From stay at home mother to successful businesswoman, Top Real Estate Agent in Arizona Cheryl Anderson of Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty has made quite the name for herself serving the people of Paradise Valley, Arizona. With the demands of raising her daughter, Cheryl desired a career that offered a flexible work schedule. She has found the perfect career as a REALTOR®.

Getting started in the real estate business was completely by accident for Cheryl. Having studied art at UCLA and owning her own business Creative Consulting as an art consultant in her hometown Los Angeles, real estate was never on Cheryl’s radar. Cheryl eventually met her husband through her work. “He came into my gallery every day and ended up being a really great client, husband, and a wonderful father. We’ve been married 26 years.”

In 1992 the couple moved to Arizona while Cheryl was pregnant with their daughter Lindsey. Three years later, living as a stay at home mother, Cheryl thought it was time for something else. “The local gallery business wasn’t selling my kind of art—contemporary art investment pieces— so I thought, “What can I do?”

In 1995 a friend Cheryl suggested she consider working for her husband’s commercial real estate company. “I was looking for something part-time, where I could work 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. basically, a couple of days a week.” At first Cheryl was simply doing paperwork and appraisals. Eventually one thing led to another and the company was awarded the contract to sell homes owned by the Arizona Department of Transportation that had been in the path of a freeway. “He had all of these homes that they now had to staff.

I found myself hosting these open houses for people who would never otherwise be able to afford a home. It was really heartwarming to see people who had lived in or rented apartments all of their lives now have an opportunity to buy a home. I found that I had really missed having that kind of contact with people in that sales environment. Because of that experience I thought, “Maybe I should do this.”

From that point Cheryl got her license, and it just snowballed. “I’ve found my calling, but I never would have known it. Life forced me in a direction I never would have expected and it turned out to be the best thing that ever could have happened.” Having now worked in real estate for two decades, what Cheryl believes separates her from other agents is her authenticity. “I’m not a very pretentious person—I know who I am, and I’m true to my style. I don’t feel like I have to be something I’m not or impress people. This is who I am, and this is what I love to do.”

Cheryl mainly specializes in the Arizona luxury market with an average sale of $1.5 million. In 1999 Cheryl served as the chairman of Paradise Valley’s Luxury Home Tour. When Cheryl started as chairman, the group had 75 members, and when she finished her term the membership had grown to over 400 members. Although her niche is the Arizona luxury market, Cheryl enjoys working with a variety of people, including first-time homebuyers. “I have children of past clients who now are purchasing homes or condos. It is fun to be part of their excitement!”

Over the years, Paradise Valley remains where Cheryl’s heart and soul resides. “That’s the market I serve, it’s where I live, and it’s what I really love. However, we have wonderful clients in many other areas too.” In 2011, Cheryl was voted Paradise Valley’s best REALTOR® by both her clients and peers. “That was very rewarding. Tome,my referrals are the highest form of recognition—from clients who use me again and refer me to their friends, that’s as good as it gets in my book.”

In the end, it all boils down to the motto “Reputation is Everything” taught to Cheryl by her mother when she was little and which she has since trademarked. “We all make mistakes in life, that’s how you learn, but I do believe it, and I try to live by it. In the end, your reputation is all that matters. I’ve always stayed true to that. I always think about what’s best for the client. That’s my focus. You know that old adage, what goes around comes around? Well, I love what comes back to me.”

To learn more about Cheryl visit www.cherylanderson.com call 602-312-6038 or e-mail cheryl.anderson@russlyon.com