“We really love the uniqueness of Kalona Realty.  It’s a great brokerage in the area, and a lot of rural places south of Iowa City look to us and come through us, which is really great,” says Sara Murray, Kalona Realty’s newest real estate agent.  

Murray joined Kalona Realty about a month ago, after earning her real estate license.    Prior to that, the Massachusetts native taught 5th grade math at West Liberty.

“Then I had my son and my daughter, and I wanted to try something that would give me a little more flexibility,” she explains.  “I thought [real estate] would be a really cool people business.”

So far, she is enjoying her work, which includes promoting the agency’s open houses, reaching out to their clients, and doing competitive market analyses.  Like a sponge, she’s eager to learn all that she can about the business.

“The office is great,” she says.  “Hayley [Hershberger] knows a ton, so it’s good working with her closely,” Murray says of the agency’s broker/owner.

As she works on furthering her education and networking within her new profession, Murray has given a lot of thought to who she wants to be as an agent.

“I definitely want to be an agent that, when people hear my name, it’s, ‘Oh, she really wants to help me,’” she says.  “I got into [real estate] because I really do love helping people. . . I definitely want to be known as a serving presence in the community.”

Although Murray didn’t grow up here, over the last seven years she has made Eastern Iowa home.  Her mom is an Iowa native, which prompted her family to move to Des Moines several years ago.  Murray attended the University of Iowa, where she met her husband; the couple moved to Tiffin initially, and now live in Kalona.

“I’ve really loved it,” she says of life in Iowa.  “I really haven’t experienced small towns like I have here.  All the farms and acreage, it’s really special.”

“It’s definitely different” from life in Massachusetts, Murray admits, “But out there, I couldn’t see the sunset.”

For Sara Murray’s help with your real estate needs, contact her at 319-331-0059 or sara@kalonarealty.com.