What an Anthropologist Can Teach You About Real Estate

Most real estate agents don't arrive in the industry with a Ph.D. in anthropology or years spent excavating archaeological sites in Belize and Mexico.

For Jaime Holt, those experiences didn't lead her away from real estate—they led her directly to it.

The same curiosity that once drew her to ancient civilizations now shapes the way she serves her clients. Where others see floor plans and square footage, Jaime sees stories, history and the people who make a house a home.

"I always had an interest in real estate," Jaime said. "My previous career was in academia as an anthropologist."

Her fascination with archaeology began as a teenager. Growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jaime discovered a love of travel early in life. A trip to Hawaii at 16, followed by another to Mexico with friends the next year, sparked a lifelong curiosity about other cultures.

That passion carried her through 11 years of higher education, earning a Ph.D. in anthropology and eventually becoming a college professor.

"I love the field. I love being out there, I love the people, I love just being in that environment," Jaime said. "It's very fun, very exciting."

But as much as she loved academia, building a career there came with a difficult reality.

"Being a professor of anthropology, there are not too many jobs out there," Jaime said. "You have to be willing to go where the jobs are, whether it is Singapore, Australia, Kentucky—wherever that might be."

With family rooted in the Pacific Northwest, moving across the country—or across the world—for a tenure-track position wasn't the future she envisioned.

Instead, she asked herself a different question.

"What can I do where I can bring all the things I love about being a professor and a researcher and bring that to a different field?" she asked.

The answer was real estate.

To many people, anthropology and real estate couldn't seem more different. Jaime sees them as remarkably similar.

"As a professor, the things that I loved was guiding my students, helping them reach their goals, being the person to support them, watch them achieve things," she said. "In real estate, it's very similar because you're dealing with clients, you're helping them achieve a goal, you're dealing with research, you're gathering all the information. It's educating."

She entered real estate in 2020, inspired in part by her family's history of owning multifamily properties. Even so, making the leap into a commission-based career wasn't easy.

"It was a little scary," Jaime said. "Everything was riding on my success."

Still, she never questioned her decision. Her curiosity became a strength, but so did her compassion.

"It's important to think about how we communicate and what people want, what their hopes are," Jaime said. "For me, my passion that sustains me in this industry is I truly want to help people reach these goals."

To her, buying a home has always represented something much bigger than a transaction.

"It's about thinking, 'What does home mean for people?'" Jaime said. "It's shelter, sanctuary, community, where bonds are built, where everything's established. It's the same thing today. We see that continuity. We see people gathering, sharing, growing, and it's so important because it's not just shelter, it truly is a sanctuary for a lot of people."

That perspective shapes every client relationship. Jaime describes herself as protective by nature, determined to educate her clients and advocate for them throughout one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. She wants them to feel confident that someone is looking out for their best interests every step of the way.

Real estate also satisfies something she has always valued: the opportunity to keep learning. Just as archaeology demanded constant curiosity and research, the housing industry is always evolving, giving her new challenges to solve and new ways to serve her clients.

Looking back, Jaime doesn't see her career as a departure from anthropology. She sees it as an extension of the same calling.

The tools may have changed—from excavation brushes and research papers to market data and home tours—but her purpose hasn't. Whether she's uncovering the stories of ancient civilizations or helping a family begin a new chapter, Jaime believes every home tells a story. Today, she has the privilege of helping people write the next one.

Listen to the rest of Jaime's story on Real Conversations: Episode 15.