A La Porte County Life in the Spotlight: Betty Daniel-Lanie

A La Porte County Life in the Spotlight: Betty Daniel-Lanie

Betty Daniel-Lanie was born in Michigan, but when she was only six months old, her and her family moved to La Porte where it quickly became home. And for almost forty years, she has helped countless other families find their perfect home here in La Porte.

Daniel-Lanie attended high school in La Porte and was a member of a few after-school clubs, like the Spanish Club and the Girl Reserves. Since seniors at the high school only went to school half of the day, Daniel-Lanie jumped on the opportunity to attend classes at a tech school in South Bend, where she got her certification in Key Punch.

“I took those classes during my senior year of high school,” Daniel-Lanie explained. “Half the day I was in La Porte finishing my senior year, the other half I was in South Bend training.”

After high school, she was immediately hired at Modine Manufacturing Co., where she worked for three and a half years in their accounting department. From there, Daniel-Lanie became secretary to the Vice President of Sales at Phillip’s Drill. After seven years and two children, Daniel-Lanie decided to change her path.

“After my second daughter was born, I decided to go back to school,” she said. “I went to IUPUI where I got my real estate license. That was 1973 and I’ve been a realtor ever since.”

And after almost 40 years as a realtor, Daniel-Lanie has been awarded the Realtor of the Year for La Porte and Realtor of the Year for the State of Indiana. She now even has the title of Realtor Emeritus.

“What that means is I’ve been in the business for so long that I no longer have to pay dues,” she joked.

After working as a real estate agent for years, Daniel-Lanie decided to open her own company. With the help of her family, she opened County-Wide Properties, LLC in 2001. But the appeal of CWP doesn’t just come from the master realtor’s experience.

“I am co-owner of CWP with my daughter, Lisa,” Daniel-Lanie said. “My other daughters, Laurie and Beth, also work with me. Laurie is my assistant, while Beth is a real estate agent.”

Daniel-Lanie and her family have made County-Wide Properties into a family affair, reassuring families searching for a new home that they are in good hands. And who better to help find the perfect home than a family who has built a life in La Porte and still loves everything from the people to the beautiful lake?

“I’ve always loved the changing of the seasons and being so close to the lake,” she said. “Plus, being in a small community where everyone is friendly and still waves or says ‘Hello’ makes La Porte a pleasant place to live.”

One of those friendly people who makes La Porte a pleasant place to live is Daniel-Lanie herself. When she isn’t selling or listing homes, she works with a number of charities and organizations dedicated to helping those less fortunate in the community.

“I’m joining the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, which is an organization that provides assistance to people in poverty or in need,” Daniel-Lanie said. “We collect food for the food banks, and help out in any way we can.”

Along with Saint Vincent de Paul, she takes part in similar charities with the Board of Realtors, from food banks to the Deserving Children’s Auction, which raises money annually for underprivileged kids to go Christmas shopping.

“I’ve always loved doing the Deserving Children’s Auction,” Daniel-Lanie said. “Every single child, and I’m not exaggerating, when we go on the shopping trips, never fail to ask if they can buy a gift for their mom, their dad, or their sibling. It’s really wonderful.”

When she isn’t helping the community or helping people find their dream home, Daniel-Lanie is constantly sketching, doodling, writing poetry, reading- really anything to satisfy the artistic side of her personality.

“Sometimes when I’m on the phone with someone, I doodle on the corner of the piece of paper,” she said. “My daughters, without my knowledge, took some of my sketches and doodles and hung them up around the office. My grandkids even call me Grandma Doodles!”

Daniel-Laine also has a love for books. She can’t go for a car ride without bringing an audio book with her to listen during the ride.

“My favorite author is Maeve Binchy, who was a writer from Dublin,” she explained. “I have read every single one of her books, one of which she even autographed for me. She was just a really wonderful writer.”

Daniel-Lanie says one of the reasons she loves Binchy’s novels is because of the focus put on people and family; which makes sense for someone who does the same for her community. From helping families find the perfect home to volunteering her time to benefit those in need, Betty Daniel-Lanie continues to show the City of La Porte how dedicated she is to building a wonderful place to live.

For more information on County-Wide Properties, go to www.county-wideproperties.com.