As a real estate agent, Linda Zyla has built her career helping buyers find their dream home and in her free time, she dedicates herself to helping those without a home.
With a total of 22 years of real estate experience from development to sales, Linda has worked with CENTURY 21 Alliance Group for the past 7 years of her career. She says her favorite aspect of her job is working with clients and helping them find what they didn’t even know they were looking for.
“People come to you and say they want a home or want to move, and they have a big picture of what they want,” said Linda. “If you’re good and skillful, you can take the bits and pieces they tell you from showings and interviews and make it a reality.”
Linda always strives to meet her clients’ needs, which is evident in her motto: “because it’s your home.” “You should always keep your clients’ desires in front of you,” explained Linda. “It’s about them. The transaction should always be about the client.”
Linda’s greatest satisfaction comes from matching her clients with their dream homes. “I like the ability to help others achieve housing dreams and it allows me to utilize my banking, financial planning, and real estate development skills,” said Linda. “There’s a lot of satisfaction when you are able to see someone get what they’ve dreamed about.”
In addition to finding a home for those who can afford to buy one, Linda also donates her time to those who cannot afford a home. For the last two years, she has volunteered at Open Arms Women’s Shelter and New Creation Men’s Shelter, bringing meals and serving as an intake coordinator for the homeless.
“My heart goes out to the homeless men and women,” expressed Linda. “There are so many misconceptions of homeless people and most just want a hand up. Through a set of circumstances, sometimes by no fault of their own, they end up homeless and everyone deserves a home.”
Linda also serves as a board member for the Living Home Community Church and assists with overseeing the operations of the church, budgeting and planning of events, and she has been a proud member of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce since 1986. As a member of the ambassador committee, Linda welcomes new businesses into the community and mentors them as chamber members.
“I love being a chamber member because in the real estate profession you're not just selling a home, you’re selling a community, a neighborhood, a city,” said Linda. “Being part of the chamber gives me an insight into what's going on in our community.”
Linda lives in Valparaiso with her husband Christopher and her Husky dog, Silver. Linda has three adult children, Sarah, Jeff and Jackson. In her spare time, Linda enjoys jet skiing, traveling, exercising and riding on the back of her husband’s motorcycle.