It’s a hot May Saturday afternoon, the kind for which air conditioning and iced tea are made. But Realtor Becky Cope English does not have time to relax. She has houses to sell.
Her open house started a few minutes ago, but she’s still rushing from unit to unit to ensure everything is in place. Brochures are laid out on kitchen countertops, balloons are tied to For Sale signs and each home has been cooled to perfection. Finally, she takes a moment to breathe.
This does not happen often.
“I like things to be happening. I’m not good with sitting still,” she says.
English is in her element – a 50-home development consisting entirely of spanking new construction. At the moment, Magnolia Creek in Ooltewah consists of four move-in-ready homes with plush lawns and four houses that are little more than the frame and the surrounding dirt. The former are what brought English to the charming nook on a Saturday afternoon.
English likes selling new construction because it allows her to be a part of building a community. Although her role at Magnolia Creek is that of agent, she has helped to develop neighborhoods from the ground up.
“I enjoy the whole process – from choosing the location, to acquiring the land, to making sure the homes have a certain view, to selecting the neighborhood amenities, to designing the homes, to picking out the colors and finishes,” she says.
From 2002 to 2003, English helped to plan the Mulberry Park community in Ooltewah. When the time for her to sell the homes arrived, she liked being able to answer every question buyers had about the units and the surrounding community. “When you’re involved from the beginning, sales are easier,” she says.
English does more than build communities; she also has a hand in building new lives for people moving to Chattanooga. From introducing clients to the advantages of life in the Scenic City, to finding them a place to live, to helping them to gain their footing, she enjoys taking clients “from soup to nuts.”
“I have a natural desire to take care of people. But more than that, when I’m helping someone to move here, I’m representing my profession, the company for which I work, the builders and the city, and I want my clients to have the best possible experience,” she says.
A lifelong resident of Chattanooga who has lived in nearly every major community in the city, English is familiar with the pros and cons of each area. This allows her to select the right neighborhood for each client based on his or her needs, making her an ideal local ambassador.
“I’m helping a physician to relocate from Portland, and he’s nervous. So I’m going to put him in my car and show him the grocery store, and how to get to the hospital, and where he can ride his bike, and where Nightfall takes place,” English says.
English says about 25 percent of her business involves relocation. “I love telling people about the revitalization of our city. We have a great story to tell,” she says.
English has a good story to tell about her becoming a Realtor. Her exposure to the commercial side of the business occurred in the late ‘90s as she worked for the company that purchased Eastgate Town Center. When it was time for English to move on, she knew she wanted to continue to work in real estate, but she had no knowledge of the residential market. So she talked with as many people as she could about what to do.
Rick Wood, the area director of Tennessee Trust for Public Land, told her to talk with broker Jason Farmer. “Jason was short and sweet. He said, ‘This is what you need to do now, and this is your long term plan.’ I respected his opinion,” she says.
English earned her license and set up house at Realty Center, where she began itching to do something more than the standard sales gig. Her restlessness drove her to explore the neighborhoods of Chattanooga, during which she discovered a community of new construction. As she navigated its streets, she realized her passion lie not just in houses, but also in neighborhoods, so she picked up her phone and started calling the numbers of the builders on the signs.
Through her enterprising footwork, English learned about the new homes division at Realty Center, and quickly repositioned herself as an agent responsible for selling new construction. Cummings Cove was among the neighborhoods in which she became involved.
“That was the heyday of real estate. Neighborhoods were on fire,” English says.
As English worked new construction, a desire took root in her and then grew. While she enjoyed selling pristine homes, she wanted to go a step further and begin working with developers to create communities. That opportunity came when she left Realty Center and joined forces with a number of partners to build and sell Mulberry Park.
The community became her bread and butter, so when sales slowed in 2006, English began looking for a new real estate home. The business philosophies of Re/Max blew her away, so she joined Farmer at Re/Max Renaissance.
“Going from dealing with one neighborhood to doing general brokerage was scary. Re/Max got me through that time. The brand recognition helped, but so did the people who referred business to me without asking for anything in return,” English says.
English not only remained solvent, but also her sales have increased each year since she joined the company in 2007, partly due to her diversification into new areas of business. For example, in addition to listing houses and assisting buyers, she’s become a Certified Distressed Property Expert.
“I wanted to be able help clients who are in dire straights. I wish more people would talk with a Realtor about their options,” English says.
English is also available to help clients lease, rather than purchase, properties.
“Many of the people coming to Chattanooga don’t know where they want to be, and are more comfortable with leasing for six months or a year while they figure it out,” she says.
English works with the liaisons of Global LT, the company Volkswagen hired to bring in its people from Europe.
English also stays involved with the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors. A believer in political activism, she’s on the Governmental Affairs Committee, has talked with legislators in Nashville about issues relevant to home ownership, and spoken at fundraisers about what’s taking place in the country financially.
“One of the first things Farmer told me to do was get involved in my Realtor association. It’s our responsibility as real estate agents, and another way of keeping homeownership alive and well,” she says.
English invests a lot of time and energy in her work, but is careful to not spread herself too thin, as she’s married and has a 14-year-old stepdaughter. She says striking a balance between career and her family of four years is not easy.
“My clients become my friends, and I’ve been doing this long enough that things are coming full circle with some of them. They bought a house from me, and then had children, and now they need to sell that house and move into a bigger one.
“Fortunately, my husband and stepdaughter are understanding. We’ve gone on many rides together to set up for an open house, and they don’t complain when I say we have to put up signs on the way to the movies,” English says, laughing.
English and her family live in Mulberry Park, where she purchased when she was helping to build the neighborhood. “There’s nothing better than living in a community you envisioned and saw come to fruition,” she says.
Although work consumes most of English’s time, she’s not complaining. She knows it comes with the territory, especially when selling new construction. She has houses to sell, but more than that, she has a neighborhood to build at Magnolia Creek. This is her passion, and she has the energy and the drive to make it happen.