Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 30, 2010
Liles finds unique niche, compelling story in life’s journey
Erica Tuggle
Janell Liles’ background in nursing mades her real estate work with the properties of Greenbriar Cove a good fit, she says. The vast retirement community of Greenbriar Cove offers an indoor swimming pool, five different communities, specially designed properties for those over 55 years old and a social community atmosphere.
- Erica Tuggle
Janell Liles thinks it’s a weird feeling talking about herself. She says although some may identify with their accomplishments and define themselves by such, she thinks when she answers the “Who am I?” question it cannot be fully reliant on credentials. Liles’ immersion into real estate was a roundabout venture, and in telling it, the accolades she has received are not the highlights, but rather it is the journey itself that makes her story compelling.
Liles grew up in Washington State, where her family still resides. She left home at age 18 to attend the Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, frankly, she says, because she didn’t want to marry anyone she had grown up with back home. Liles already had two scholarship offers from private schools, but with her parents’ guidance, they decided on Southern Adventist University. After graduation, her second return to Chattanooga was for schooling as well, this time for her children.
“About that time, I was divorcing with my husband, but we still stuck with our plan to enter our kids in the Southern Adventist University,” she says. “Thus, the second half of my life began as a single person.”
Moving is never an easy task, and reinventing oneself in a new town and with a new lifestyle is even more of a challenge. Liles is a nurse by formal education and has her emergency home administrator’s license.
Therefore, she pursued the
long-term care and retirement
arena in her new town. Unofficially, she also picked up the real estate hat and began to try her talents within the field. Four years later, she made the switch official and brought her former line of work into her new career with the properties at Greenbriar Cove.
Greenbriar is a master retirement community of over 200 home sites that offer something for everyone in the 55-and-older population that live there, she says. The five different neighborhoods and price plans, rental options and assisted living, memory loss and long-term care services offer residents the ability to have a tentative plan for the rest of their lives, she says.
“[Greenbriar] definitely keeps families together and lets them paint their picture the way they want to paint it,” she says. “The trend we are seeing is that more and more [people] getting closer to 55 are making a life change earlier and downsizing quicker. ‘Retire’ is becoming an obsolete term because it doesn’t mean I’m not working necessarily, but I’m making different choices.”
Liles says the work she does with Greenbriar is fun and a good fit because of her non-traditional real estate career and the access it has allowed her to do things typical agents don’t get to do. Although she is not an architect or designer, her knowledge of client needs allowed her to design every floor plan, which were all built with the older individual in mind.
“Using sales and marketing with this knowledge of people allows me to pick up really quickly, when someone walks in the door, what might be the best fit for them,” she says.
Furthermore, she says this type of real estate niche allows her to take the real estate client relationship to a new level of friendship, and she becomes a part of their daily lives. Because she sees these clients every single day, they get to ask her what she had for dinner last night or if she’s found a boyfriend. She jokes back with them to bring their eligible bachelors in for a visit. The point is, she says, is that this type of realty allows her to be in touch with people’s life in a unique way.
With this, Liles also has an untraditional method of selling.
“I’m a firm believer that I don’t want to sell anything,” she says. “I don’t think I could convince you to buy anything unless you came to me with a need. Then, I think, I am really good at showing you the options and helping you make the decision based on your wishes and what you want.”
She feels the purpose of her job is to present the options and help the puzzle come together smoothly, because, in the end, it’s rare that anyone truly enjoys the process of buying or selling and the high stress that accompanies this atmosphere, she says.
“When you come in, we kind of really take the initiative that you check it at the door and we will carry it through. We take the angst out of it for them,” she says.
In with her selling philosophy, she has recognized several trends that help the process along. Downsizing properties to between 1,500 and 1,800 square feet is a popular thread, she says, because people are being mindful of the cost, upkeep and maintenance of the properties they are purchasing.
In a similar way, low maintenance products such as vinyl windows are being employed in these properties. The desire for luxury remains with real hardwood floors, gas log fireplaces, granite, custom cabinetry and high ceilings in these homes. Attic and walk-in storage are also high selling features.
One of the more interesting trends is the phasing out of the Jacuzzi tub, she says.
“In this age group, it is kind of wasted real estate and takes up space that could be used more efficiently over time. I think we will see more bathtubs hitting the road to be replaced with shower-only units,” she says.
A big part of Liles’ love for her work correlates with things she likes to do when she’s not at the office, like the desire to create new things. Home remodeling is one of those things she says she always seems to get roped into, but doesn’t mind because it is an enjoyable opportunity.
Who knows? This hobby may lead to taking the roundabout way to a new business endeavor. It’s certain that this past technique has worked in her favor so far.
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