Editorial
Front Page - Friday, January 7, 2011
Being on top in tough times takes professionalism, dedication
Erica Tuggle
In 2002, Pamela Brown earned her real estate license. Six months later, her husband Chad and she bought the Century 21 Professional Group office located in Dunlap, Tenn. The office is consistently the top producer in the area and houses several of the top ten producing agents.
- Photo provided
It’s no secret that the past few years have been a difficult trek for real estate agents across the nation. Watching the size of a closing contract grow in page count, seeing the restrictions on loans tighten, watching the foreclosure listing numbers rise and seeing price cuts on perfectly decent homes run rampant because of the overstock has not been unusual for agents nationwide. Along with these woes, there is the constant fight to bring in business and to prove to clients you have what it takes to help them buy the home of their dreams or to help them sell quickly and move into a new chapter of their life.
Pamela Brown, broker and owner at Century 21 in Dunlap, Tenn., has put the fears of the fluctuating market and home ownership aside for her clients and established an impressive line-up of agents that subscribe to her views of professionalism and dedication in order to be the best at what they do.
Brown grew up and attended high school in Bledsoe County. She earned an associate degree at Chattanooga State Community and Technical College and then double majored in finance and accounting at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Brown’s best friend’s mother from college owned a real estate company. Her friend received her real estate license, and began to encourage Brown that she would do well in this field.
To make a long story short, Brown says she was convinced by her friend to earn her license in 2002. From there, she began the endeavor in earnest so that only six months after receiving her license, her husband Chad and she bought Century 21 Professional Group, located in Dunlap.
Brown’s affinity for the business has only grown since then. She likes the way real estate constantly changes with the continuous measures it takes to keep real estate knowledge up to date. Not only is every deal different, but they also bring with them the opportunity to meet some really neat people, she says. It doesn’t hurt that the business has been pretty lucrative for the Browns as well, and helps her to support her growing family.
Since Brown has been both a Realtor and an owner for almost the same amount of time, she says the difference between her role as a broker as opposed to that of just a Realtor is not as big as one might imagine.
“As a Realtor, you run your own business. You are your own business,” she says. “Then as a broker, it’s just on a bigger scale.”
With the time and effort that Brown puts into her dual position at Century 21, she says 2010 turned out to be a good year, and she predicts that 2011 will be even better for Realtors as the market continues to tilt back toward normalcy. For those who are looking to start anew this year with a career that can be financially and emotionally satisfying, Brown suggests those starting out in real estate go into the work with all they have.
“If you are going to work it full-time and you affiliate with a branded company such as Century 21, you will likely do well,” she says. “If you are going to be a part-timer, there are very few part-timers that do well. Some can, but it is tougher for part-timers. It needs to be some thing that you are really going to work like a job.”
Brown says that Realtors probably give their job more than a typical clock-in, clock-out job because they are working for themselves, and that is always harder.
The agents at Century 21 Professional Group are a good example of the rewards that hard work brings. Brown’s Dunlap office has been the top producer in the area since Brown has owned the office. Her office houses most of the top 10 agents in the area, and the secret for their continued loyalty with the office is simple.
Brown says everyone in her office is very professional, and attributes this as one of the main factors that has helped them stay on top. She also adds that she is always looking to add agents to the office.
“We have a reputation of honesty and integrity, we keep the office hours we say we are going to keep and we return our calls. These may seem like simple things but they have made all the difference, as much of our business comes from referrals and repeat business from past customers and clients,” she says.
“We stay knowledgeable in the industry, and all the agents at Century 21 Professional Group are fully knowledgeable and experienced in assisting buyers and sellers in real estate. Our agents are professional, seasoned, well-educated, hardworking and just good at what they do.”
The Dunlap properties that Brown and her agents sell are unique and interesting listings. These properties tend to have more acreage with them, and are more scenic and rural versus going into the more suburban areas where you have the same house with different color roofs repeated all the way down the line, Brown says. Dunlap properties may have river frontage or a mountain view to add to the selling factor.
The Century 21 office also sees a diverse range of properties in the seven counties they service including Sequatchie, Hamilton, Rhea, Bledsoe, Marion, Grundy and parts of Van Buren. They receive many foreclosures in Sequatchie and the surrounding counties, which has helped to fill in last year and the 2009 slump.
Brown spends her free time enjoying their family farm with her husband, two boys and one baby boy on the way. The family has recently built a barn, owns chickens, grows blueberries, enjoys gardening and plans to bring horses to their farm.
Through their dedication and continued professionalism, the Browns have been able to carve themselves out a lasting position in the real estate market as they continue to keep their skills and their office strong in this respect.
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