Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 23, 2010
Realtor’s three golden keys help business thrive
Erica Tuggle
During her 23 years in real estate, Judy Ekiss has seen all manner of odd, laughable, heartwarming and tragic incidents in the changing realty world. She says the advance of technology has made the job easier in the respect of keeping connected, but takes away the ability to be “off the clock” even during vacation time.
- Erica Tuggle
“A Little Bit of Luck,” might be an apt title for a book on Judy Ekiss’ career in real estate. This comedic tell-all would highlight stories of her daily life as a Realtor involving the perils of dodging snakes in a basement, frenzied work to meet closing deadlines and the brief, but sweet, time that a Realtor enjoys while “off the clock.”
Ekiss says she regrets not keeping a journal to record the tales that comprise this greater unwritten, but very much lived, experience as a Realtor for 23 years in Chattanooga.
In this manuscript, she would have credited three golden qualities to her success as a multi-million dollar producer in the Signal Mountain Area, and her association with the slogan, “Judy knows the mountain!” She says, optimism, perseverance and that little bit of luck have allowed her to “keep on keeping on.”
Ekiss was born in Chatta-nooga, because there was no hospital in Stevenson, Ala., where her parents lived. Her husband’s job transfer brought her back to the city, although she says she was heartsick to leave her counseling job in Birmingham. As her children became more self-sufficient, she began looking in her new home for an area similar to her love of counseling and the relationships she was able to build within that profession. She found real estate.
“I didn’t know a whole lot about real estate, to tell you the truth,” she says on deciding to re-enter the workforce all those years ago, “But I thought, this is something I can do, have flexible hours and still be able to pick up children for after-school activities.”
Whether it was the influence of the optimism, luck, perseverance or a little bit of all of the above, Ekiss found a niche in realty with becoming and maintaining the status of a multi-million dollar producer. For success, she set up certain standards at the beginning, pledging to maintain communication and being determined to give this effort 100 percent.
“I heard the stories of people calling and calling to try and get with a Realtor and never getting returned calls, and I vowed I wasn’t going to do that,” she says. “Probably the most important thing to me is to keep the lines of communication open between all my clients and to always, always return phone calls. Even if you can’t do it till midnight.”
Another part of the secret of successful Realtors is not only knowing about the nature of the business, but also being willing to give when buyers and sellers need you to, she says.
“This can be difficult for a lot of people, including me, but if you are out there to truly represent a seller or a buyer, you know that they can’t always get together with you during hours that suit you,” she says.
Perseverance is coming into play more and more these days, especially as the fall market and the slowing down season begins. She says, she knows between Memorial Day to the end of the Fourth of July that she will seldom hear from her clients, and with holidays and weather changes the influx of business decreases.
“The fall begins to start the process of slowing down because school is starting and people are thinking of that. Local buyers or sellers probably started the process in the spring, really got into it in the summer and probably, if they don’t have to buy or sell, are thinking of school, Thanksgiving and Christmas;” she says. “There will be a little flurry between Thanksgiving and Christmas with mainly people who know they are moving here and come to look during their holiday time.”
Yet, with these predictions she also acknowledges that the current market is prime for unpredictable elements, and therefore, she resolves to stay optimistic.
“Being successful, you need to be an optimist as well. If not, you can get so down on yourself, down on the market and you just have to know that it is a slow time but there have been a lot of slow times and every time there is a slow time there will be a pick up time afterwards,” she says.
The current pickup she is seeing will help with her optimism upkeep. She says this spring and summer, she has been much busier than the previous year, and she is receiving more calls than usual. Furthermore, six weeks ago, 200 houses were on the market for Signal Mountain, and that has dropped to 175. In a market that is supposedly depressed, she says it is impressive that 25 houses have sold in such a short time.
The increased business and the increased technology Ekiss has seen over the years is a mixed bag, she says. On the one hand, she remembers with little fondness the days before the fax machine when contracts had to be hand delivered with a drive across town. On the other hand, she also remembers when being on vacation meant that the only work you’d see during the week would be if you called the office to retrieve your messages.
“But now it is like you are working all the time with technology that can follow you. We have instant access to each other. It’s great, but you can’t seem to get away.”
Ekiss says she is checking emails and getting calls on her cell line all the time, even when she is with her family. This is why she emphasizes the importance for a supportive partner, family, or friends for the type of life a Realtor must lead in order to excel in the business.
In the end, she calls realty a great profession, especially for the flexible hours, and urges those who can give it their all to strive for the profession and the rewarding relationships it can bring.
And don’t forget to keep optimism, perseverance and luck by your side for the tight times, she says.
|
|