In 1982, Sue Brown and her family traveled from their home in Queensland, Australia to Hawai’i Island for what she assumed would be a short-term adventure. Her husband, Hilary, accepted a two-year position as manager of MacFarms of Hawai’i and the family relocated to their new home in South Kona.
Soon after arriving, Sue searched for a preschool for her two-year-old son Tim and five-year-old son Chris that emphasized learning through play, but came up short. Out of necessity, she founded an early childhood education program, Playschool at Society for Kona's Education and Art (SKEA). It was to be the legacy Sue left when the family returned to Australia. Sue and her family became so rooted in Hawai’i, however, that two years grew into 42 years.
Sue ran Playschool for 18 of those years, teaching a whole generation of children the importance of honesty, integrity, trust, and mutual respect through play, art, music, and games. She then taught at Kamehameha Preschool, bringing these values to the Kona and Waimea campuses.
“I miss the independence of running my own business,” Sue told her husband after two years. Hilary suggested that she try real estate and after taking a salesperson class, Sue was delighted to discover that the same core values apply to running a preschool and practicing real estate. “It’s about developing relationships and earning trust. Without trust, we’re nothing.”
“First, I was a mother and homemaker. Then, I was a preschool director and teacher. Now, I’m a realtor and principal broker. Each was a calling, not a job. And each career has prepared me for the next,” says Sue, who officially made the leap from education to real estate in 2003. “My preschoolers taught me patience and empathy. They taught me how to listen and negotiate … Skills I now apply to real estate. But you can’t take the teacher out of me. The difference is that now, I educate clients on buying and selling real estate. I’m not a salesperson. I’m a guide.”
In 2006, Hilary retired as President of MacFarms of Hawai’i and became a full-time realtor. “Then my son Tim got his real estate license and came on in 2016, bringing his skills as a corporate financial controller in Colorado back to Hawai’i.” As for working with family for two decades, Sue points out that communication is paramount.
“But we don’t hold sales meetings or set ‘sales goals.’ I don’t ever track my hours and I don’t call it ‘work’ because it’s bigger than a job. It’s who I am! I don’t have an escrow coordinator. I believe in personally being there for each client, every step of the way,” says Sue of her unique approach to selling 768 properties in 21 years.
“At Playschool, everyone was free to be themselves and be different. Color outside the lines! In Kona’s real estate, that’s reflected in our homes. We don’t stress about what’s in fashion. We have our own style,” Sue shares.
For 18 years, children came from as far away as Waikoloa and South Point (Ka Lae) to attend Playschool. Today, this is the area Sue serves as a broker and many of her former students have become her clients.
“At Playschool, we would end each day with a song: ‘our play school is over, and we are going home … Be always kind and true,’” Sue recalls with a smile. “I looked after the children, giving them a preschool that was an extension of home. Now they are adults and I look after them by helping them find homes for their own families.”
Learn more at SueBrownHawaii.com.
I believe in personally being there for each client, every step of the way.