Realtor Kristy Fairchild appears to be under the impression that real estate is fun. No one has told her that listing and selling properties is grueling work, especially in a down economy. She even claims to have become from friends with most of her clients.
She leans forward, repeats the word “most,” and then sits back and laughs. Her laughter isn’t polite or forced; rather, it’s as genuine as the morning breeze blowing in through the open door at the far end of her office, located just behind Aretha Frankenstein’s in North Chattanooga.
Not much about Fairchild seems conventional. Even her workspace bears little resemblance to the typical office. She’s seated beside a small, round table, similar to what one might find in a tearoom or coffee shop. When she speaks, her voice bounces off the room’s high ceiling and crisp white walls, the latter of which serve as hanging surfaces for bright, colorful paintings of cats, dogs, and birds.
The door letting in the morning breeze opens onto a porch where Fairchild likes her clients to sign their closing papers, and where a wicker ceiling fan is adding what it can to the already beautiful morning.
“We want there to be more joy and laughter in your living,” she says. “And we want to take as much of the stress out of real estate as we can.”
Although it’s surprising to hear Fairchild say the word “stress,” the woman behind the big smile is acutely aware of the realities of the current market.
Fairchild works at Live it! Realty, launched by owner Jenny Noblit in 2009. Noblit was Fairchild’s broker at a local branch of one of the largest real estate companies when she decided to strike out on her own.
“I had worked for two corporate firms, and it was a good experience. But when Jenny took me to lunch and told me she was going to open her own business, and wanted me to go with her, I jumped at the chance. I liked her entrepreneurial spirit,” Fairchild says.
Both women were aware it was the worst of times. But they believed it was also the perfect time to start a real estate business. As they were brainstorming, Fairchild came up with its name.
“Everyone was discouraged and feeling bad about the market, but we thought we could bring something positive to the real estate market in Chattanooga,” Fairchild says.
The “something positive” came in the form of donations to local charities. Instead of paying corporate fees to a large company, the agents at “Live It!” take what they would normally pay their corporate caretakers, pool it together, and write a check to one local organization each quarter. Normal Park Museum Magnet School, McKamey Ani-mal Care and Adoption Center, and Wally’s Friends – a spay and neuter clinic in Red Bank – have all received funds.
“We’re living what we believe. And the name has to have the exclamation point,” Fairchild says, laughing again.
Noblit timed the opening her business well: “Live It!” has turned a profit during each of its first two years of doing business.
Fairchild concentrates her efforts in North Chattanooga. Although she does list houses, she prefers to work with buyers, as she loves matching a client with a home.
“I get to know what my clients like and what their interests are. Then I take what they need as far as bedrooms, bathrooms, and so on, and put it all together and present them with something they might not have considered,” she says.
As an example, Fairchild tells the story of a client who was moving to Chattanooga from Rome, Ga., and wanted to live in the north part of the city so he could ride his bike to Greenlife and other amenities in town. Fairchild learned he was a rock-climbing enthusiast, and suggested a place on Lookout Mountain, where he could ride his bike to climb.
“That’s where he lives now,” she says, grinning.
A Chattanooga native, Fairchild moved to Alabama with her family when she was 15. She took a stab at college, but dropped out of the nursing program at Auburn because she “didn’t know what to do other than have fun.” She eventually found her way back to Chattanooga, where she took a job in catering sales and met Eric, the man who would become her husband.
Once wed, Fairchild became a stay-at-home mom. As her second child approached kindergarten, she began contemplating a return to the work force.
“I love older houses. And I wanted to do something that would allow me to go on field trips with my kids and volunteer at their school. I also have the kind of personality that allows me to talk with anybody and make friends easily, so I thought I would use that while doing something I enjoy,” she says.
Fairchild went to school to become a Realtor, and has been in love with her work
ever since.
“I can look at houses, make money, and help people. I love it!” she says.
Fairchild isn’t just selling the North Chattanooga lifestyle; she and her family are living it, too. She works hand-in-hand with her husband, Eric, who joined her in the real estate business one year ago. Their children, who are 13 and 11, enjoy playing soccer, so the Fairchilds spend time cheering them on at games as well. The couple also likes to cook together, especially ethnic foods, and enjoys going to estate sales and open houses on weekends.
“We’re at the Chattanooga Market every Sunday because that’s where we buy our produce. We try to shop and eat local. We’re Chattanooga people,” Fairchild says.
The Fairchilds are also animal people. Their current pet count is five dogs and two cats.
While Fairchild is an optimist, she’s also a realist. She knows that even her lively personality and relaxed approach to buying and selling houses can’t erase the sad truths of a down market, or soothe all of the fears people have. But she will never stop trying.
“We can never take all of the pressure away, but we can try to make the process more comfortable.”