When Sherri Patterson started her real estate career 23 years ago, the stakes couldn’t be higher. She had two young kids that she was raising as a single mother with no family in the area to rely on. What she did have, however, was the endurance of a swimmer, the tenacity of an entrepreneur, and the determination of a mother providing for her children. Today, she has a thriving team, and her very own niche in the market.   

 

Much of Sherri’s competitive edge and drive to succeed was shaped as a child, growing up in Southern California where she competed for 10 years on her local swim team. She moved to Redding and, at just 16 years old, got her first job working on Lake Shasta at Silverthorn Resort in the grocery store on the dock. “At the time, Merle Haggard owned it and, boy, was that a fun and crazy summer,” Sherri recalled.   

 

Sherri’s love of the water drove her to work at various resorts all over Lake Shasta. She honed her leadership and administrative skills, running their reservation department and traveling to several boat shows.

 

As the summers died down, Sherri knew that she needed more of a steady career. She landed herself a job as a credit manager at a popular family-owned lumber business called Meeks Building Center. After marrying and relocating to Sacramento for her husband’s job, she decided to start her own credit management and collection company and continued growing her negotiation skills for the benefit of her clients in the construction industry.

 

“I can out-negotiate anyone,” Sherri said of her hard-earned skill. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a lot or a little. The key is fighting for each client dollar like it’s my own and killing them with kindness.”

 

With two small children at home, Sherri entered real estate for a more flexible schedule. She joined a small, private company doing mortgages and real estate sales, and quickly discovered lending was not for her. She was then introduced to the owner of Security Pacific Real Estate in Fair Oaks, where she began building her clientele through open houses and client referrals.

 

Sherri discovered her niche around 2006. Two things happened around this time: she was introduced to Brian Buffini and the world of coaching, and she began working with an experienced agent who specialized in relocation for physicians. As she continued to work in the medical niche, she began to refine and improve how she could serve others in this arena through different highs and lows of the market. Just as Sherri was gaining a solid footing in the business, however, the recession hit.

 

Like many at the time, Sherri lost her home and had to really hunker down and work hard. She referred short sales out to more experienced agents and instead leaned on her strengths – her commitment and dedication to her clients, listening to their needs, and doing everything she could to meet them. She also dug deeper into connecting and working with physicians and developed an entire business model around it. With much work, and the help of Buffini and Company coaches, she grew to be the leader in this area. And not without sacrifice.

 

“I became a workaholic,” she said. “It wasn’t until 2019 that I took my first vacation out of the country. I was just trying to balance everything – having two very active children in year around sports and a growing business didn’t leave much time for anything else.”  Since then, Sherri has caught the travel bug with trips to Australia, Germany, Budapest, Switzerland, and Greece planned for 2024.   

 

Sherri has definitely found her stride today. She runs The Sherri Patterson Team, a team of seven members and growing, with GUIDE Real Estate, a luxury independent brokerage. Her business is client-focused and referral-based. Engaged, enthusiastic, and energetic, her team hosts 6-7 client events throughout the year. They have even created a VIP list for clients who give the most referrals. VIP clients get invited to two VIP parties a year and get automatically entered into raffles for some amazing gifts and trips. Their annual Harvest Festival drew over 275 people last year and is going on its 10th year anniversary with an expectation of 300+.

 

 As their motto says, “We party our way to the top and take our clients with us!”  

 

Giving back to the community is another intrinsic part of Sherri’s team. Because of Sherri’s love for animals and her children’s dedication to serve others (her daughter is a NICU nurse and her son is a Marine, currently studying to be a pilot) they tend to focus their philanthropic efforts on organizations that reach children, veterans, and animals, like Save a Warrior Foundation, That Others May Live Foundation, Placer County and El Dorado SPCA, the Burn Institute, and Impact Sac.

 

“This is a wonderful profession to impact and serve our families and communities,” she said. “It’s important to be kind and thoughtful to yourself and others.”

 

When Sherri isn’t working, you can usually find her on the golf course or hiking trails. Lake Tahoe is her “place of tranquility” where she goes to refresh. She also loves going to country music concerts, paddle boarding, wine tasting, and traveling, especially to visit her children.

 

As Sherri continues building her business, she plans to grow her team and to continue helping as many people as she can. No matter how the tide may turn in the future, there is no doubt that she will keep swimming.