Stephenson Realty now open

In mid-August, Stephenson Insurance Group added another service to their business portfolio - Stephenson Realty.

Stephenson Insurance Group owner Josh Stephenson said that it’s not unusual for an insurance agency and a realty office to partner, and is a business practice that has been going for years.

“It makes sense that customers trust you with putting together insurance solutions to protect their assets. If they trust you with that part of the process, it’s likely they would trust you with buying or selling a house,” said Stephenson.

Branching into real estate, however, wasn’t something that was in the forefront of Stephenson’s mind when he opened his insurance agency nearly two years ago.

“Like a lot of things, as things evolve, new ideas and new opportunities come up that you didn’t really consider,” he said.

That evolution was the hire of Elizabeth Herrera as an insurance agent about a year ago.

Herrera is no stranger to the real estate world - she was an agent and then broker at Iowa Realty Osceola when the former broker moved.

“It all started because I wanted to help my community, the Spanish community,” said Herrera of her initial foray into real estate.

When the Iowa Realty Osceola office closed, Herrera thought that was the end of her real estate career, yet she still had a desire to help people buy and sell homes.

In Herrera, Stephenson noted a unique combination of someone who is bilingual, a current real estate agent and broker, and is a graduate of Clarke Community Schools, someone who is familiar with the area.

Thus, the decision was made to open a brokerage that would allow Herrera to continue on her real estate journey, and open up another real estate option for those in need of such services.

“When you find someone like [Liz]...you go down that path and see if you can help support her,” said Stephenson.

Real agent Ed Buesch also made the move over to Stephenson Realty, formerly having been at Iowa Realty Osceola, making it a team of two who currently represent the agency; Stephenson is currently working towards his own real estate license, and plans to have that finished and ready to go by 2025.

For Herrera, she is now able to provide a unique perspective to clients from having worked in both the insurance and real estate worlds.

“Now I can see both ways - one real estate, and one insurance,” said Herrera, noting that she can look at homes from an insurance standpoint, and use that knowledge to help clients know in

advance if there might be an issue getting something insured.

While Stephenson Realty is still in its infancy, the team is excited to see what the future brings, and look forward to working with clients and their real estate peers.

“We’re simply trying to offer a service to people who want to lean on us for their process,” said Stephenson.

Stephenson Realty is conveniently located with Stephenson Insurance Group, 605 W. McLane St.