INTERVIEW & CAREER PROFILE - Carolyn Telgard, Real Estate Professional
with Northern Michigan Woman Magazine
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND! I’m a licensed real estate professional entering my fifth season with Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors in Leland, my hometown. Prior to working in real estate, I had a successful career as a licensed architect, working on commercial and residential design projects across the US.
WHAT TOOK YOU AWAY FROM LEELANAU & WHAT BROUGHT YOU BACK?
As a teenager, I was very eager to leave the area. Somehow an interest in architecture pulled me towards city life - first in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan and then, while pursuing a master’s degree, I ventured to Los Angeles where I attended UCLA. In the summers, I would return to Leland to wait tables at my family’s restaurant, The Bluebird. I think then, even while pursuing my dream career and doing work that I loved, I realized how much I missed the Leelanau lifestyle. This place just calls to you. So in 2017, after many years living in Los Angeles, Austin, and Chicago, I returned to Leland for good; this time with a family in tow.
WHY THE PIVOT FROM ARCHITECTURE TO REAL ESTATE?
I shifted into real estate just as we moved back to the area. Personally, it was a good time for a change; and professionally, it was a strategic shift that I hoped would broaden my expertise into a different but very related field. The parallels between the two professions are undeniable and it’s been really
interesting to have my feet in both worlds.
BIGGEST JOY OF YOUR PROFFESSION?
Satisfied clients! They’re everything to me. When I commit to working with someone, I’m all in. As much as I can, I aim to personally handle every detail of a transaction. We’re not just helping folks buy and sell real estate. We’re helping people plan their future and achieve long-standing goals. And that effort deserves my attention, 100%.
