“I love the dynamic of helping people with housing needs. When someone needs to buy or sell, it’s usually an immediate need — timing is important. Knowing I can provide peace of mind for clients and guide them through the buying and selling process is super satisfying.” These words come straight from the heart of REALTOR® Dana Robbins, a top selling agent and associate broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Towne Realty.
Robbins began her career in real estate about 12 years ago, working as an independent agent, a status she maintained until this year when she moved to Berkshire Hathaway. “I realized I was at the top of what I could do on my own and began looking for the next challenge,” Robbins says. Making the move to Berkshire turned out to be a good decision, affording Robbins the opportunity to experience the thrill of team dynamics, “pulling together different strengths and skill sets.”
While real estate consumes a great deal of Robbins’ professional life, her passions don’t end there. She is deeply involved in nonprofit endeavors that offer equally challenging opportunities on a more personal level. “My philosophy has always been that you can make all the money in the world, but if people around you are sinking and missing out on the basics in life, what’s the purpose?” Robbins says.
Having previously worked for Lutheran Family Services, where Robbins witnessed foster children go from family to family, “showing up in the reception area with belongings in one hand,” and saw the frustrations foster families endure, she realized she had a heart for children in the foster care system.
Approximately two years ago, Robbins became a CASA volunteer, which is a court-appointed special advocate for children, a position focused on meeting the needs of children within the foster care system. “I work one-on-one with the child and my main objective is to present recommendations on what would be in the best interest of the child — counseling, education services, etc. While the social worker is looking at the child and the foster family, I’m just looking at the needs of the child. Knowing I am a voice for a child in a situation where they have little choice — the children we have, they have suffered neglect and/or abuse — and knowing I have the ability to put them in the next best place possible is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, apart from raising my own children,” Robbins says.
In addition to her real estate work and CASA volunteering, Robbins works for and with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Downtown Hampton Childhood Development Center and Families in Transition, among others. “I’m always looking for opportunities to make a difference,” Robbins says.
Although she certainly spends a lot of time doing for others, Robbins still finds ways to enjoy the good things in life — gardening, landscaping, baking — “not to be confused with cooking,” quips Robbins, and she considers herself a “water girl,” enjoying all things ocean — “the sand, the salt and the sea are my sweet spots to go and get away to unwind.”
Whether it’s finding others the perfect home, offering support to those in need or tending to her own backyard “oasis,” Robbins is most content when doing something of value. She offers this advice to anyone wanting to make a difference: “I encourage every able-bodied adult of sound mind to find a way to give back to the community around them. It takes all of us to make the world we live in a better place. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the mundane minutia of life and forget about those outside our little bubble. Give back.”
TO THE POINT:
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services
Towne Realty
Address: 1 Old Oyster Point Rd., Newport News, VA 23606
Phone: 757-218-5858
Contact: Dana Robbins, REALTOR®
Website: newportnews.bhhstownerealty.com
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