In the Spotlight Feeling right at home: Cambria native gaining recognition in real estate world
Apr. 30—Madison Sutton spent a lot of pleasant time in different homes during her childhood in Cambria County, which, in retrospect, played an important role in setting her off on a burgeoning career in international real estate.
Her parents fixed up and flipped several properties.
She still affectionately recalls the smell in her aunt's foyer.
And, of course, there were the houses where she lived with her family and watched a lot of HGTV, a network that broadcasts home improvement shows.
Sutton now lives in New York City, one of the world's most important real estate markets, and at just age 26, she has already been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CNN, Fox Business and other major news outlets.
"I remember a lot of the homes, which is kind of fitting because I'm in real estate now," Sutton said during a recent telephone interview. "The first house we lived in was from the 1800s. My parents were really big on remodeling.
"So a lot of my childhood memories are very, very family- orientated, going to Mass, whether it be Holy Name (in Ebensburg) or St. Mary's, which was in Nanty Glo."
Sutton often comes back to the local area, making sure to visit family and friends and getting pizza from Marlene's Pizza in Nanty Glo.
"It becomes more human," Sutton said. "I think when I was younger there's an element of, like, magic to where you grew up. You just have this cloud around you of optimism. Coming back to it as an adult and through the years, it's really interesting to watch the people I grew up with go down different paths, but also watching the community change and modernize. It's interesting."
The area "still feels like home" to her even after she left around age 11 and lived in other states.
Sutton is a self-described real estate and lifestyle influencer who bills herself as "TheNYCAgent" and has more than 150,000 followers across multiple platforms.
She emphasizes using modern technology in the real estate business.
"I think what we're seeing is a huge shift in general in social media and client-based services," Sutton said. "This can be any kind of sales. This can be homes. It can be cars. Or it can be services, like a hairstylist, a baker, anything of that nature."
Her mission is to "come at it with a creative perspective of, 'How can I make the industry work for me?' "
Sutton feels a part of a real estate world that is undergoing a transformation.
"The idea of what a real estate agent is has completely shifted in the past 15 years," she said. "Fifteen years ago, this was a housewife's career. It wasn't really taught in schools, definitely not universities. ... What we're seeing is this shift from this visualization of a real estate agent being a tall guy with a black suit and red tie who is almost used car salesman-y to wanting to curate an authentic relationship."
Sutton will soon experience arguably the biggest accomplishment of her career to date.
She is scheduled to speak at the 25th anniversary Australasian Real Estate Conference (AREC) in Gold Coast, Australia. The event, which is set to take place on May 28 and 29, will feature more than 30 presenters, including actress Reese Witherspoon, Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner and figures from the international real estate community.
Sutton is promoted at the event's website as "one of Gen Zs most prominent and influential voices in our industry" who has "shared her extensive knowledge and experience in effectively leveraging social media's power to generate leads and successfully sell real estate."
She will be giving the first keynote speech of her career, likely to thousands of attendees, while also participating in breakout sessions.
"I'm incredibly excited," Sutton said. "I'm honored. When they first reached out, it felt like it was too good to be true. ... It feels like a really big stepping stone in the right direction for me. I'm very excited."
