Beginning a career as a professional photographer in New York City, Tina Rupp has photographed celebrity chefs including Giada DeLaurentiis, Rachael Ray, and Tyler Florence, and for commercial clients such as Martha Stewart Living, Family Circle, This Old House, and Bed, Bath & Beyond. What Tina brings to real estate is the experience and professionalism of working in a high-pressure environment and seeing projects through to the end with ease.

"In both careers, communication is key...Interpreting an art director's vision can be related to interpreting a buyer's vision when finding the perfect home," says Rupp. "For sellers, staging, preparing, and photographing a home to look its best is crucial in today's market. Both careers demand attention to detail and have many variables to make it all come together—a magazine story or closing a real estate deal."

Introducing newcomers to Connecticut is fun for Rupp, as she discovered firsthand what a wonderful place it is 10 years ago. Without traveling far one finds it all: beach, river, boating, farm to table, great restaurants, art museums, state parks with hiking trails, and trains that easily connect you to New York City and Boston.

With her clients' needs in mind, Rupp created two groups on Facebook: "Saybrook Friends," which shares and highlights local events to keep the community informed, and "The Shoreline Home," where she shares real estate tips and ideas for home improvements—and it is also a great platform to promote her listings.

Having earned bachelor's degrees in German and visual arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey, her studies led her to live and study in both Constance and Berlin, Germany and to travel widely which is helpful with her international clients.

A supporter of the arts and culture, she and her family are members of the Florence Griswold Museum, Connecticut River Museum, and the Yale Peabody Museum. Rupp is active in the Old Saybrook school system and a promoter of local businesses and shops. She has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, where she learned and practiced the art of hanging drywall.

Proven success is that in her first year as an agent, Rupp received the "Rookie of the Year Award" from William Pitt Sotheby's for selling the most units for a new agent "companywide." She has also earned the Bronze Award for sales volume.

This story was provided by Tina Rupp, a real estate agent for William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty. For more information, visit williampitt.com/agents/tinarupp or call 917-207-2762.