In any walk of life, success that lasts is built on a solid foundation. Those who achieve that level of achievement through time know that there’s no replacement for following the fundamentals … for building with the basics.

Adam Slivka is one of those leaders. As Associate Broker with Century 21 Fairways in Irwin, he helps others achieve their dreams step by step. “Looking at the business as a whole, there are so many people who are selling magic bullets to real estate agents these days. But most of it is snake oil,” Adam emphasizes. 

“It would help people a lot if they would just realize there is no silver bullet. It takes hard work and it takes a little while to start working. But if they stick to the things that have worked throughout time, success will come.”

Adam graduated from Penn State, earning his degree in Math and a minor in Education. After college, he and his fiancé moved to the Annapolis, Maryland, area where Adam worked as a teacher. He rose through the ranks quickly. “After my first year, an administrator said I should be a principal, so I took the steps and became an Assistant Principal by age 26 after getting my Master’s degree,” Adam remembers. 

“After a few more years of administration, I realized I liked teaching better, just not the pay. When my wife became pregnant, she said ‘I want to go home’. When we came back, I applied to Edward Jones to be a Financial Advisor. They accepted me and I started studying for the Series7. I went and door-knocked for two days and knew that I didn’t want to do that.”

In September 2012 Adam made the decision to enter real estate. “From there, I got in and powered through,” he says. “It was rough at first, for sure. I sold nothing during my first five months. I came from a government position where you show up and, as a leader, people are taking direction from you. Then I stumbled upon some coaching, and that made a big difference. During my second seven months, I put 22 sales under contract.”

One of the elements of his work that drives him on each day is having the opportunity to serve. “I like helping people get what they want, or get into a situation that works better for their current lifestyle … whether it’s someone downsizing to a house that’s more manageable or stepping up,” he smiles. “That is the most rewarding part for me. Also, I enjoy marketing and negotiating.”

He’s definitely had to do a lot of all of that. Since starting in the business a little over a decade ago, Adam has already recorded nearly 700 transactions. Today, Adam heads his own team with Greg Reilley and The Slivka Reilly Team that features five other agents, as well as an inside sales agent and a transaction coordinator/assistant.

Family enriches Adam’s life. He looks forward to time spent with his wife, Mandy, and their daughter, Olivia. In his free time, Adam stays on the go. Some of his favorite hobbies include lifting weights and exercise. When the weather is warmer, he also likes to hike with his family and take road trips with them.

Adam has built a reputation for getting things done. And he does it all by continuing to build a solid foundation for his business by doing the right things. “I appreciate being able to advise people on the best course of action on how to get what they want … upgrading or downgrading to create a portfolio of investments. At the end of the day, I’m very concerned about doing what’s right,” Adam says. “The second part is when you do the right thing … even if it means taking a couple thousand out of your pocket it will lead to good things with people knowing you have their best interest in mind.”

As he looks to the future, Adam plans on sharing his success with others by developing coaching for other agents. One thing is for sure, those who learn from Adam will come out further ahead … by building with the basics.