Justin Tate plays to win. Driven to provide a stress-free life for his family, Tate channels his competitive spirit into the real estate game. A game, he says, that requires full-time dedication.
“You can’t be part-time,” he says. “Nobody wants a part-time knee surgeon to do knee surgery on them. I want the doctor that eats, sleeps and breathes knee surgery.”
To that end, Tate says he is always available to clients and takes every opportunity. He answers work calls and networks with parents at his sons’ tournaments, games and meets. “I’m with all the parents at the sporting events, and what are we talking about? Well, I’m talking about real estate, because I don’t shut up.”
Tate also says he won’t leave his house unprepared. When buying Popsicles at Publix, he makes sure he is “on,” well-dressed with clean teeth and ready to discuss the market with potential clients.
Tate’s schedule can be irregular and quick to change. He has employed three assistants at different times and says he noticed they all struggled to stay organized amid the dynamic climate.
“Other Realtors will say there is a systematic way to run a real estate business. I disagree with that,” Tate says, adding he sees his flexibility as a strength, giving him an edge in a market that is ever-changing.
Since becoming a Realtor in 2016, Tate saw interest rates go up for the first time in June 2022, shaking the market.
“Some Realtors left the industry, in Chattanooga, specifically,” he says, adding he feels blessed to remain in the industry. “There are names I don’t see anymore, which is not good. But when things get tough, sometimes it weeds out some of the weaker links.”
With Chattanooga sellers hesitant to list their homes and people moving to the Scenic City in droves, the market is reeling, he adds.
“If no more homes were listed tomorrow, at this very moment, there’s only about three months’ worth of homes that are going to sell based on the absorption rate, and then you’re done. There’s no more homes.”
Despite the fluctuating market, Tate says he is busier than ever.
He has been nominated in the 2024 Chattanooga Free Times-Press “Best of the Best” awards for Best Residential Real Estate Agent, for which the results have yet to be revealed.
“I’m a team player, so I’m gonna play,” he says. “I’m gonna get the word out there, and I want to win.”
Tate says he prefers not to dwell on accolades, adding he prefers to focus on past mistakes rather than successes, saying that mindset helps him grow. “You toast and take a picture and move on.”
Tate attributes his winning mindset partially to books he reads. He names two specifically that changed how he views success: “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and “Think and Grow Rich.”
“Reading is the only thing we can do that no one can stop us from. No one can stop me from getting smarter,” he says.
‘Living for someone else now’
Beyond books, Tate credits his wife, Johnna, and their four sons for transforming his mindset and driving him forward.
Tate says he felt directionless for most of his young life. Aside from his love for fitness, he felt he was drifting through school without a clear path forward. It wasn’t until he met his now-wife Johnna in college, and until they found out years later they were expecting a baby, that Tate felt he had a purpose.
“All of a sudden, I wanted to leave a legacy and do well and be a straight-A student and graduate college,” he says. “It finally clicked for me: I am living for someone else now.”
Tate worked as a personal trainer for several years to help support his family. In April 2015, when one of his CrossFit clients suggested he try real estate, a field about which he knew nothing, Tate declined. Months later, on Thanksgiving Day, he saw his wife, Johnna, flipping through Black Friday ads.
“I remember thinking: We don’t have any money to go shopping. I don’t know what you’re looking at. And that didn’t sit well with me,” he recalls.
Tate says he didn’t want to live paycheck to paycheck, miss his wife on holidays for work or tell his sons that they couldn’t have something. So he revisited the prospect of real estate.
He started classes, earned his license and never looked back.
“Life isn’t short – life is long – and how long are you going to live in this environment of disgust?”
Tate says he has since fallen in love with his job: “I like that every day’s a different day. I like a challenge; I like a treasure hunt; I like problem-solving; and I like having the whatever-it-takes mentality for me and my clients to win.”
Passing on lessons learned
To keep winning, Tate says he hopes to be a top producer, invest in more properties, become more efficient and get his financial life ironclad while being present for his sons.
Tate says he devotes his free time to his boys, playing sports with them, going to the pool or beach, exploring new places and putting them to work in their yard “raking leaves, trimming bushes, building a firepit, gardening. It sounds like such a Dad thing to say, but I love it.” Tate also loves to compete as a family.
Justin and Johnna Tate have four sons, each of whom plays a sport. They are all very competitive, Tate says, especially Johnna, whose intensity he affectionately compares to Sandra Bullock’s Leigh Anne Tuohy in “The Blind Side.” “Forget about it. Board games are out. Somebody gets mad and flips the board,” he laughs.
Tate is grateful that he can give his sons an easier life than his own. He says he enjoys teaching them things he wasn’t taught: how to give a firm handshake, keep eye contact, hold good posture, make people feel important and make the community a better place.
“My passion is pouring into my four boys. I’m passionate about leaving a legacy through the four bodies I’ve created to make an impact on this world somehow, some way, or if nothing else, set them up for success more than I was.”
Tate loves to help people succeed. “The best thing about real estate is the people. I love locking arms with people. I love putting a plan in place and strategizing how to get there and helping my client win to reach their end goal. And then after the sale, I’ve got a new friend.”
He is proud to be a member of the newest generation of Realtors striving to create a new wave of positive feedback in real estate. “I try to create a relationship with my clients to make them feel good and keep it high energy so they go into closing with a smile on their face. And that’s not always easy, but it’s my goal. That’s my favorite part. The best part.”
Approaching the second half of his life, Justin Tate says he is the happiest that he has ever been.
“I’m just beginning. Today is a new day, and this is a new week, and the best is still yet to come, I truly believe. I’d like to win the game a little bit more.”