Amina Stevens grew up in an educational environment, her mom a teacher, her aunt a principal. The now 28-year-old followed in their footsteps, but soon realized there is more than one kind of classroom. Her new focus is teaching first-time homebuyers in Tampa how to achieve the house of their dreams.
Later this month, she takes her role as realtor-educator to HGTV for a pilot series called First Timer’s Club. In the series, she’ll teach first-time homebuyers the ropes of looking, financing, fixing credit issues and closing the deal.
From social media to her own show
How does a fairly new realtor land such a sweet gig? “Essentially, I was just doing my thing, posting on Instagram about chronicles with my buyers and a lot of educational content on the process of homeownership, things to look out for,” she said. “I had series called Ask Amina and got a good response.”
Others were watching from a distance. A production company called Red Arrow contacted Stevens and eventually pitched the idea for the new show to HGTV.
That was before COVID-19 and before the real estate market here started glowing red-hot.
“In a lot of ways, it feels like it was a quick process and, in some ways, feels like a really long process,” she said. “Once they reached out, they said they were interested and then when they came back, they wanted to monitor my social media some more.”
Related: Program Helps Tampa Homebuyers Purchase Their First Home
Eventually, Red Arrow decided to promote the idea of real estate with education and HGTV took it on.
“I was really interested in doing educational homeownership,” Stevens said. “The show went from that to focusing on once I get the client, the process that they are going through. We shot a few episodes and those airing are the pilots we did. It will move forward if we get a good enough response,” she said. Viewers can catch the episodes on March 10 at 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Viewers should tag HGTV on any Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook comments (@hgtv #hgtv, #ftchgtv) to support the show.
Showing the real side of real estate
Stevens said the show will expose the actual process she goes through with her clients.
“Buyers go through a lot of variables that they are trying to analyze and really figure out,” she said.
In the pilot episode, clients got the homes they wanted within proximity to the asking price. However, Stevens added, “you are going to see the struggles.”
“I would definitely say the market continues to get a little bit tougher because of the low inventory,” but also because of corporate buyers gobbling up available housings and putting them in the rental market.
“A lot of people under-estimate the sheer demand of people moving to Florida or those no longer required to be close to work. They move across the country and live by the beach. There is a lot of demand in Florida because it’s paradise. Also, there is a shift in people thinking about where they live or being somewhere forever.”
Living people and changing lives
Stevens spent two years teaching high school before switching careers. She loved teaching seniors they should chase their dreams, she said, but she was not chasing her own.
“I had never really analyzed real estate as a career but started investigating and realized that was a field I could educate in, as well. I could have an impact on others’ lives. I could help with real-life applications. I could show people ‘here is how to navigate and get the best loan.’ I can probably make a bigger impact in real estate.”
Between 60% and 70% of Stevens’ clients are first-time homebuyers in Tampa. The rest are second-time buyers or are locating to the Tampa area for the first time.
Related: Tampa’s Rental Move-In Assistance Program Accepting Applications
“A lot of the real estate shows I love them all, but there is a gap in regard to education and the true representation of buying a home,” Stevens said. “Not just in terms of the house they are interested in, but if they have a credit struggle, how much have they saved, how are they feeling.”
She said the new show, unlike other real estate shows, will be very beneficial to the newbies in real estate. “And real estate agents will see the work we do reflected on the show.”
Stevens did not grow up in a house her mother owned, she said. “I was in college before I ever considered that one day, I might own my own house. It is not always an easy process. I saw it as huge, insurmountable even.” Now she has a contract to buy her own first home. The show will reflect that experience as others go through it, she said.
“It’s a really authentic look at the real estate experience and it’s so important that people with challenges be represented.”