For Accountant Turned Realtor Loren Hall, The Bottom Line Is About People

By Rick Mauch
CandysDirt.com Contributor

Every week, we feature a home listing as the Highlight Home of the Week, sponsored by Dallas mortgage broker Lisa Peters of Cardinal Financial, but this time we’re shifting to a featured agent. “Loren Hall is a young dynamo who’s doing some amazing things in Dallas real estate,” Peters told us when she nominated the exciting Compass Realtor to feature. “She has a plan and is working it well.”

But Hall’s journey began in accounting when the Texas Tech dual-degree graduate completed not one but four internships at an international “big four” accounting firm. After interning for KPMG in their international tax, audit, and forensic services departments, Hall joined the company full-time as a forensic accountant, investigating financial fraud.

“I was grateful to have interned in various departments as it helped me decide what I wanted to focus on career-wise, or so I thought,” she said. “I traveled a lot and our engagements were fun.

However, I felt something was missing.

“I prayed quite a bit and one day in July of 2018, I got my answer — real estate. But I kept this desire to myself,” Hall said.

By day, Hall was working as a forensic accountant, but at night she began studying to become a licensed real estate agent. Once her courses were complete and she took her real estate exam, she left behind her life as an accountant and became a licensed Realtor.

Finding Home

Freshly licensed, Hall got her start in real estate as an apartment locator. “I used an apartment locator to find my first apartment here in Dallas and at the time, it seemed like a fun career. I interviewed at the apartment locating company I’d previously used and got the job. It was a blast!” she said.

In March 2020, COVID hit and along with adjusting to the “new normal,” her desires began to change. Apartment locating became virtual and she missed interacting with and meeting people. 

“I had always had my eye on Compass and had one day hoped to interview there. Soon that dream would quickly become my reality,” she said. “I got wind of an awesome agent at Compass who was considering growing his team. I reached out to him on Instagram and asked if we could meet for coffee. We met the next day and instantly clicked. 

Former Corporate Accountant Loren Hall Teams Up With Phillip Murrell

“While walking to our cars, the agent looked back at me and said, ‘Hey, how would you like to work with me?’ The rest is history.”

Loren Around Town

Hall is originally from San Diego. She came to the Metroplex when her mother’s job transferred her back to Dallas in 2008. Now, she sells homes throughout the area and is loving it.

“I sell everywhere!” she said excitedly. “When I first started out in real estate, I was obsessed with new construction. Most of my business started in Old East Dallas with several new construction townhomes. 

“As of the last year, my business shifted to most of my listings being located in North Dallas. However, I still help buyers and sellers all over — as far south as Bishop Arts all the way up to Prosper.”

Year to date, she has sold nearly $10 million worth of real estate.

The Market in Her Eyes

Hall said the biggest challenge in the industry today is actually something COVID taught us — No one really knows what is going to happen next.

“The market and industry are forever changing. In 2020, many people were scared. There were concerns of health, and employment because we had never experienced something like COVID before,” she said. “Then 2021 hit, and EVERYONE was buying a house. Continuing on to 2022, the following summer we saw a spike in interest rates and a handful of buyers paused. 

“This year, in 2023, I’d say the market is steady. I believe it is still a great time to buy or sell, and an even better time to negotiate.” 

Passion Projects

Hall loves giving back to her community. As far back as college, she fundraised and volunteered for the Ronald McDonald House. While at KPMG, she partnered with nonprofits such as First Book and Junior Achievement to meet with children and donate books all around the Metroplex. One year, she led a large book drive and raised so much money for new books that KPMG selected her to partner with them and serve their community in New Orleans. 

“We repainted and refreshed schools that had previously been affected by Hurricane Katrina just ahead of the new school year – It was a blast!” she said. “More recently, I have partnered with and become a member of the Junior League of Dallas. I can’t wait to continue serving our Dallas community.”

Of course, all this work requires a healthy lifestyle.

“Anyone that knows me knows that I am obsessed with Pilates – so much so that I actually have a reformer at home,” she said. “I also enjoy fresh juices, good books, long walks outside, weather permitting, and traveling the world. Many would agree that I’m pretty spontaneous.”

As for her family, she notes a “fun fact.” Her father is Panamanian. Her grandparents were immigrants from Panama. “I grew up speaking English and Spanish because my grandparents weren’t fluent in English. I’m not as fluent as I used to be now, but can still get around if need be,” she said. 

Her Mission

“I’m sure many people question or wonder ‘Why did you go from accounting to real estate?’ The short answer is, I wanted to serve people on a more personal level,” Hall said. “My experience with accounting and interest in creating generational wealth for those around me were my biggest drivers. Now my background in accounting has served my clients well as we think through creative ways to purchase and sell properties. 

“I understand how real estate affects one’s financial well-being in addition to the long-term impact of homeownership. For many, buying and selling real estate is the largest transaction of their lifetime — and I’m proud to be a part of that.”