Living Stone Hasselt: A Conversation with Sabine Janssens
Hey Sabine, you’re our new asset in Hasselt. So we’d love to introduce you to our customers. How would you describe yourself? What things are truly “typical Sabine”? Hobbies, passions, pets, personality traits: who is Sabine, and what does she love?
“Wow… *laughs* I guess I’m mostly a ‘people person,’ if you know what I mean? I enjoy social interaction—whether it’s with coworkers, clients, family, or friends. Interacting with people and helping them whenever I can really energizes me. Enter the ideal job for me: real estate agent. Helping people with one of the most important steps in their lives—that’s why I do it.”
You'll be working in Hasselt, the city of jenever. Does that automatically make you a jenever fan? *wink*
“Haha, as it happens, I just took a guided tour with a real jenever expert. It was really fascinating to hear about the history and fun facts surrounding jenever, and just how much it means to Hasselt. For example, the city used to have dozens of jenever distilleries in the city center… I had no idea about that before. During the Jenever Festival weekend in October, we’re there every year ourselves. That’s when the jenever really flows. *laughs* You have to be a fan of grain jenever, but there are also many flavors with fruit and cream.”
Back to business, then. A new Living Stone story is about to begin, and you can help write it. What past projects can we find in your portfolio? Where have you worked before, and what professional achievements have you made?
“I actually have a background in linguistics. I initially worked in education for several years at PXL University of Applied Sciences. Since my father had started his own real estate agency in the meantime, I too began to feel increasingly drawn to the real estate industry. Six years ago, I decided to make a complete career change. After an intensive BIV internship and the subsequent exam, I was finally able to call myself a fully-fledged real estate agent. This new career path turned out to be exactly my thing. I was able to gain a lot of experience within the family business. From now on, with Living Stone, I can fully focus on the Hasselt region, where I also live.”
So how did you end up at Living Stone?
"Through a good friend of mine who works at Living Stone. He got the ball rolling. So I'm very grateful to him."
How do you see yourself making a difference for the people of Hasselt? What can they expect from you?
“I’m a motivated and enthusiastic person who always gives it my all. The people of Hasselt can definitely count on that from me. I’m deeply committed to my cases and am dedicated to taking care of every aspect for my clients. I’ve got this.”
Let’s take a moment to look ahead: what does the coming year hold for you in Hasselt? Where will you settle down, what do you plan to focus on, and what do you definitely want to achieve?
“Living Stone is still a newcomer in Hasselt. I hope to change that in the coming year. People in Hasselt will gradually start noticing us more, for example on the streets. As the first real estate agency in Limburg, we can make good use of all of Living Stone’s resources, sales opportunities, and expertise. They are one of the biggest players in the real estate market in Flemish Brabant and close around 800 sales transactions annually.”
“I’ll be working out of the new real estate office in Hasselt, on Dusartplein, in one of the offices at Books the Office, a wonderful (dynamic) coworking space. So please direct all your real estate questions there!”