Moving Moments

Real Estate Agent Julie Tartaglia is there when life happens

Julie Tartaglia runs an advertisement that tells you everything you need to know about why she loves being a real estate agent and how she has built a thriving business as one of Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate’s top reps in the Omaha area.

The ad’s headline reads “When Life Happens,” and includes images of a person with a cane, a broken heart, an engagement ring, a baby stroller, and a moving truck. Tartaglia has seen all that and much more in her 16-year career as a realtor, and she relishes being part of those life-changing moments. 

“The closing table is my favorite part of the business, but not because we’re closing a deal,” Tartaglia said. “It’s because somebody is starting a dream and another person is closing a chapter and moving on to their next journey. People are always going to be moving. People relocate. They have more kids than what their house can hold. They need to move to senior living. People are always going to have those moments in life, and I love to be there for those big moments.”

Tartaglia is present for bittersweet touchpoints for her clients too. Such as the friend she just helped whose wife recently passed away. Or another elderly friend whose husband died after a lengthy bout with Alzheimer’s. “These are sad times, but I get the opportunity to hold her hand and tell her, ‘When the time is right, I’m here for you.’ It doesn’t have to be tomorrow; it doesn’t have to be in a year. It can be whenever you’re ready. I want people to know that I’m there. It’s not the money. It’s not the actual sale. It’s the journey. For so many people, it’s such a big deal. Your home is the biggest thing you invest in, and it’s full of memories.”

That has been Tartaglia’s approach since she made a big move herself in 2008, from owning and running a beauty salon to becoming an independent realtor upon the advice of a salon client. Tartaglia advanced to become a Top 20 agent as part of a large team, eventually transitioned to a smaller team of three, and then late last year made the switch back to being independent again. As an independent, everything rests on her shoulders—just where she likes it. “I’m a very hands-on agent,” Tartaglia said. “You can’t beat that. It’s part of not having a team. Everything is on me and paying attention to the details. There are so many moving parts and I do my best to under promise and over deliver.”

That mantra has vaulted Tartaglia to top-shelf status among 3,000 realtors in the Omaha area as she has focused most of her efforts the past few years in bustling Elkhorn and west Omaha, with some attention focused on other high-growth areas such as Bennington, Gretna, Papillion, and Millard. For Tartaglia, there is no substitute to being on the streets and in the know about the housing market, the financial landscape of ever-shifting interest rates, and working with the best mortgage lenders and other partners to help her clients make their moves. 

“I don’t know how much good you can do for your client when you haven’t been out looking at properties,” Tartaglia said. “You need to be out in it and talking to people and seeing properties. I love looking at houses. I love showing houses. It’s funny, buyers will say, ‘I feel like we’re wasting your time, we’re looking at all these houses.’ My response is, ‘I know the industry because I’m looking at these houses all the time.’ I’m happy to do that. You can be a good agent, but you can’t be an exceptional agent if you don’t have all the tools in your toolbox.”

Tartaglia has added a couple of power tools to her business model that have taken her business to new heights. One connection is Oakley Properties investor Jason Woodward, who refurbishes often-disheveled houses and “makes them beautiful so another person can love the house that maybe wasn’t loved so much for a while,” Tartaglia said. “We’ve seen some dire properties, and you think, ‘how is this ever going to get turned around? How is anybody going to be able to enjoy it?’ But he does it.”

Tartaglia covers the other end of the housing spectrum as the exclusive realtor for custom homebuilder Andre Knutson of Lifetime Structures Luxury Homes. “He’s such a visionary, and what he builds is very unique,” she said, noting Knutson’s sweet spot of $800,000 to $4 million homes. “If I have a buyer who is looking to build a custom home in this area, I connect the two of them and see if it’s a good fit. I know they’re in good hands.” Tartaglia’s work with Knutson has taken her back to her roots in Elmwood, Nebraska, where she worked in her parents’ small-town lumberyard. “I grew up helping my dad and brother unload train cars of lumber and going with my dad to pick up paint, lumber, and hardware,” Tartaglia said. “Andre is also from generations of builders, so it’s in our blood.”

Tartaglia and her husband, retired dentist Brian Zuerlein, moved into another realm of ownership six years ago when they opened The WestEnd Cocktails and Appetizers establishment in Elkhorn. “Z,” as Tartaglia calls her husband, is a foodie who works on the culinary end of the business and brings creativity to the concept and ambiance, while Tartaglia oversees staff and client relations. The high-end casual vibe for 35-to-80-year-olds creates the perfect place to host lunch-and-learns for mortgage lenders and gatherings for real estate teams. 

Many of Tartaglia’s clients visit, and she lands regular real estate deals by mixing it up with West End clientele. Those who know Tartaglia know that real estate is still her first love and passion. “We know our lane and we’re sticking to it,” she said. “It’s the same thing in real estate. There are so many shiny objects and so many “Squirrel!” moments. We just want to do the basics so well that clients have a great experience and want to use me again and refer me to people they know. That’s the greatest compliment you can have.”

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