Authenticity as a business practice with Alina Aliyar – Living Room Realty

There’s a moment early in this conversation where Alina Aliyar talks about how often people feel overwhelmed, not because they don’t know what they want, but because they haven’t had the space to say it out loud.

That idea is central to her work.

Before real estate, Alina spent years working on storytelling and coaching. What she learned there is evident in the way she works with clients now: when people are given permission to be honest about their hopes, fears and insecurities, clarity follows. Not immediately. Not perfect. But meaningful.

Starting with curiosity, not with presentation

One of the themes that emerged again and again was the difference between presenting and listening. Alina talks about how easy it is for agents to feel like they have to come up with answers, frameworks and polished explanations. Instead, she first works from broad categories – life, family, daily experiences – and continues to ask questions.

How do you use this space?
What feels important right now?
What are you hoping for in the next chapter?

The goal is not efficiency for efficiency’s sake. It’s understanding. And often it is a customer say they want at first is not what they realize they need once they are in the space itself.

Letting go of the story

Especially when working with salespeople, Alina described the process of helping people step outside their own story. A house carries memories, routines and identity, but at some point it must become accessible to someone else’s imagination.

That shift can be emotional.

Her role, as she describes it, is to help clients gently let go of their personal attachments, just enough to see the home through a different lens. To understand how the story changes when it is no longer just yours. That process requires patience, honesty, and a willingness to sit with discomfort rather than rush past it.

Experience builds empathy

Alina also thinks about how her own life experiences shape the way she works. As she moved across the country at different stages of life – as a newlywed, as a parent, with young children – she learned that the same process can feel radically different depending on the context.

What once seemed manageable can later feel overwhelming. What once seemed small can suddenly matter a lot.

That perspective is most evident when she works with families. Selling a house with small children is not just about preparing the house. It’s about planning where everyone will be during the screenings, how to manage stress, and how to make space for people to rest in the middle of a demanding process.

Being yourself is not unprofessional

Later in the conversation, Alina shares something that many people silently feel when starting out: the belief that professionalism requires examining yourself.

She talks about the idea that she needed to be more formal and subdued, more in line with the idea of ​​what she was ‘supposed’ to be. Over time, she learned the opposite. The better she felt about herself, the more effective her work became.

Customers did not respond to polish. They responded to honesty.

Be open about uncertainty. Address fear when it arises. Allowing humor without downplaying seriousness. Creating space for people to say, “This scares me,” instead of burying it under politeness.

Appearing as a whole person

Throughout the episode, one idea keeps coming up: people want to work with someone real. Someone who listens. Someone who asks thoughtful questions and does not pretend to have all the answers.

Authenticity in this sense is not about personality. It’s about presence. It’s about being willing to be both participant and witness, asking for help when needed, and relying on community and shared knowledge when things get complex.

That kind of work builds trust slowly and sustainably. And over time, the results change.

You can listen to the full conversation with Alina Aliyar in this episode of Open House: Excellence every dayin which we tell stories, explore curiosity and why being yourself is not only personal, but also practical.