Realtor Rachel Burson says she’d reached the end of her tether to real estate. The work is never easy, she knew, even when the market has a rosy complexion, but it had become harder than she believed she could endure.
So, after investing the considerable time and resources it takes to become a Realtor, Burson, 30, decided to retire her license.
There was just one thing standing between Burson and her unceremonious exit: someone who believes she still has a success story in her.
“I was overwhelmed and exhausted,” Burson confesses frankly. “I’d worked hard to start a business and juggle all of the responsibilities that came with it, but I wasn’t getting a return on my investment – and I was done.”
Heidi Rau, the owner and managing broker of RE/MAX Ambassadors in Ooltewah, nods with understanding and adds one thing Burson didn’t say.
“Rachel didn’t have the support she needed. She needed training that could help her thrive in the current market.”
Rau was the one who stood between Burson and retirement. She wasn’t an obstacle, she says, but simply someone who wanted offer Burson the guiding hand she needed.
“Rachel interviewed with me a year ago but decided to stay where she was,” Rau says. “Then she reached out to me recently and asked if I was still interested in bringing her on. I absolutely was. She has a great personality and the kind of empathy for clients that motivates her to take care of them.”
Burson smiles and allows Rau to reveal what happened next.
“So, we decided to talk, but on the day of our appointment, she cancelled it. I called her and said, ‘Hey, girl, what’s up?’”
After Burson had spilled the beans, Rau urged her to come to the Ambassadors office on Little Debbie Parkway.
Burson did drive to Ambassadors, which is where the two women are sitting as they recall how Burson decided to stay in home sales and moved her license to Rau’s company in February. As a late morning sun brightens an already cheerful lobby – which somehow makes the color white feel welcoming rather than sterile – Rau fast forwards to the end of her part of the story.
“Rachel had invested too much in real estate to give up. And as we spoke, I could see her becoming confident again. Now’s she going through our training, and I can see her becoming excited about the future.”
Burson says her broker is correct.
“I feel rejuvenated. This is a calm and supportive environment, which is helping me to focus. The market can be chaotic, and this place is anchoring me and allowing me to concentrate on breathing in all this fresh air.”
Burson is currently absorbing Ambassadors’ onboarding module; next, she’ll tackle a training program that will cover how to serve buyers in a shifting market. She says she’s looking forward to refining her knowledge and applying it to her representation of buyers and sellers in Tennessee and Georgia – the states in which she’s licensed.
“The current environment is scary for a lot of people, especially first-time homebuyers,” Burson notes. “Buyers aren’t sure what to believe or do because of all the fluctuations in the market, and sellers who are locked in at 3 and 4% are reluctant to sell and take on a mortgage at a higher rate.”
Burson is also eager to deploy her native skills, which she says include an innate ability to connect with others and a compassionate heart that drives her to help others.
A Flintstone, Georgia, native, Burson nurtured her kindness and concern for others at the age of 14 after her mother died. Although Burson praises her father, a biomedical engineering technician at Erlanger, for being hardworking and resilient before and after the loss of his wife, she says she decided to treat others the way she needed them to treat her in the wake of her mother’s death.
Burson says she developed a fascination with houses at an even younger age and had always wanted to be a Realtor. However, as she slipped into adulthood, she worked a series of customer-facing jobs in retail and developed a reputation for being not just courteous and helpful but also a bright presence on the job.
The people who knew Burson’s unexplored passion for real estate noted this and told her she’d be an excellent Realtor. She eventually embraced their encouragement and entered the business in 2020.
“Literally everyone was telling me I’d be good at helping people in real estate, so I said, ‘Fine! I’m going to jump in and try it.’”
“Rachel cares deeply about the client experience,” Rau interjects. “We’re a small brokerage because we’re picky about who we bring in, and Rachel exemplifies our desire to deliver a professional experience to clients. She already has all of those qualities in her.”
One client who moved to Chattanooga from the west coast is enjoying life in the Scenic City area after Burson locked arms with a lender when an issue cropped up during an inspection. Burson and her colleague worked hand-in-hand to not only ensure the buyer was fully informed but also was able to purchase the house she wanted.
“She became nervous when it looked like a few things were going to get in the way, but we scheduled the right inspector to come in, explain what the issue was ad what it was going to cost to repair,” Burson recalls. “I was thrilled because she’d already accepted a job offer and loaded her things into a POD when this happened. She’s still in her house today and is loving it.”
Burson places herself in the path of people who need help even when she’s off the clock. This includes visitors at the church she attends, where she serves as a member of the guest experience team, making her beaming face one of the first visitors see.
To decompress once she’s alone, Burson journals. Each day, she pours her thoughts, feelings and emotions onto a blank page, including three things for which she was grateful that day. As she glances outside, she’s says she’s thankful for the warm weather and that she’s had enough vitality and focus to “stay on task” after a night of light sleep.
That leaves one more for later. Perhaps something will come to Burson as she grabs her video game controller for some premium down time.
“I’ve played video games since I was 6 years old,” she laughs. “It’s one of my more developed skills. I especially like role-playing games like ‘Fallout,’ which has a settlement system that allows you to build houses, plant gardens and do other things to build up your character. You can also fight super mutants.”
Burson even travels to “Fallout” community gatherings, which reveals her to be a true fan. While this occasionally takes her out of Chattanooga, she remains as close to her clients as a phone call or text.
Meanwhile, Rau says she’s confident Burson will soon be chronicling her success in the pages of her journal. It was a story that came close to never being told, but Rau says the pieces of a wonderful narrative are finally coming together.
“Rachel is a rockstar and is going to do great. Her decision to stay in real estate was the best decision she could have made. I’m excited to see what the rest of the year holds for her.”