Realtor by Day, Mom by Night

Editor's note: This article is the first in a series that will feature profiles of various Chatham residents.

She stirs the tomato sauce in the kitchen while speaking on the telephone, secured between her ear and shoulder, and receives a fax from an attorney to close a deal on a listing. But it's just a day in the life of longtime borough resident Stacey Scerbo.

"I needed to be around adults and feel useful," Scerbo says as she describes why she decided to juggle a full-time job and twin children for the past 5 1/2 years.

Scerbo is currently one of the top agents in the Coldwell Banker Chatham office, and last year, she was the number one agent for the month of October. She made the President's Club for Realtors in 2010. 

She knows how to be busy. Scerbo was a computer consultant for SAP America before she became a realtor. She decided to obtain her real estate license by attending classes every Saturday for 10 weeks while her children were still toddlers. Her husband, Tony, works in New York City and is very involved with the children when he is home on the weekends. A strong family commitment is a team effort for them both. 

"Becoming a real estate agent was the perfect solution to balance the kids with work," she says, casually taking a moment to remove her patent leather sandal and swat a wasp on the outdoor table.  "It was important for me to have my own identity."

When Scerbo is not acting as a realtor, she is her daughter's second grade class mom, the PTO chairperson for elementary school pictures for both the spring and fall seasons, a den leader for her son's Cub Scout group and an active member of two different book clubs. The children play soccer in the fall, are on swim teams in the summer, wrestle in the winter and play baseball and softball in the spring. Both children are also active in scouting year-round. 

"Being a real estate professional is rewarding because it focuses specifically on someone else's needs, which is exactly what us moms do best,"  she said.

Scerbo also loves to cook and recently took her kids to the Short Hills Mall to see a live taping of a cooking show. "I only allow them to watch the Food Network channel between 5 and 6 [p.m.] when I am preparing dinner," she says. Her daughter, Alexandra, has developed a special interest in cooking.

As she breaks up a small disagreement between her two children, she explains that a realtor gets paid only when a house transaction is complete, so her work with a particular client can range from two months to two years in some cases.

She often lives in her cell phone's virtual world and gets lots done with the help of the device. She can receive faxes on the phone, and it alerts her when another agent is showing one of her listings or when her immediate attention is needed. Handling transactions this way allows her to have more personal time with her family, since she does not always need to be running to the office.

"I like to handle all of the calls for my clients personally so that they can relax, knowing that I will take care of it for them," says Scerbo.  

The workdays do not usually end at 3 p.m., however, because clients are encouraged to call Scerbo whenever they need help, even if it is at 10 p.m. at night.

Her favorite part of the business is negotiating a contract, working with the other agent to obtain an agreeable price for both the buyer and seller. "It's about knowing when to move on an offer and when to back off for a while," she said.

That philosophy is just one more part of a life full of balance.

Know someone you think we should profile? Let me know at zach@patch.com.