Back to the Basics
Lynise Caruso, a Realtor with Keller Williams Main Line in Ardmore, refines her approach to help clients navigate an unprecedented real estate landscape.
In her nearly 25-year career as a Realtor, Lynise Caruso has never seen a year quite like 2024. Tight inventory means many sellers are fielding multiple offers, including those from cash buyers. Prospective buyers are forgoing home inspections and other contingencies to make more attractive bids. Interest rates and home prices are, in a word, elevated.
With all these factors combined, people are stressed.
“The process has changed so much, and agents need to step up their game,” says Lynise, a Realtor with Keller Williams Main Line in Ardmore; she’s also on the boards of directors for KW Sports and Entertainment and KW Main Line Luxury. “We have to make sure everyone knows that our value is extremely important and why. All of us have to be prepared to answer the question: ‘Why should you work with me?’
“In 2024, buyers and sellers want communication, and we as Realtors have to set realistic expectations,” she continues. “We have to do as much handholding as our clients need, with the goal of getting to the closing table with as few hiccups as possible.”
Put another way, buyers and sellers require the guidance of a Realtor who “checks a lot of boxes”: someone who has the experience to foresee the potential pinch points, the knowledge needed to slow-walk clients to the finish line with confidence, and the ability to maintain good relationships with fellow Realtors.
“A Realtor must be loyal to his or her client, but they also have to work with the other party’s Realtor to deal with any issues that might come up,” she says. “Things move so quickly now, you have to be willing to have a calm but honest discussion with the other party and iron out all the details needed to get the deal done.”
Lynise focuses primarily on the Main Line, though she also represents clients in other parts of Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties; she sells the occasional home in Philadelphia and Bucks County, too. While much of her time and energy are devoted to the luxury market, she enjoys helping everyone, whether they have $3.5 million or $350,000 to invest in a new home.
Lynise describes Mike McCann-led Keller Williams Main Line as “a dream come true” and “one of the best offices I’ve ever worked in,” because team members collaborate and support one another for the betterment of their clients. Recently she was elected head of the board of directors for the enterprise’s luxury division, KW Main Line Luxury.
Lynise came to the Philadelphia area in 2005 from her native Chicago. Her Midwestern roots are apparent in her everyday business dealings. Clients who have worked with her know her as someone with a strong work ethic and who is direct and firm but never unkind.
“I want things to be fair and firm for all parties involved,” she adds. “Of course I’m going to stand up for my client, but I’m not going to be nasty about it.”
Her affable personality will be at the center of a forthcoming rebranding effort.
“We’ve had a lot of millennials come into our industry, which is a wonderful thing, and they have taught me so much about branding,” she says. “I need my brand to show my personality as a go-getter, a hard worker, and a strong negotiator. In the past some of my photos have shown me crossing my arms and pretending to be mighty, but I’m softer than that. That’s what I want to come across.”
As she looks ahead to the remainder of 2024, Lynise has a few goals in mind: First, she wants to prove herself to the board of directors by elevating the profile of KW Main Line Luxury; and second, she wants to prove herself to each client who entrusts her with helping them achieve their “ultimate goal” in terms of real estate.
Doing so will involve educating clients about the ever-changing landscape, including lending perspective on a recent high-profile news story: that of the National Association of Realtors settlement that will dramatically change how Realtors are compensated.
“You should feel comfortable asking your Realtor for exact details about that or anything else involving the sale or purchase of your home,” she says. “I’m here to hold your hand and walk you through the process. Your ultimate goal is my priority, and I’m going to help you get there with a steady hand and a kind heart.”
Lynise Caruso
The Lynise Caruso Team of Keller Williams Main Line
(610) 564-2102
lynisecarusoteam.com
The Lynise Caruso Team of Keller Williams Main Line
(610) 564-2102
lynisecarusoteam.com
Photo by Alison Dunlap
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, March 2024.
