation and reading people’s emotions, both of which are important skills that require years of experience to be good at. Today I have developed my own playbook for helping clients buy and sell their dream homes, supported by a professional team where we handle everything from marketing, renovation, financing and property management. My growth journey is a testament that all personal and professional challenges can be overcome if you are willing to go above and beyond.

You have garnered so much success in such a short amount of time, what’s your secret?

I attribute my success 80% to hard work and 20% to luck. While having good analytical and people skills are key to building a successful career as a realtor, what will sustain your success is your intellectual curiosity.

There is so much to learn in real estate. The quickest way of mastering the tricks of the trade was by working alongside top realtors in my region. I remember at the beginning of my career, I frequented the office of a top realtor in the region and asked her lots of questions. I’m very grateful for the amount of time and effort she invested in me. Having a curious mindset and not feeling ashamed of asking questions played important roles in my success.

What’s the future you envision for yourself and your team?  

I have built my team slowly over the years. Personally, I have always favored quality of talent over quantity. I put a lot of emphasis on culture when creating the team. Everyone on my team shares the same standards and level of work ethic. Our relentless focus on delivering high quality service to clients is the backbone of everything we do. Today, our team offers many services from marketing to both short-term and long-term property management. In the long run, I would like to expand our services to markets outside of Columbus.

“I believe giving is receiving.”

What keeps your passion in real estate alive after all these years?

I believe giving is receiving. I give my clients knowledge, energy, and time. In return, I receive trust and a sense of community. Seeing my clients building their lives in the homes that I helped them buy gives me joy. Most of my clients are my friends today. So, I really feel like, not only am I facilitating the transaction, I’m also building a community in a way. This makes me happy and gives me purpose in my career.

Selling and purchasing homes can be an emotional process. How do you bridge the gap when there is a disconnect in pricing expectations?

I identify two categories of sellers – ones that trust my professional judgement and experience, thereby allowing me to handle everything from start to finish; and then there are the clients that have strong opinions on the market and the process. These are headstrong sellers. As you can imagine, working with second group requires a lot of effort just to convince them why they should take my advice. I think the key to bridging the difference requires effective communication, listening to their needs/concerns, and sometimes just letting your headstrong clients go through the trial and error.

Over the course of this year, our team listed 40 houses, and we only had to do price adjustments for three of them. My track record speaks for itself and illustrates the results which I deliver to my clients.

If you did not get into real estate, what would you be doing?

If I wasn’t in real estate, I would be a full-time traveler, photographer, and content creator.

What do you enjoy doing during your free time?

Every year, I set a new goal for myself to pick up something new. In the past few years, it was scuba diving, swimming, golfing, and ball room dancing. For this year, it’s surfing. I especially love surfing because it’s a sport that tests your physical and mental strength.

How do you balance your work and personal life?

For many years, I was pretty much on call 24/7; I was always taking calls and responding to emails. There was no boundary between work and personal life whatsoever. As a result, I was constantly stressed out and emotionally exhausted. I knew it was not sustainable. This year, I started to focus more on my personal wellbeing and became a lot more intentional with my personal space. Each one of us is like a battery, the more we give to others, the more we need to be mindful to recharge ourselves. I realized that I work more efficiently when I carve out time for myself.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?  

I get inspiration from traveling and from the people that I surround myself with. When you travel, you get to meet many people with interesting stories. Given the transitional nature of traveling, people see you as who you are, no one cares about what you do and your political views. People make friends with each other based on mutual interest and trust. You really get to live in the moment.

What’s your advice for women who are looking to build a successful career in real estate?

Real estate is a good career for anyone who is interested. It’s flexible and you can build a profession adapted to your schedule. It’s also entrepreneurial. No one is going to tell you what to do and what not to do, it’s entirely up to you. If you are willing to dedicate effort, time and be coached, you will be successful.

If this is what you want to do, do it with full commitment. What I don’t like seeing is young people who are only trying it out, so therefore they only commit half of themselves. I am a firm believer that success belongs to those who are fully committed and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Miyuki is available at soldbymiyuki@gmail.com for those who are interested in learning more about real estate in general or buying and selling homes in Columbus, OH. More information about her through https://www.miyukiteam.com/