Realtor Kim Bass is in a good place - literally.
She’s standing in the center of a beautifully built Craftsman-style home in the new Huntley Gates development, located in East Brainerd along Gunbarrel Road.
The open floor plan offers a sense of space and freedom, and allows the eye to take in the attractive touches that come standard in a Down South Homes unit: the granite countertop in the kitchen, the backsplash along the wall in the same space, the hardwood floors that span the downstairs, the crown molding overhead, the fireplace in the living room, and the door to a covered back porch.
Outside, a sprinkler system lies hidden under a carpet of lush green grass, while a mailbox and a street light complete the picture of a house made to be a home.
On the “For Sale” sign in the front yard, Bass has affixed an additional sign bearing the words “Under Contract.”
Beyond the home, located at the mouth of a partially built out cul de sac of homes, are seven more houses and construction crews working to build eight more. Behind the home and across Gunbarrel Road are 11 more lots. Nearby are good schools and easy access to the interstate, say Bass.
Although Bass has sold new construction before, Huntley Gates is her first development as lead agent.
“I’d known the builders, Craig Gilbert and Tripp Brown, for a long time, but we’d never worked together,” she says, her eyes glancing down at her smart phone as it whistles to her from the kitchen countertop. “I came here with a client who wound up writing a contract for a custom home. After that, Craig and Tripp agreed to give me another home for each one I sold.”
This is no small task, since Down South Homes is planning on building 27 units. Yet Bass has nine out of the 11 built under contract. “I’ve been here every Sunday except Easter and Mother’s Day since January,” she says.
Bass isn’t complaining; rather, she’s taken great pleasure in the experience: “Watching people customize their homes and become a part of this community has been fun,” she says.
While Bass is in a good place, she’s worked hard to get there. For years, she labored in a variety of sales positions. When the time to change arrived, her pastor suggested becoming a Realtor.
“He told me I’d make a great agent. So I looked into it and said, ‘Okay, I’ll do this,’ without knowing how hard it is,” Bass says. “Starting out isn’t easy because this is an expensive business. You have to obtain your licenses, pay your broker fees, and buy insurance, gas, and signs, whether you sell anything or not.”
Bass knuckled down and took the words of a veteran agent to heart: “You have to survive the first three years so you can learn what you need to know, and so people can get to know you.”
In addition to wanting to succeed financially, Bass found motivation in helping her clients. “Buying a house is stressful and difficult, but it’s also one of the most joyous times in life,” she says. “I enjoy helping people not only find a house but also get through the process.”
Bass made it through her first three years, and then the market dipped. But she’d already gained the momentum she’d need to take her through the downturn. “I thrived through that period - 2009, 2010, and 2011 were great years for me,” she says. “I just kept plugging away. People still had to buy houses, it was just harder.”
Bass began her real estate career at Re/Max Properties on Shallowford Road. In 2010, she and Realtor Grace Frank moved to Re/Max Renaissance, broker Jason Farmer’s business. Bass credits Frank, a seasoned and successful agent, with teaching her many things about the business.
“You have to spend money to make money,” Bass says. “When you’re starting out, you might think advertising isn’t important because everything is on the MLS. But marketing is a big deal. Grace taught me the importance of marketing and showed me how to do it.”
Bass says Farmer has been a valuable mentor as well. “Jason taught me to treat real estate like a job - to come in every day whether I already have something going or not,” she says. “So I go to the office and work, whether I’m doing marketing, catching up my database, working with clients, or doing paperwork. If you treat real estate like a job, it will pay like a job.”
Bass says Farmer also taught her how to deal with tough situations. “The loan process is harder now than it’s ever been,” she says. “When you’re helping someone through that process, you have to be the person who says, ‘It’s okay. This happens to everyone.’ You also have to be the solution to the problem.”
In return, Bass makes herself available as a mentor to other agents. “It’s hard to find experienced Realtors who will teach you what you need to know and let you follow them around so you can see how this business works. So I try to do that for other agents,” she says.
Bass also makes herself available to the local real estate associations. She’s currently serving on the board of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors, and is present-elect at the local chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors.
“I’m enjoying serving on the board,” she says. “Being active in your association is important because knowing what’s going on makes you a better Realtor. It’s also a great place to network with other successful agents.”
Bass encourages all women Realtors to become a part of the WCR. “It’s there to empower women Realtors and groom them for leadership,” she says. “We also have a great bunch of affiliates. These are the people you can reach out to when you don’t know the answer to a question. If you already know a lender or a title agent, they’ll be more willing to help you.”
Bass also believes education is important. To that end, she’s earned the Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) designation and is a certified green Realtor. She currently has her sights set on a designation specific to helping veterans purchase a home. She’s been doing a lot of work with that group, and wants to serve those clients even more effectively.
Bass isn’t just a student, though; she’s also a teacher. In addition to mentoring fellow agents, she’s been teaching Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace program at her church, Stuart Baptist Heights in Hixson, for several years. Her hard work as a Realtor and a teacher of the program paid off this year when Dave Ramsey made her an endorsed local provider - a perk that didn’t come easy, as Ramsey’s organization is highly selective when choosing the businesses it supports. The endorsement has produced good leads.
Bass will resume teaching the Financial Peace course this fall. In the meantime, she plans to spend as much time with her grandchildren as she can. Bass and her husband, Brent, have two daughters, who together have provided them with three grandsons. “After having two daughters, learning how to deal with little boys was a big adjustment,” she says, “but we love them.”
Bass and her husband, a vice president at Covenant, are both busy at their respective jobs, but when they can get away, they like to spend time with friends from church, take mini-trips, or go to a movie. But work is always lingering at the fringes of their leisure time.
Again, Bass isn’t complaining, but rather says this is a perfect time in her life for her to be busy. “The kids are gone, so I’ve turned into a workaholic,” she says. “But I’m enjoying it because I like what I do.”
Bass’s phone whistles again. Her husband is calling, so she answers. She listens for a moment, then begins laughing. It’s the kind of laughing one does when someone has said something very funny. Then she tells him she has to go.
She pauses for a moment after ending the call. “This is a nice time in our lives,” she says, the traces of a smile lingering on her face. “Everyone is healthy, and we have great grandkids. We’re working hard, but we’re doing well at our jobs. Most of my success is hard work and God’s grace, though, because there are a lot of good agents out there. I’m blessed beyond measure.”
Bass is definitely in a good place – literally.