2017 Women in Real Estate Spotlight - Deirdre Robinson

Years in real estate: 20

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of: National Housing & Rehabilitation Association and CREW/Boston

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career: I approach obstacles in my career in a similar manner to what I do every day for my clients. I try to step back, look at the larger picture, prioritize the goals and then find the path forward that best gets me to the goal. The biggest lesson that I have learned is that sometimes the path that gets you to the end is not the one that is the straightest or fastest. Learning to look at all options and not ruling anything has helped me reach my goals. 

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career: I rely on my team building and creative problem solving skills the most when I represent developers of affordable housing. The transactions involve complicated financing schemes with lenders, investors and federal/state agencies and frequently interests among all of these parties don’t align. 
Its important that when issues arise, we work together as a team towards the goal of developing safe affordable housing.  Problems in these types of complicated transactions are inevitable and what I have found to be the most helpful in reaching solutions is the ability to be creative in solving problems.