Christina Holmes wants to make one thing clear: she loves real estate. Most Realtors do, or at least few would say otherwise, but there’s something different about the way Holmes says it. Instead of emphasizing the word “I,” as though she’s trying to convince herself, she stresses the word “love.” And to make sure there’s no misunderstanding, she says it again, accentuating the key word even more: “I LOVE real estate.”
Her assertions are unnecessary because love is its own witness. The zeal Holmes has for real estate is evident in her expression, the sound of her voice, and the way her mind works. Real estate is a part of her history, it’s driven her to where she is today, and it saturates the space around her. Take the map behind her desk of the land surrounding Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Small patches of color representing tracts she recently appraised pepper the drawing, and lines indicating decibel levels from airport noise ripple across the map like waves on water. In a recent consulting job, she assessed the value of the colored parcels, taking into account the amount of airport noise in each area. It was brainy stuff, but Holmes found it exhilarating. “I love this stuff,” she says, barely concealing the geek-like giddiness her work inspires in her.
Or take her understanding of why the McDonalds near the northbound exit of I-75 and Ringgold Road is located to the right of the off ramp. “McDonalds makes more money during breakfast than any other time of day, so it wants to be on the going-in side, where people are coming off the interstate on their way to work,” she says. She’s on a roll, so she runs with it. “I love real estate. I love everything about it. I love understanding land, and its uses, and how buying patterns affect transactions, and how there are financial factors that affect what something is worth to the market and the buyer, and how non-pecuniary factors also come into play,” she says, almost without taking a breath.
Clearly, Holmes has more than a passing knowledge of real estate. Her education in the industry goes back to the ’80s, when she earned a bachelor’s degree in real estate at Georgia State University in Atlanta. While there, she learned about urban planning, design development, and appraisal principles and practices. Holmes also started working for an appraiser, and became skilled at domain appraising. Once college was over, Holmes settled into a 16-year stint as an expert witness in real estate cases involving eminent domain. If the Georgia Department of Transportation wanted to widen a road, she’d testify in court as to the value of the land the government wanted to purchase. She’d also present evidence on behalf of property owners. “I focused on eminent domain because there was a need for it, and there were almost no females in the industry. Also, I really enjoyed communicating the evidence I found,” she says.
Eventually, Holmes grew bored with her work. By this time, she was living in Chattanooga, which had undergone a remarkable urban renewal, so when her mother suggested they get their real estate licenses, she was game. Holmes says she didn’t realize how “entertaining” the brokerage side of the real estate business would be. The sarcasm in her voice is unmistakable. “You’re dealing with hum-ans, so real estate brokerage is fraught with irrational behavior. The client usually has an emotional attachment to the transaction or the property. On the residential side, it might be a divorce, while on the commercial side, the owner might be shutting down a business. That’s challenging because you’re trying to help a person through a business process to which emotions are attached,” she says.
Because Holmes prefers the clear-cut nature of commercial work to the high drama of residential transactions, Holmes lists mostly commercial properties. She does list residential properties, but only by referral. “If someone thinks enough of me to recommend me to someone, then I’ll take the listing. I feel like my understanding of real estate is a gift, so I feel obligated to use it to help people. Sometimes, it’s financially rewarding; sometimes, it’s not,” she says.
Holmes is the majority owner of RE/MAX Real Estate Center+. She has four minority interest partners, 26 agents at two locations, and carries 20-30 listings. She also has an assistant who handles most of her client communications. “It’s important to the client to know every week how many people have looked at their property, what kind of response we’re getting to our marketing efforts, and how many showings there have been. That helps the client to understand how the market is moving and what we need to change,” she says.
As much as Holmes loves real estate, there’s more to her than work. She’s a mom with two daughters and a stepdaughter, all of whom she calls “awesome, smart, and talented.” In addition, Holmes is an entrepreneur (she owns Buzz Chattanooga Pedicabs), a property owner (she has rental properties in Dade County), a teacher (she’s taught real estate classes at Chattanooga State), and a person of faith (she’s a member of Thankful Memorial Episcopal Church). She’s also a hang glider. “I took 2004 off and learned to hang glide. It’s incredible. I even became an instructor. If money were no object, I’d teach hang gliding full time. The joy people get from learning to do it is spectacular,” she says. Holmes talks at length about her daughters, about being on the vestry at Thankful, and about hang gliding. But she eventually winds her way back to real estate.
“I recently got my Certified Distressed Property Designation, and have been doing more foreclosures and short sales. The next big thing I want to do is become a Certified Commercial Investment Member,” she says.
Holmes realizes what she’s done, and pokes fun at herself. “Even when I go on vacation, I look at real estate. I can’t help myself,” she says, laughing about her behavior during a recent trip to Florida. Holmes doesn’t have to apologize, though. Her passion is refreshing, and her knowledge has served her clients well. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with loving one’s job, and Holmes is smart enough to strike a balance between work and the other things in her life. If she were to lose her enthusiasm for her profession, she’d be better than OK. For now, however, she’ll continue to make one thing clear: She LOVES real estate.