Danielle Langevin ’04/G’08 has been delivering more than just new listings to those in the market to buy or sell a house for the last 10 years – she’s been delivering a promise to go above and beyond for her clients.

From a decade-long career in higher education admissions to a successful career in real estate, Langevin has utilized her network, resources, and love for helping others to make a name for herself. Now a licensed real estate agent with Lock & Key Realty - an alumni-owned boutique brokerage firm located in West Springfield, Mass. - she’d be the first to tell you that she never imagined she would be selling homes for a living.

How It All Started

A lifelong resident of western Massachusetts, Langevin found herself at Western New England University (WNE) for her undergraduate studies. After joining clubs, the dance team and getting involved on campus, WNE quickly became her home away from home. However, following graduation, she found herself unsure of what she was going to do, but with the help and encouragement of Dean Theodore Zern, she applied to become an admissions counselor at WNE.

Looking back now, she admits that it is one of the best jobs a recent graduate in their 20’s could take – it allowed for travel, networking, and to gush with prospective students about the institution where she had just spent the last four years – it was the perfect situation.

Throughout her time in admissions, Langevin found herself working her way from counselor to senior assistant director of admissions. She explained that connecting with families and prospective students, while building relationships was one of her favorite parts, which is why it was difficult for her to eventually move on from her role in admissions as she started having children. “Once you start a family, it gets a little tricky,” she added, “there was a lot of travel. I was spending a lot of time away from home. I did my last travel season pregnant and my last college fair just 11 days before the birth of my daughter.”

It was then that she realized she was going to have to make a change – she said goodbye to WNE and began wondering how she was going to support her growing family.

The Power of Connection

Following her daughter’s birth, Langevin searched for a career that would provide her with flexibility. After talking with her brother about what direction she should take her career in, he mentioned Marc Murphy ’08, and all the work that he was doing within the housing industry.

Taking the suggestion, she called Murphy, who she hadn’t seen in several years, and set up a meeting. She brought her then four-month-old daughter to the meeting and it was there that her story’s trajectory changed. She started as an employee helping with data processing, learning the backside of the real estate industry, and began studying for her real estate licensure while working with renters.

Family First

Making the decision to jump into real estate all those years ago, Langevin was thinking of only one thing – her family. Now with three children, she has the power to make her own schedule, ensuring she’s there for her kids before and after school, while still delivering high-quality customer service to her clients.

Family is at the heart of what drives her to be a better mom, wife, and real estate agent. Having started her career within the rental industry and later pivoting to single and multi-family homes, she claims her greatest joy is helping a family find their forever home. From the first meeting and educating her clients, to the search and eventual exchanging of keys on closing day, Langevin lives for the moments when they take those first pictures at their new home shedding tears of joy and relief.

This devotion to her clients and witnessing the process from start to end, is comparable to her first role as an admissions counselor – interacting with students at college fairs, giving tours, and meeting the families; she was selling WNE, educating each student on what they would receive by becoming a Golden Bear, then played witness when those students arrived and succeeded. “When you’re working with a student, and you meet them at their high school, and then they apply, you get to see them get accepted,” she continued, “and then they come for their visit, accepted students’ day, and they choose WNE...what I’m doing now - it’s the same thing, only now I’m following the buyer through the house buying process.”

Educating for Future Success

One of the most important elements of Langevin’s career is education – both for her, but also for her clients. Educating her clients so they’re prepared to enter the market is her number one goal. After having a bad first-time home buyer experience herself, she takes pride in knowing that none of her clients will ever be unprepared.

While she values her continued growth, she also values her clients. To ensure that none of her clients have a negative experience, she likes to share best practices upon the initial meeting. From shopping around for a lender, to keeping an open mind, she has established strong relationships with those she serves, as well as local lawyers, mortgage lenders, and inspectors so that her clients are always equipped for what’s next.

Langevin attributes her ability to stay up to date on the market and related issues to Lock & Key’s commitment to excellence. She highlighted the pride the owners, Marc Murphy ’08, and Jordan Healy ’08, have for each of their employees.

Taking a hands-on approach to the ever-changing market, the boutique brokerage firm arms their employees by providing monthly education seminars and trainings on timely topics, such as solar energy, new lending programs, and most recently the new realtor compensation law. Recognizing that not every firm is going to approach their employees with this level of care, Langevin explained that “[Lock & Key] wants their agents to succeed. Their goal is to have us all grow and succeed together.”

Since reconnecting with Murphy and Healy and deciding to put her family first, Langevin has been a part of some remarkable growth – from the establishment of Lock & Key to the development of her own real estate brand “Danielle Delivers”, and of course the expansion of her family. When she started this adventure, she had just welcomed her first daughter; now ten years in, she has three beautiful children who make what she does every day for other families worth it.