Smart. Passionate. Vibrant.
These three words describe the younger generation in Chattanooga. A fourth can be added when referring to Realtor Matt Henley: humble.
The last name might ring a bell. His father, Thomas Henley, owns Henley Medical, a supplier of custom wheelchairs for disabled children. His uncles own Henley Brothers Construction. And his late grandmother was Helen Henley, a legendary Chattanooga Realtor who helped countless families buy their first home during a real estate career than spanned 50 years.
Her photograph hangs alone on a wall in the lobby at Crye-Leike Downtown, visible to all who enter through the front door. Matt sees it every time he goes to work.
His grandmother’s smile must inspire him. Since earning his license in March of this year, Matt has closed nearly half a million dollars in sales and has another million pending. But there’s no whiff of entitlement on him, only gratitude.
“I interviewed at a few places, but I chose to work here because everyone knew my grandmother and told me to not hesitate to ask if I need anything. I wouldn’t be this far along if she hadn’t built those bridges for me,” he says.
Not that Matt is riding anyone’s coattails. He grew up in North Chattanooga, attended Boyd Buchanan, and then earned a business degree at Middle Tennessee State University. While in college, he started a window cleaning company that kept him busy summers. He liked being his own boss and decided to one day own his own business.
While in college, Matt also purchased a rental property from his grandmother. The experience sparked his interest in becoming a Realtor. “Real estate made sense to me. It seemed to be something I could do,” he says.
Although Matt enjoyed the freedom of working for himself, he took a job with his father after graduating from MTSU. Instead of seeing the two years he was employed at Henley Medical as lost time, he says he received an education that exceeded what he would have learned in an MBA program. “I saw all of the numbers and I sat in on every meeting. Nothing was hidden from me. It was intense, like earning an MBA times ten,” he says.
Earlier this year, Matt moved into real estate. To date, he’s concentrated primarily on buyers, though he sees his focus expanding over time. “Rookies deal with buyers more than anything else. But in five to six years, which is the average time an American owns a home before they sell it, I’m hoping those people will call back and ask me to list their home. Then I’ll be getting both kinds of clients,” he says.
So far, Matt is enjoying the work. He likes how every day is different, he likes working with the variety of personalities, and he likes seeing the smiles at the closing table. “There’s a lot of anxiety, but a lot of excitement, too,” he says.
For Matt, one of the appeals of owning his own business is having the freedom to set his own hours. But he quickly learned a Realtor is often at the mercy of his or her clients. “If you get a phone call, you can suddenly be working until two o’clock in the morning because you have something you need to get done by 8 a.m. Or if you don’t move on a house, it might not be available tomorrow, so there’s a sense of urgency to always be available,” he says.
When Matt was in college, he knew he wanted to run his own business someday, but he wasn’t sure which type of business. That hasn’t changed now that he’s a Realtor. Rather than locking onto one aspect of real estate, he’d like to explore his options for a while and then zero in on something.
“I might get into buying and fixing up houses,” he says. “I want to get my feet wet in every aspect of real estate and then decide which ones I like and which ones I want to avoid. One of the things I like about real estate is there are a lot of options.”
Matt is learning quickly. For example, he’s already starting to see the difference between opportunties and dead ends. “When you start out, you might work your tail off on something an experienced Realtor would know wasn’t going to lead anywhere. But the longer I’m in this, the more I know.”
He’s also become aware of how busy Realtors can be. “I hope when I become established, I can start to say no to some things so I can make time for the other things life has to offer. I’ve already learned this business can consume you,” he says.
Matt hopes to become established quickly, as he and his high school sweetheart are engaged to be married next April. However, being cut from local cloth, he does want to make room in his schedule for his favorite pastimes: “Hunting, fishing, all the normal fun stuff Southern American males like to do.”
Mostly, though, Matt will be working. He has his eye on the future, and while that can be daunting, he’s glad his family and friends have given him a leg up.
“I’m lucky to be a part of a large and well-known family in this town,” he says. “I have some good things going, but I havn’t earned any of it yet. But I am learning.”
His grandmother would be proud.