Fran Mazer has a vision. She sees potential everywhere. The same way Bob Ross effortlessly paints “happy little trees” with the stroke of his brush, Fran, too, has an artist-like ability to conjure an image, so you can see what she sees: your happy future home.

Fran, who is based on Long Island’s North Shore, always takes the time to understand what’s important to her clients before any showing. “So if they say the kitchen is the most important thing as we’re walking through the house, they don’t need me to point out the kitchen, but they do need me to point out, ‘Can you imagine making Thanksgiving in this kitchen? And can you picture your family sitting at the table, having dinner?’ It’s telling the story. It’s painting the picture of their family.” Even if she doesn’t know the potential buyers, Fran still makes an effort to show them their potential in the home. “If I think that a house has a great backyard, then I’m not going to just say ‘look at these gorgeous two acres.’ I’m going to paint that picture: ‘This summer was so hot. Can you imagine being in the pool, on a raft, having a drink?’”

“Painting the picture” comes naturally to Fran, who attended New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, and spent the first 25-years of her career in the garment industry, designing and merchandising children’s clothing. “But I’ve always loved homes. I had a passion for just looking at them. And I’ve always loved interior decorating.” she says about her piqued interest in the real estate industry. “It took me three years to find the house I’m living in, and in those three years, I learned a lot about real estate.” But it wasn’t until 9/11 happened that Fran was ready to make a career change. “I wanted to get out of the city. I just wanted a completely different career,” she says of the decision to get her real estate license.

If you’re wondering about the common thread between children’s clothing and real estate, Fran says it’s all about one thing. “It’s all about the presentation. Think about getting a gift,” she says. “You could get the most meager of gifts, but it’s wrapped in a gorgeous package with gorgeous bows. And you can get that same gift in yucky packaging, with crappy paper. You’re going to be much more predisposed to the beautiful box and what’s in it. Right?” She says, more as a statement of truth, than a hypothetical question.

“So, I look around and see the things that I can do that the homeowner doesn’t have to spend money on.” Things like staging and decluttering, Fran says. “You know my garage is filled with a million bins of plants and pillows and bedding. So just by virtue of taking a bedroom that has a comforter from 1965, and swapping it for crisp white bedding and furry pillows—making it look on trend—gives a completely different feel to the room. And if you can convince the seller to do a little work, a little painting, you know, it goes a long way.”

‘Presentation is everything,’ is a philosophy Fran applies to all aspects of her life, not just fashion and real estate. Fran insists that “presentation” extends beyond things like staging (one of her passions, just ask the employees of Home Goods, who know her by name). For Fran, presentation consists of the way she conducts business, communicates, and presents herself and her experience as a top-producing agent—it’s a showcase of her industry expertise.

Fran is nothing, if not an expert in her market—a real point of pride for her. “People will give you the time of day, if you can tell them something they don’t know,” she says. “I tell anybody that comes to work for me, even if you start in one area at a time, learn everything about the area. Learn the schools, the town, the railroad, the shopping. Learn the area.”

Fran places a premium value on answering any questions her client might have as they walk through the house. “I do my comps. I always see what’s sold, what’s on the market, what it sold for, what it looked liked, and what the location is.” According to Fran, it’s equally important to give clients facts about the home that they wouldn’t know, nor think to ask. “Like, you know what, the seller just replaced this roof, and it’s a 30 year roof, so you know that you don’t have to deal with the roof for 30 years.”

Fran creates a “cheat sheet” for every person who visits a house that she has listed. “So when I go into a house, and a client asks about the zoning, or are there wood floors under this carpet, or how old are the appliances, I have an answer for every single thing that I can share with them. And if they love the house, they’re like, ‘wow, now I really have a complete picture.’ And even if they don’t love the house, sometimes they call you and say, ‘I want to work with you because you have to have so much information. My agent doesn’t tell me that.’ So, sometimes being an expert on the house can get you business on both the seller side and buyer side.”

When asked about the most challenging aspect of her business, Fran laughs and nods to her new coffee mug, which says, “Running late is my cardio.” Since starting in this industry, her greatest struggle has been finding time to do everything. After moving to Compass, Fran has prioritized building her team, which now includes five other people. With the guidance of her CSC coach, Fran’s team is growing stronger and helping her manage the day-to-day business. She’s looking forward to finding more time for herself, and who knows, maybe even having the time for a hobby (a novel concept for this busy agent).

Despite the hard work and long hours that Fran has dedicated to her career, she loves being a realtor. “Everybody loves making money because it affords us the things we want to do. But the money doesn’t motivate me.” Instead, she finds her greatest motivation and job satisfaction from matchmaking—connecting the perfect family to their perfect home. For Fran, there’s no greater feeling than truly connecting with a client and knowing you helped make them happy. “It’s so validating,” she says, “that’s a key word for me,” And validated she’s been. Year-after-year, Fran’s been named the top-producing agent at her brokerage, a tradition she hopes her team can bring to Compass. “It’s very gratifying to get recognition from people that know what it takes to do this kind of business,” she says.

If painting a picture of her future, Fran says, “I see myself sitting out in the Hamptons in my beach house. Or maybe spending a month in Italy, in a villa, looking over the Mediterranean. I still have a business, and a functioning team, but I’m enjoying my life a little more,” she pauses to consider, “Or maybe The Today Show calls me to be their real estate expert” she adds, enthusiastically.

However she envisions her future, it’s most definitely full of potential.

Follow Fran’s journey on Instagram @franmazer.realestate.