Born and raised in Saskatoon, Tarra Unterschute has always had a passion for the city she lives in, and knew the only right career for her would be one helping people discover that same love. Enthusiastic, positive, and knowledgeable, her goal is to ensure her clients feel empowered and educated about the processes of buying and selling a home. And she emphasizes this with her Friday Five videos, sharing tips and tricks to help buyers and sellers navigate the bustling Saskatoon real estate market.
Why did you choose to become a REALTOR®?
I chose to become a REALTOR® because I love the city that I live in. And when a friend of mine approached me about becoming a REALTOR® and explained the job, I thought, “Yeah, that is something that I can do. And I think that’s something I would really enjoy doing; working with different people.”
Why CENTURY 21®?
I chose to work with CENTURY 21® because I was really impressed with the amount of training that they offer, and how they help mold a brand new agent into a successful agent. That’s their claim to fame is they are really focused on making sure that their REALTORS® go out there fully armed with information, and how to properly service our clients.
What is your favourite part about being a REALTOR®?
My favourite part about being a REALTOR® is that every time I help people purchase or sell a home, it’s a different experience every time. I really enjoy getting to meet so many new people. And every time I work with a different set of buyers or sellers, it’s like having a different boss each time I do it. So I’ve met so many wonderful people that I am still able to keep in contact with!
What is something that you think every buyer should know before getting into real estate?
For a buyer getting into real estate and getting ready to purchase a home, “Know what you want,” is what I would advise them. I would say make a list of the things that you want and need that are important to you, but understand that that list is very likely to change as you go through the process.
What do you think is the most important change coming for real estate?
I think the most important change that’s coming—we’ve already started seeing it—is the advancement of technology and how we need to embrace that. So, whether that’s as a REALTOR® or a buyer or seller, know that technology is so prevalent in everything that we do. And we just need to be able to work with it instead of trying to fight it because it’s coming no matter what.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Well, I am born and raised in Saskatoon, I’ve lived here my whole life. I am married, and I have one little boy, who’s not so little anymore! My husband’s name is Darcy and my son’s name is Liam. We like to travel quite a bit, and we like to do anything that will get us outside! We like being outdoors.
If you could choose 3 words to describe yourself, which would you choose?
Well, I’m told I’m loud, haha! But I think that’s okay—it gets my point across sometimes! I am a hard worker. And I care. I care about the people that I’m working with. More than three words, I guess!
What inspires you?
My son inspires me because he watches what I do and it makes me work harder to set a good example for him. And I am also inspired by the people that I meet, when they become my clients and I get to work with them. They are looking to me for help and guidance and advice, so it makes me work hard. They’re putting their trust in me and I don’t want to disappoint them, so I’m inspired to give it my all on every transaction that I work on.
Why do you love Saskatoon?
I love Saskatoon because it is such a diverse city. We go through all different sorts of seasons throughout the year for weather, but there’s always something to do here. We have a lot of festivities, and there’s lots going on in the summer—we sure can cram a lot of activities into 2 months in this city!
I also find our city to be just gorgeous, from end to end. The new communities that are being built are stunning, our downtown is beautiful, by the river is beautiful, and there are lots of parks.
I love that you can get anywhere in Saskatoon in—well, I used to say 10 minutes, but now it’s more like 20 minutes. It’s small enough to get around town real fast. Everything is close by.
And I really love Saskatoon because of the people in it. There’s such a sense of community, and I always say it’s a really good entrepreneurial-based city, where everyone is trying to have their own claim to fame or their own business and have their mark on the world.
If you could give any seller one piece of advice, what would it be?
The advice I’d give to a seller is to have a thick skin and be patient. It is a process to try to sell your home, and especially if it’s been your family home, you have so many different people walking through there and critiquing it. There are going to be comments that are going to be made about your home that you’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into, that might hurt a little bit. But it is coming from a buyer who is trying to find their little piece of paradise to call their home. So, be patient, that’s what I say.
Is there anything else that you think people should know about you when considering whether or not to work with you?
I work very hard for my clients. My goal is to always make sure that they are very well informed of anything about the transaction or the process. I am very proud of the fact that I have really great communication skills and I really try to explain things fully to people so that they really understand. I strive to ensure that my clients are very well educated about the process and they know everything about the house that we’re working on or any information that I find out. I’m very forthcoming with that and I work hard to explain things to the fullest.
And I will always work like that from the very beginning until the process is done, and even further past that. I’m their REALTOR® for life.