Some say conforming to a middle ground is the ideal way to attract all kinds of clients. Long Island’s Shaughnessy Dusling doesn’t share that belief. She owns her own style boldly with tattoos, piercings, and multi-colored hair on occasion and has found tremendous success along the way, gaining ICON Agent status in her first year of joining eXp Realty in 2018.

“Be yourself, everyone can see through you when you’re not,” said Dusling. “Life is too short to pretend.”

Dusling had $13.5 million in gross sales on 44 transactions in 2019.

Dusling is part of her mom Cynthia’s six-person McKenna Team out of Hauppauge, becoming some of the first eXp agents on Long Island in 2018. When her mother decided to make the move from her previous brokerage, Dusling was admittedly concerned, but now understands the reason behind the move.

“After years of paying too much for too little at our former brokerage, we sought out something that worked for us and found eXp,” said Dusling. “We were excited to have so much technology at our fingertips, ADORED the culture, and loved the revenue share and stock incentives. We could work smarter instead of harder to reap more rewards.”

Dusling Joined Her Mom’s Real Estate Business

Dusling dreamed of a life on Broadway, first studying theater while attending Fordham College at Lincoln Center. She then transferred to Stony Brook University, following a college track to eventually teach English, but found it didn’t suit her. After having two daughters at a young age and getting divorced, she knew she needed to find a career to help support herself and her daughters. Since her mom had the real estate business, she just plugged in.

“Real estate was a 24/7 discussion in my household,” said Dusling.

In Dusling’s first year of selling real estate in 2015, she sold 12 houses, with her first transaction being a FSBO (For Sale By Owner). In 2019 with eXp, she sold $13.5 million in gross sales on 44 transactions, achieving eXp’s coveted ICON status. So far in 2020, she’s had 21 closings.

Dusling says she is super organized and doesn’t let anything slip through the cracks. Also, she works her social media channels constantly, shooting lots of videos and posting to Facebook and Instagram.

She Took On a Deaf Client Many Other Agents Ignored

While it might seem that Dusling only attracts millennial types, she says she has clients from all walks of life.

“I am compassionate, I nurture,” she said. “I’m wired to take care of people and help them through their financial situations. I work with a lot of seniors – they trust me and what I do.”

Dusling shared the story of a deaf client and her developmentally disabled brother who couldn’t get a real estate agent to help them for years due to the communication barriers and their limited budget. Learning of their plight, Dusling went to work, finding them a better place to live, while also advocating on their behalf with a disability office, social services agency and negotiating for other needs such as movers, lawn care and general medical care over the years. She became their guardian angel, in a sense, something that she humbly puts into perspective.

“I don’t feel like I’m anyone’s angel. I’m just an instrument of God’s will,” said Dusling, citing a quote by St. Francis of Assisi as her guiding light: “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

Lastly, Dusling is amazed at the warmth of eXp’s agent community.

“One thing I didn’t realize at eXp is that SO many agents are coming from a servant heart and are willing to share, help and collaborate,” said Dusling. “My previous company touted that they valued that type of mindset, but tended to greatly lack it in practice. It was a huge breath of fresh air and rejuvenation to connect with agents who actually cared. It’s not all about ego or who’s a “top agent.” eXp is about experience and camaraderie culture, and I totally dig it.”

And we dig you, too, Shaughnessy!