We hope that you’re enjoying getting to know our agents at Zeitlin & Co., Realtors. Today we sit down with Nathan Weinberg, of Music City Dwellings Real Estate Group. We posed some questions to Nathan, and he would love to answer your own questions in the comments!

Nathan, how long have you been a Realtor, and what brought you to this career? It was an interesting notion that brought me to this career. To answer the first question though, three years. I was working in the hotel world, had been for 10 years. I had worked at every level of that service industry, in many different capacities and was beginning to feel bored, burnt out and just tired. My wife was offered a transfer in her career to Nashville and so we came. I asked her if I could take a risk, try something I had never done before, in a place I had never been and she surprised me with a yes. Three years later it’s easy to say that I made a great choice, and that I have my wife to thank for it.

Have you ever been attacked by a pet while showing a house? Ha! Yes and no. Never violently attacked by a pet at a house, but lovingly attacked, yes. I have been surprised by some pets, though. As I was touring a house with buyers, walking in the basement examining the piers and foundation, I turned around and found myself face to face with a wall of snake aquariums!  I am not afraid of snakes, but being surprised by them is no fun, and my clients could have been happier about the surprise.

What is your favorite type of house to sell? Thats a tough question.  I like to sell houses that I would want to live in.  Homes have personalities and you need to have a connection to have a relationship.  It’s just like a friendship.  If you don’t jive well with someone, you’re not going to be good friends.  If I had to choose a specific style of home I would say modern craftsman and Mid Century modern homes.  There is so much character in the former and such ingenuity in the later.

What do you think is the best Nashville neighborhood to take your kiddo trick or treating? My family lives in Germantown just North of downtown Nashville.  In Germantown, 5th Ave. N. is a hotspot for trick or treators on Halloween.  My family and I love to stay at home and see all the great costumes that come to our door.  The streets are teaming with kids, parents, and pets.  Because its so busy often the police are there to keep things safe and orderly.  Something is cool about trick or treating in a historic neighborhood, just a little more spooky.

The Real Estate business has changed dramatically over the past few years. What do you see as being the best facet of this new real estate climate. Its been a really exciting change for the market.  It was a wake up call for so many people in our industry.  Complacency had become normal, and when that came to a jarring end agents had to re-evaluate how they wanted to do business.  I think there are two things that can go in the “great” column because of this new climate.

First, buyers and sellers are so well informed comparatively.  I will be slapped around for saying this, but HGTV and DIY network have done great things for home ownership.  They have made savvy an otherwise ignorant consumer.  Buyers now seem to have a great concept of things to look for, potential pitfalls and a general sense of the process.  This awareness allows me to more easily focus on sourcing property for buyers, and more effectively negotiate for sellers and buyers.

The other great thing that came about was a better qualification of home buyers.  Whether we like it or not, people who buy houses now actually can afford to own the homes they buy.  The additional regulation put on banks and lenders has made things very difficult for everyone, but it should be.

Nathan Weinberg is a Zeitlin & Co., Realtor working with the Music City Dwellings Real Estate Group, and a regular contributer to the Zeitlin Blog. He can be reached at Nathan.Weinberg@ZeitlinRealtors.com or on his direct line: (615) 414-9626. He also can be found on Facebook and Twitter.