Beginning her real estate foray in 1979, Eleanor Mitchell has been through the ups and downs of the industry and come out on the other end unscathed and positive for the future. Although, Mitchell admits that last year was one of the most difficult for her in 30 years of helping sellers and buyers meet their needs, she says the signs are pointing to a brighter picture ahead.
Mitchell is a native, attending school in Red Bank for elementary, junior and high school before moving to Hixson when she got married, raising her three children there and still living there today. She stayed home with her children until the third child was of school age, and then Mitchell felt the “need to do something.”
She began work as a secretary three days a week for what was then Paul Fitzgerald Realty. Yet still she never thought she would sell real estate. Working as a secretary for a year there, she began to realize that real estate was not the horror story she had imagined, and decided it was worth a try.
She began with Paul Fitzgerald for eight years and then joined the Fletcher Bright Company in 1986. Mitchell says she’s been with them ever since, likes the feeling of longevity she has there and finds no reason to even contemplate changing companies.
Mitchell keeps plugging away at real estate with her three loves of the business along side her: people, houses and clothes.
In reference to that last item, Mitchell says: “If I did nothing but sell real estate so I could buy clothes, that would be great, because it’s fun to me, which sounds ridiculous, I know,” she jokes.
She enjoys the people in the business, and many of them have become long-time friends, she says. Mitchell and her husband even have friends who have moved to the area, and then moved away, but they still keep in touch and visit one another.
These days, Mitchell says she is extremely sympathetic to sellers. While buyers can get good deals, and they know it, sellers are suffering.
“I hope that we are in the beginning of pulling out of the worst market I have ever known in my time in the business,” Mitchell says. “For sellers to need to sell and just not be able to, while still doing everything right, is tough.”
Her advice to sellers is to price the property the best they can and get it in as perfect condition as possible.
“There are things you can do to make a property compete well. Don’t leave anything undone that you can afford to do,” she says. “Paint is the cheapest [option] and getting rid of clutter. New carpet is great, also.”
Mitchell urges sellers to try to not have needed repairs because these will cause a buyer to double or even triple the cost to make those repairs and deduct this from the price.
On the other end of the spectrum, Mitchell says buyers should “just go for it.”
“Buyers are able to buy houses that maybe they never dreamed they could. Anybody who buys a house now should be able to see a great appreciation,” she says.
And Mitchell can help with finding these properties as well, as she has helped clients from all over the area, has lived in Chattanooga her whole life and kept up with the market and its cycles of growth. Now, she says, the East Brainerd and Ooltewah areas are the ones with big growth, and the downtown area is always a good bet. Because of her ties to the area and her own home in Hixson, Mitchell is able to point out which areas are good for families and which may be best for retirees.
When the Premier Club was still around, Mitchell was always in it, she says. She currently serves on the Professional Standards Committee, is a Certi-fied Residential Specialist and an Accredited Buyers Agent, and is licensed in Tennessee and Georgia.
She says that she continues to accumulate her education to keep up to date and stays abreast of the technology that has completely changed the business within her career span.
With her Mac Pro laptop and her Droid smart phone, Mitchell can travel and still do most of her job with these devices. Yet still goes to the office almost every day because she likes to have the home base it provides and to mingle with other Realtors.
Mitchell also plays golf, participates in couples golf tournaments and events with her husband, and plays with a group of women at a different club every Tuesday. This helps for referrals and just to meet new friends. Mitchell visits the Sports Barn to work out, knits, reads and does a variety of other activities that keep her on her toes. She likes to be busy and is grateful for good health as well as her one redheaded grandbaby, who is a year and a half old.
Even though last year was rocky, Mitchell has plans to make this year better. She says she sees the signs of more activity and more positive thinking going along to further this goal, and adds that everyone is very lucky to have Volkswagen and Amazon to give us a positive feeling and outlook for the future.
“I feel real good about that. I think we’ll make it,” she says.
For those buyers waiting for the bottom of the market to hit or for the lowest interest rates, Mitchell says they are here and to not be afraid to buy, as some people might truly still be. Mitchell says she may sound like a Realtor, but says: “It’s a great time to buy, because we might be in the best buying market ever.”
To reach Eleanor Mitchell, call 423-667-1661 or email her at tn.ellie@comcast.net.