Editorial
Front Page - Friday, January 21, 2011
Buyers, sellers find more when they work with Moore
Erica Tuggle
Clients and friends agree that “Get Moore when you move!” as Realtor Linda Moore’s slogan is not only clever, but also true. From babysitting a client’s children on moving day to taking her personal time to help various charitable organizations Moore really does give more to all those around her.
- Erica Tuggle
“Get Moore When You Move!” is Linda Moore’s slogan, but it really is just the tip of the iceberg in explaining what an amazing ally you get when you choose to buy or sell with this local Realtor.
Moore is quick to volunteer where you may have heard her name before, and proudly identifies herself as the wife of Wes Moore, the women’s basketball coach at UTC. She and her husband have been Chattanooga residents since 1998, which is a compliment for Chattanooga since this is the longest they have lived anywhere, she says. Even with the tempting job offers Wes has had, both of the Moores’ hearts are firmly planted in Chattanooga, and they love living here, she says.
In the past, Moore held positions as an assistant to presidents of companies and enjoyed this administrative type of work and the moving it required every three or four years. After she and her husband had been in Chattanooga a few years, she says she expected every spring they would be packing up their things and moving again, especially with the success Wes has had with the Lady Mocs.
“Finally, when it didn’t happen, I thought about one part of moving which I love the most, which is selling my house. So I thought I would get into real estate,” she says.
Now five years later, Moore loves her work and it has filled the void of not being able to move,
as she helps others relocate.
Moore grew up in eastern North Carolina in a farming family, which gave her a very strong work ethic early on, as she began working at 12 years-old at various farming activities. She says she thinks this might be the one reason she has been as successful as she has been in real estate – because of her love to work.
She also has the ability to drop everything and go when a client calls because she and her husband don’t have any children of their own. (Although they do have a basketball team each year that she invites over for home cooked meals.)
Clients also get more of her because of something that could be considered a fault outside of real estate.
“I’m kind of a hands-on person who actually has problems delegating, and I have been busy enough in real estate over the past few years that I took on a partner this year, but I find it’s really hard to let go,” she says. “If I start working with someone, I want to see it through to the end. It has allowed me to make sure my clients get the very best service possible.”
Moore also catalogs herself as a very open and honest person, as her co-workers at the Hixson Prudential can verify that they know every little thing in her life, she says smiling. But at the same time, Moore is a listener, which is another important skill for helping clients.
“I really want to find out what the [clients’ wants and] needs are, and make that a priority, and then do my very best to find the perfect fit for them, whether they are first time homebuyers or selling a home where they have lived for 40 years,” she says.
During her five-year career in real estate, Moore acknowledges she has been blessed with productive years. She was the top sales agent in the Hixson office last year, and says she is set for another good year, as encouraged by the signs she has been seeing lately.
“In the past few months, I
have been more busy than I have
been in any position I have ever
been in. With all the exciting
changes happening in Chatta-nooga, I can only imagine that this is going to be another great year.”
She says she does feel for sellers who can’t get as much as they want for their homes, but says the national media attention has helped people know that selling their home now is not the best time and to expect low offers.
Even so, she says she uses her negotiating skills to get her sellers top dollar, and then can switch hats to help buyers with the opportunity to get a great deal. She says this part of her work is especially important in helping everyone with the biggest financial decision they make, and especially helping young people buy their first home and get started on the right foot.
Moore is working on her GRI designation, and for the past few years has received the Team Spirit award at her office. She received the Rising Star award her first year in real estate, has been in the Circle of Excellence with Prudential each year and has been blessed with good health, too, she says.
She gives even more outside of work by helping people all around town who are struggling. She is a board member on Bethel Bible Village, has been a Big Sister with Big Brothers, Big Sisters for the last eight years, is a Road to Recovery driver with the Cancer Society that drives cancer patients to and from their treatments, and she is involved with the Ronald McDonald house feeding families through her church.
“When you have a tough week and are frustrated because negotiations may not be going as well as you want, or you miss out on a house you really wanted for a client, or you feel like you didn’t really quite get the price you wanted for them, and then you drive a cancer patient who is just struggling to stay alive, it puts it all in perspective,” she says. “It makes me thankful for my life, that I have a job, and makes me very grateful.”
Moore says she loves doing more for everyone, including her clients, as she delivers boxes to them, baby-sits their children on moving day, or takes a client’s children to Chuck E. Cheese’s after a sale.
Clients looking for Moore should visit www.realtycenter.com/lmoore.
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