Some professionals allow their career to define them. Their job dictates when they wake up, what they do throughout the day, and when they can sleep. But not Randy Durham. Instead of letting real estate define him, he’s defining what it means to be a Realtor.
Durham works long hours and seven-day weeks, although you’d have to look close to see any signs of wear. He’s energetic, articulate, and upbeat, especially for a Friday afternoon, when most people are winding down for the weekend.
“Before I was a Realtor, I was the operations director for a chain of convenience stores,” he says. “Nine years in retail management acclimated me to a seven-day week. I don’t care if it’s Saturday, Sunday, night, or day.”
He laughs, which is something he’s done several times since taking a seat in a conference room in the downtown office of Keller Williams. He has more than a few reasons to feel good, beyond his gregarious nature: A consistent top-ten Realtor in Chattanooga, he and his team sold $22.8 million worth of real estate in 2013.
The secret to his success is simple, he says: “Work hard, and work smart.”
“Work hard” needs no explanation, but “work smart” requires clarification since each Realtor has his or her own approach to selling real estate.
“You have to shift with the market,” Durham says. “Some of my best years have been when the market turned. People will always be buying and selling real estate. You just have to figure out how to help them get it done.”
Education is also key. Durham has earned his broker’s license and a handful of designations, the most significant of which is the Certified Residential Specialist (CSR) designation, but he doesn’t brag. Rather, he says he still has a lot to learn.
“Never get to the point where you think you know everything there is to know about selling real estate,” he says. “I continually travel across the country to attend seminar after seminar and soak up the best ideas people in other markets have. Rather than sitting around trying to figure out how to be successful, go see what other people are doing.”
Durham points at an office outside the glassed-in conference room. “I’ve never sat in one of those all day long,” he says. “I like being on the move. When people ask me where my office is, I tell them it’s parked in their driveway.”
In addition to being mobile, Durham likes to help his clients achieve their dreams. “A house is the biggest investment most people make outside of their retirement account, so I want to help my clients make the right decisions, whether they’re buying their first home, stepping up to a better home, or selling their home.”
As with most Realtors, Durham spends the majority of his waking hours tending to his clients. But his definition of client care goes beyond the sale a property to protecting the rights of the property owner.
A passionate advocate for Realtors and property owners, Durham has made significant monetary contributions to RPAC, which supports political candidates who have a history of being property owner- and Realtor-friendly. He’s also devoted countless hours to making political visits to Nashville and Washington, D.C., and, according to Lois Killebrew, another politically active Realtor, has “received the respect and attention of every elected official [he’s] met.”
Mentioning politics sparks an even greater interest in conversation in Durham, who has a number of pressing issues on his mind.
“Nationally, the mortgage industry deduction is a big deal. It could be on the chopping block as the government comes up with ways to raise revenues. So we’re trying to protect that.
“We’re also having huge issues with FEMA and flood insurance. It’s already starting to nix local sales because the only people who can afford flood insurance are the ones who are already living on a property. If someone new moves in, they’ll have to pay three or four times as much.”
Since these issues and others like them affect sales, Durham says Realtors needs to maintain a strong voice and back the right candidates for political office.
“I don’t have an interest in politics, I want to have a say in politics, and you can’t have a say unless you’re involved. I’m going to listen so I have an educated answer for questions, I’m going to pay attention so I can make good suggestions, I’m going to talk with my legislators and call my elected officials, I’m going to stand with Realtors and property owners, and I’m going to have a voice because I’m not just speaking for myself, I’m speaking for many,” he says.
A 20-year veteran of the real estate industry, Durham got involved after sitting on the sidelines and telling other people what needed to be done failed to produce results. “I realized this is my business and my life, and more specifically, this is my business and my life in Chattanooga, so I’m going to do what I can to make a difference,” he says.
For Durham, making a difference involves serving the local Realtor community. He’s been the president of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors twice – first in 2001 and again in 2010. He’s also been president of the Northwest Georgia Council of Realtors and of the Multiple Listing Service, and is a current director of the local association and of the Tennessee Association of Realtors (TAR).
Durham’s dedication to his colleagues and industry has won him many accolades, including 2008 Realtor of the Year with the Chattanooga association. But none of the plaques, badges, and pins mean as much to him as the honor he received the night of Jan. 9, 2014, during the local association’s annual induction of new directors: the George Kangles Community Citizenship Award.
Awarded for the first time in 2012 to broker Lois Killebrew, the Chattanooga Association bestows the George Kangles Community Citizenship Award on the basis of the recipient’s: involvement in governmental and political affairs; political activism concerning issues that impact the association’s members and the real estate industry; active participation, support, and investment in RPAC; role on governmental affairs committees; and impact on the governmental affairs activities of the association.
The room erupted in applause when Killebrew said Durham’s name.
The gig was up earlier in the evening, though. “I wasn’t expecting the award to be given out,” Durham says. “But when I arrived at the association and saw Mrs. Kangles there, and then took a quick look around the room at who else was there, I knew it had to be me.”
Durham says there are no words to describe the depth of the honor he feels. “I’ll always cherish it.”
Even though Durham has received what he perceives as being the pinnacle of recognition in the local real estate community, he isn’t resting on his laurels. Instead, he wants to expand into leadership roles on the state level. Currently, he’s secretary treasurer of the TAR, putting him in line to be president elect next year. If Durham hopes to have an ever greater voice, he’s well on his way.
“Service is about involvement, but before you can become involved, you have to watch. I’ve been watching for a number of years, so now is the time for me to step in and start speaking out on behalf of Realtors statewide,” he says.
Durham is extending his community involvement beyond real estate to the broader Chattanooga area by serving on the coordinating committee of Thrive 2055, an initiative to engage people in setting a course the future.
“We want to protect what’s near and dear to Chattanooga,” he says. “We’ve just established our priorities for our 40-year growth plan for Chattanooga, and now we’re going to start hammering away on them.”
Durham was raised in Fort Oglethorpe, then lived in Atlanta, Ga., for eight years while working for the convenience store chain. His responsibilities included site acquisition, which led to an interest in commercial real estate. After earning his license, he quickly acquired a taste for residential sales instead, which has been his focus ever since. Durham is currently is licensed in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.
Given Durham’s work load and extensive volunteerism, which includes serving as the president of the Belvoir Neighborhood Association and as treasurer of Grace Episcopal Church, one might wonder when he relaxes. His quick answer would be “summer.” Durham owns a small pontoon boat and a couple of jet skis, and loves to “get out on the lake” (Chickamauga) with his two adult children, Amanda and Jason.
He also loves to read, and has a penchant for biographies of U.S. presidents. “I’ve never been a fiction buff; I like stories that really happened. I especially enjoy reading about the lives, personalities, and styles of our leaders – the people who made a difference, good or bad.”
Durham has made a difference, and continues to. Even as he focuses on building his business to the point where it has marketable value, he wants to make a positive impact on everything from his neighborhood, to his city, to his state, and, in time, to his nation.
Perhaps no one can sum up who Durham is better than Killebrew, who spoke these words as she announced his selection as a George Kangles Community Citizenship Award recipient:
“If ... you feel dedicated to a life of service to your profession, to your industry, to your association, and to your peers, ... then you now have an idea of what you will need to shoot for. Our honoree’s resume is one that should and will provide inspiration for every member, new and old, to become an activist, an advocate, and a tireless worker for everything that makes our industry and its members successful.”