Editor’s note: In celebration of Gay Pride Month, we are featuring eXp agents who are allies and supporters of the LGBTQ community and promote their services, values, and commitments.
The smartest and most tactically adept real estate professionals know when to make bold moves. The demands of the industry have to dovetail with the realities of your life – otherwise, things can get out of hand, fast.
So what do you do when you’re a real estate agent and property manager for 30+ years and on top of that, a wife and grandmother raising two young kids? You do what Caren Gilbert-Weedman did. You make the move to eXp Realty.
A dedicated life learner who just earned her B.A. in Child Welfare & Education at age 55, Caren moved to eXp Realty UK – a brokerage that would support her – in all ways.
“I joined in October 2020, although I only hit ‘Go’ in March 2023, as I was finishing off a BA degree. I heard about eXp through the lovely Clare Hughes, an East End of London agent with 20 years of experience who had also moved to eXp. Clare had set up a group called ‘Women in Estate Agency,’ ‘’ said Caren, who needed a community of fresh ideas and support.
Along with her wife, Ellie, they became special guardians in 2018 to her two young grandchildren when they were 2- and 4-years old. And when her wife was battling ovarian cancer, it became imperative that Caren align her real estate career with a company that could provide the support she needed.
“It is great that with eXp, my wife and I can provide the care our grandchildren need while also running our businesses, which includes a property management firm. I am incredibly grateful to eXp as you never feel alone. The support is fantastic. The ability to grow and sustain our business and achieve new heights while having a quality home life – that is what we needed and what eXp has delivered,’’ she said.
UK Community Shares Interest in LGBTQ+ Issues
With more than 30 years in the industry, Caren has achieved award-winning success by constantly evolving and making tactical decisions to maximize her time and opportunities. She has found the horizons widen and brighten at eXp, where she is a valuable member of eXp’s LGBTQ+ in Estate Agency.
“It is definitely a joy. I love the support and that inclusion is part of the company’s ethos. James Hummerstone-Pope, myself and a few eXp’ers and other allies have recently set up a Facebook support group for people who identify or support LGBTQ+ in Estate Agency. This is very much in the early days, but I believe that eXp people will support the growth of this throughout the industry. We hope to expand this further,’’ she said.
In addition to eXp’s support, technology and training, which Caren finds “invaluable,” she said being part of the worldwide brokerage allows her to “never feel alone. If a question is asked, there is always an answer.’’
More About Caren Gilbert-Weedman
Years in real estate: Since 1997
Brokerage history:
- eXp Realty (Oct. 2020 – current)
- Your Home Agent (Sept. 2020 – current, property management)
- Prime Abode (Sept. 2016 – 2019)
- HomeSale and HomeLet (now Currans) (Nov. 2011 – Sept. 2016)
- Sales and Letting Station (2009-2011)
- McGill + co Estate Agent (1997 – 2009)
Main territory:
Birmingham (North), Cheshire, North Wales and Wirral (North West England) in UK.
Main focus:
“Birmingham (UK) was mainly investors and first-time buyers. Chester has been mainly families moving onto their forever homes or downsizers. I have always been the agent that values and gives the instruction to market the sale through to completion.”
Accolades, accomplishments & awards:
- British Property Awards/Prime Adobe
- Gold Award for Chester
- Bronze for North West of England
10 Fun Things About Caren Gilbert-Weedman
- I have two webbed toes on each foot.
- I used to be paid to dance & sing professionally. I played Annie as a child.
- I have a strong faith in God and definitely feel his presence in my life.
- I have fostered 7 teenagers over the years for Birmingham Teenage and Remand Fostering.
- I was married to my husband Nick for over 11 years. He died in a plane accident in Kosovo.
- I have just gained a BA degree at the age of 55 years old. I want to continue learning forever.
- I flew my cousin’s plane over Rottnest Island in 2018. That day in Australia, I traveled by foot, bicycle, boat and plane and even picked up some lobsters to put on the BBQ later that day in the bush at my cousin’s house! It was a YAHOOOOOO type of DAY!
- I am an identical twin (Oh, nooo)!
- I recently discovered that I had ADHD as a child, but I have strategies in place to support my daily practice. My senior lecturer Helen Coleman introduced me to the following technique that I love — the Pomodoro Technique if I struggle with learning a new skill that I may potentially have difficulty concentrating on.
- I used to regularly visit prisons while being a member of a Black gospel choir. Yes, I love to sing!!
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