Since the real estate industry is so dynamic, adopting innovation is essential to success. Alison Alston, a trailblazer in this industry, stands as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring real estate professionals. This compassionate and competent leader employs cutting-edge strategies to achieve success in the cutthroat real estate market. Her business, Lodestone Real Estate, has made a mark in the market, earning more credibility. Since 2012, the real estate firm has been aligning lifestyle and property goals for the short- and long-term benefit of buyers, sellers, and investors. With the motive ‘Finest properties. Innovative technologies. Exceptional service,’ Alison and her team are assisting clients seeking a seamless and rewarding real estate experience.
Every member of Lodestone is a good person at their core and believes in always putting clients’ interests ahead of their own. Alison’s commitment to ongoing education ensures that the company continues to offer the very best and provide a learning experience that goes far beyond the transaction at hand. She approaches each home as an investment and works with the clients to ensure they are making the best decision for them at that time and with long-term goals in mind as well. “Some of our favorite partners are financial advisors, so we can work in tandem to help clients realize their goals for their futures while meeting their present needs,” she mentions.
The founder of Lodestone, Marissa Boyle, and Alison’s first coach, has had a significant influence on her. An intelligent individual, strong leader, and great businesswoman, Marissa and Alison have been working together for almost seven years now and have created many successful ventures together. Her coworkers thought she was insane when Marissa sold Lodestone to her. Despite having only two years of experience in the field, she recognized Alison’s potential and had faith in her. Alison relied heavily on her confidence as she led the team in its early years. They get together once a week to go for walks and talk about their personal and professional lives. “Now, I know that too, but I also know I wouldn’t want to do this without her. Seven years in, we still have so much fun building together,” she adds.
Care, determination, and integrity
Alison grew up in the real estate profession thanks to her parents. She saw how they flipped houses with care, determination, and honesty. Childhood health concerns led her to take a break from athletics for a period, and she was driven to philanthropy. It helped her tackle difficult situations by helping others. She spent the first decade of her post-college life fundraising for independent schools in the Northeast. In 2016, she and her husband, Charlie, moved from Greenwich, CT, to Charlotte, NC. Looking for a bigger challenge and continuous learning opportunities, she decided to take a leap of faith and launch her real estate career. Her husband, Charlie, joined her shortly after. “We wanted to spend more time helping families put down their own roots while working to improve the real estate industry as a whole,” she adds. She started on this path in 2017 as an agent on the Lodestone team, and within two years she bought Lodestone and took over as team leader.
Alison’s strong work ethic and dedication to being the best version of herself keep her moving forward. Along her journey, she has experienced many potential setbacks in life; thus, she refrains from taking things for granted. She always leads by example. Her agents observe her interactions with clients, listen to her conversations with other agents and vendors, and learn best practices for forming professional relationships that continue far beyond the transaction. At Lodestone, all team members complete the team’s training before going into the field, and all of them partner with a senior agent on their first few transactions to ensure they are delivering the Lodestone Standard of Excellence every day.
Alison spends a lot of time building relationships with community members who are connectors. She is also the host of a TV show, engages in podcasts regularly, and visits real estate and other pertinent conferences throughout the year to guarantee she is networking with business leaders and potential clients all over the country. It’s important for her to be surrounded by good people, by leaders, and by those who are smarter than her so she can always be learning and growing.
An All-female-team
Being the owner and leader of an all-female team, Alison and her team take great pride in establishing themselves as committed professionals and as colleagues who support one another in their own goals and future businesses. She places a strong emphasis on fostering a culture of respect, collaboration, and personal growth within the team, where women can feel confident, safe, and valued and are actively encouraged to pursue their aspirations regardless of the challenges they may encounter. Alison and her team pay attention not just to the numbers or getting a sale completed. They look at what will be the best investment and decision for the individual or family overall. “We treat others with compassion and understanding,” she adds.
Alison encountered the most difficulties during COVID. She received notification that a lockout was in effect and real estate was initially deemed unnecessary. She then had her first team meeting via Zoom and informed the team. “Listen, I consulted my owner’s manual on how to run a business, and someone came and tore out the pages on global pandemics.” She was honest with them: “I didn’t know exactly what our lives were going to look like over the coming weeks.” She promised that she would find a way to keep the company functioning. She spent her next few days connecting with all the incredible partners she had made throughout the previous three years, and together, they came up with a plan. Alison and Lodestone quickly pivoted to a virtual real estate world and worked with their trusted closing attorney to create an addendum to the contract that made allowances for the new world we were living in.
"Contrary to popular belief, your clients don’t expect you to know everything. What they do expect is for you to find the answers."
Bringing in some reforms
Alison and her team work hard to be transparent with their clients and provide access to resources to help clients make informed decisions. She would love to see firms focus on and invest in better safety measures for agents. She thinks a standardized process nationwide would create greater consumer transparency and more opportunity for education for consumers and realtors to better understand the ins and outs of homeownership and building generational wealth through it.
Meanwhile, for Lodestone, Alison had been struggling with how to continue to help more people, whether industry professionals or clients, without building a massive real estate team that might dilute the company culture. She is excited to launch Reside, an expansion of Lodestone Real Estate. Reside provides professional guidance for Realtors looking to implement best practices for their businesses and clients, helping to expand the company’s goals of leaving the industry better than when Alison arrived. It also provides opportunities for individuals and teams nationwide to be a part of the Lodestone Team while building their legacy in the industry. Moreover, one of the things she has found to be a struggle for many realtors is a lack of business and management experience. “Reside allows my team, and other agents, to navigate this new path of being a business owner and avoid some common obstacles and setbacks,” she mentions.
The importance of asking questions
To thrive in this business, one must be good with people. Team leaders must be strong leaders who invest in each of their agents personally and professionally. They must create a safe environment for team members. She says, “Celebrating each other’s differences rather than encouraging homogeneity is the Lodestone way.” They also should encourage team members to go for their goals, no matter what obstacles may stand in their way. Alison encourages agents to find a mentor; far too much risk is involved in not working with an experienced agent who can help guide you. Lastly, she urges you to ‘ask questions’ and concludes, “Contrary to popular belief, your clients don’t expect you to know everything. What they do expect is for you to find the answers.”
