The dental hygienist who once asked you to “open” is now hosting open houses.  Say hello to Stephanie Stimmel, our area’s newest realtor.

“It was kind of a scary move, but it was just one of those things that I’m so glad I did,” Stimmel says of her mid-life career change.

Now a realtor with Lepic-Kroeger, REALTORS, Stimmel concluded her 25-year career as a dental hygienist at the end of 2022.  You may remember her from Towncrest Dental in Iowa City, where she worked for 18 years, or more recently from Kalona Family Dental, where she had been since 2017.

“I’ve always loved real estate,” the Kalona resident says.  “My dad wanted me to go the real estate route.  But I also had an interest in dental hygiene, so I went that route.”

Years of bending over peering into mouths started to take their toll, and Stimmel’s aching back and shoulders made her consider seeking a change.  Her second love came quickly to mind.

Interestingly, it was a patient at the dental practice who helped her make the transition from teeth to home tours.  She knew he had made a career change into real estate, so she reached out, hoping he might answer some of her questions.

“I just said, I have questions if you have time to answer them,” she recounts.  “What do you think about somebody coming into real estate at this time?  Do you still love what you do?  What would you recommend for somebody changing careers at this point in life?”

He invited Stimmel to the Lepic-Kroeger offices, where he answered her questions and introduced her to the manager. She decided to start taking classes last fall.

“I work during the day, and then at night, instead of watching TV or scrolling through Facebook, I started studying,” she says.  “It was very interesting, and I loved it, so it was really easy for me to keep moving.”

She flew through the program of online and in-person classes, which she completed on weekends, and took the required exams.  She resigned from the dental office at the end of December, was awarded her realtor’s license in January, and has been loving every day of her new career since.

She’s set such a fast pace that she’s already sold a couple of houses, both to first-time home buyers.  

“I tell them, my job is to show you everything that is in the scope of your interest, or what you’re looking for.  And your job is to look and tell me when you see something that you love or you’re interested in.  I’ll show you ten homes or 100 homes until you find the one you love,” Stimmel says.  

Stimmel knows that purchasing a home can be an intimidating process for both the first-time and experienced buyer given current housing market conditions.  With few homes for sale and many people looking, houses sell fast – literally listed today, sold tomorrow.    Under pressure like that, buyers have to be quickly versed on escalation clauses and the importance of earnest money – things even experienced buyers may not have had to worry much about in the past.  She tries to make the process as low-stress for them as possible.

Stimmel enjoys partnering with her clients.  After they chose a house and their offer is accepted, her job includes “keeping in contact with them, walking them through the process of the inspections, and being there for them, helping them all the way through the closing.  I’ve checked in on [my clients] a few times to make sure that everything’s okay, and that they’re loving their house, and reminding them to do things like change their garage code or giving them the resources to set up their utilities,” she says.

The housing market typically heats up in the spring when the weather becomes more temperate, leaving many realtors with more time on their hands during the slower months of the year.  Stimmel has been using her extra time to learn more beyond the courses she’s taken covering the history, ethics, mathematics, and legal aspects of facilitating property sales.  She’s gone so far as to earn the National Association of Realtors’ GREEN Designation, which indicates her proficiency in understanding the issues of energy efficiency and sustainability in real estate.  

She’s also used her time to become more involved in the community by joining a community outreach committee, a diversity task force, and the Friends of the Animal Center Foundation.  

“Mostly it’s getting out there and doing things to give back to the community, which I’ve always wanted to do, but then never really had the time,” she says, adding that her boys growing up and moving out of the house has given her additional time as well.

Stimmel also spends some time working at the Hard Luck Café in Kalona, which her husband took over from his dad over a decade ago.

Her new career in real estate suits Stimmel perfectly.  

“I’ve already made friendships and relationships on a new level,” she says.  “Even though I did dental hygiene for years and made relationships with people. . . It’s a different thing.  People don’t like coming to the dental office. . . People are happier to be with me.”

Stephanie Stimmel works with Lepic-Kroeger, REALTORS at 2346 Mormon Trek Blvd, Iowa City.  Contact her at 319-325-2621 or stephanie@lkiowa.com.