The truth may be painful, but having a Realtor who is able to give it to their clients straight is a valuable asset, Realtor Bev-erly Langley with The James Company says.
She says this unique and uncertain market, which is unlike anything she has ever seen in her 35 years as a Realtor, makes it all the more relevant to have a good Realtor on hand.
“What I see now is the un-certainty in the market, and a good experienced Realtor whomseen the changes over time can help a buyer or seller really analyze the market to see where the true value is in a property,” she says. “There is a good market here, and if you hit the market when the pricing is right, then within a reasonable amount of time, your home will sell.” She says the most difficult things that experience helps with is being frank and honest with clients and actually researching the market for them.
“Have the courage to tell them the truth, because in this market the truth hurts just a bit. It hurts to have your house on the market a year or two. It’s a very difficult process to go through, so it’s very good to have that honest information up front,” she says. “If you are going to work together as a team, then you have to be that way with one another.”
This also applies when telling truth to buyers, so they know what to expect to pay. If buyers are reading data from other markets, they may think this area is more suppressed than it actually is and come in expecting to buy way below the listing price, which Langley says is rarely the case. Langley is originally from Toledo, Ohio but came to Chattanooga as a young adult and has been here her entire adult and business life. Already in real estate, she married into a real estate family in the area and has continued her progression in real estate for a total of 35 years so far.
Langley originally joined a company called Town and Country, which was then franchised to be Century 21, one of the first real estate franchises that came to Chattanooga. This location would later become Prudential Realty Center. As a single mother, Langley originally started in real estate because it allowed her the opportunity to have freedom with her schedule and to do all the things which taking on the roles of both mother and father required.
Langley has been with The James Company for about 18 months. Her history with owner, James Perry, goes back quite a number of years, and Langley says she has a great deal of respect for him and how he has been able to grow his agency and employ excellent branding at The James Company. She says Perry actually worked with her as an associate broker when she was a broker for Prudential Realty Center for 10 years.
“I had an opportunity to see him developing growth, top agents and his agency in the city, so when I went for my own company I naturally chose his, and we work together very well,” Langley says. “We have similar values and ideas about how we operate our business, our professional lives and what you work to give back to the community. He understands there has to be a really good balance between our business and our personal lives.”
The James Company Real Estate Brokers and Development was established in 1997. The objective was to create a boutique type firm with a top producer philosophy: implementing systems that, with experience, enable James Com-pany Brokers to handle any type of transaction. Perry’s experience goes back to 1987. His standards of practice include treating others the way you would want to be treated.
“I’ve learned people want information and they want the truth in its purest form. No matter how difficult an issue may be, the truth works every time,” Perry says.
Langley says Realtors as a whole give back to the community a great deal, and people sometimes don’t realize that because of how busy Realtors seem to always be. For many years, Langley has given back through her involvement with Siskin Hospital and their preschool. She has also worked with Chattanooga Room In the Inn by starting an annual fashion show fundraiser and fundraising for their playground.
“That was very rewarding for me because that money stays right here in Chattanooga and you see it working with the women and children in thefacility,” she says.
Langley’s involvement with the American Lung Association and fundraising for their annual fashion show, led to being recognized as one of the 10 distinguished women of Chattanooga.
A hobby she has been passionate about over the years is the buying, selling, remodeling and building of homes. “I enjoy going into older neighborhoods and making something that is not so beautiful become beautiful again, and watching the excitement of the neighbors. I like to work within a community like that,” she says.
Langley also enjoys spending time with her 90-year-old mother and her two Yorkshire terriers, Chloe and Phoebe.
To Realtors just starting out, Langley says knowledge is very important, but the most important thing they can do is have the best interests of their clients at heart. This will come back to them tenfold and make the experience of being a Realtor more enjoyable.
“What clients need is straight shooting up front to work toward mutual goals,” she says. “To have reasonable expectations and for the process to be seamless and effortless is also necessary.” Also as a Realtor’s career grows, learning to balance home life and business life is important, says Langley who can cite examples where the career can easily consume an agent.
“It’s not an easy business. It’s a whole lot more than showing houses and is such an emotional situation for buyers and sellers,” she says. The market is very confusing, and it’s easy to be sidetracked by it, she says. Buyers and sellers need to go to the right place to get information: a Realtor. “A good experienced Real-tor can make that process easier and can sort out this market that has everyone a little puzzled,” she says.