Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 28, 2009
From wallflower to life abundant: one woman’s story
David Laprad
Realtor Vickie Henderson knows how to make a great first impression. She turns the corner down the hall from the front desk at Remax Properties on Shallowford Road, extends her right hand and walks briskly forward. Her handshake is as firm as her posture, and her “Hello” comes with a pleasant smile. It’s all standard protocol, of course, but it feels as genuine as her Southern accent.
With her nametag pinned to a crisply pressed blue pantsuit, impeccably applied makeup and bright blond coiffure, Henderson looks the part of a first-class Realtor, too. That she stands head and shoulders above the rest of the people in the room only adds to her air of professionalism.
This is not the same Vickie Henderson you would’ve met 15 years ago, when her mother suggested she go into real estate.
“My brother, Mike Givens, was already established in the business and doing well, but I wasn’t outgoing, nor did I have the confidence to pursue real estate as a career,” she says. “So I told my mom no and stuck with what I knew.”
What Henderson knew was sales, and while she was good at her job, it didn’t satisfy her. A Christian, Henderson believes the Lord used that gap in her life to begin transforming her into the person she is today.
“I was shy. Other than being at work, I was not social,” she says, laughing. “But when the opportunity arose to teach Sunday school, and as my job required me to meet new people, it forced me out of my shell and I gained the confidence I needed.”
Then, in 2003, Henderson found herself at a crossroads as she faced a possible layoff at work. Rather than shrinking from adversity, though, she marshaled her newfound self-assurance and took her mother’s long-simmering advice.
Her first year on the job, the company for which she was working named her its Rookie Agent of the Year.
“I hit the ground running,” she says. “My brother told me I was going to have to work hard to establish myself in real estate, and he was right. Real estate is not the glamorous career many people portray it to be. It involves hard work and long hours, and there were times when I considered quitting the business because of multiple disappointments. But through prayer and encouragement from my mother and brother, I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did.”
Henderson says one of the reasons she put so much blood, sweat and prayers into her career early on is she dreamed of working for Remax.
“I knew Remax agents were the cream of the crop,” she says. “Normally, the company doesn’t bring on agents fresh out of real estate school; they usually only retain seasoned agents that have been very productive. So once I was doing well, I went for it.”
Remax brought her on, and a couple of years later, Henderson moved to the Shallowford location in November 2008 to team up with her brother. Together, they’re called “The Givens Team,” which Henderson half-jokingly says offers clients “professionalism with Southern-style charm.”
Henderson says she loves owning her own real estate business because it gives her the freedom to pursue her passion, which is “teaching the Word of God.” To that end, she leads a women’s Bible study on Thursday mornings for Mountain Meadows Church of God in Ooltewah and speaks at several conferences and retreats a year. And she’s planning to take part in a mission trip to India, where she’ll minister to orphans and former prostitutes.
It’s a long way for someone who used to prefer staying home to travel, but Henderson says she’s up for it. “I felt it would be a wonderful opportunity to reach out and help others,” she says.
Henderson also relishes the independence a career in real estate affords her.
“I’m a self-sufficient person, and in this business, it’s up to you to get out there and sell your properties,” she says. “And, like my brother told me in the beginning, if you work hard, you’ll make money.”
Henderson lists and sells residential and commercial properties throughout the greater Chattanooga area. A lot of her clients are referrals, which she attributes to excellent customer service, and she earns a lot of business the old fashioned way: by going into subdivisions, meeting builders, calling FSBOs and never letting up. “If you want to be successful in real estate, you can’t take any breathers,” says Henderson.
But is her work fulfilling? “To me, one of the benefits of my job is helping people,” she says. “I especially enjoy assisting first-time homebuyers. It feels good to help them find their dream home, and then set them up with an ethical loan officer and a good title agent. I’m very satisfied.”
Henderson is busy at home, too, as she’s taking care of her 75-year-old mother. “She’s looked after her family all her life,” Henderson says. “My dad died when I was 12, and she never remarried, even though there were opportunities for her to date, as she’s an extremely attractive lady. She chose to focus on us four kids instead, and she did wonderfully, so it’s our time to step up and help her.”
Although Henderson rarely takes a holiday, as her work and speaking engagements keep her busy, she is considering going on vacation with her mom in the fall.
Unless her two surviving brothers tag along, though, it’ll be just the two of them, as Henderson isn’t married, nor does she have children. “That never worked out for me,” she says, her expression turning serious. “I’m not opposed to dating, but it would have to be somebody special. For now, though — and I know a lot of women wouldn’t say this — I’m happy being single. It allows me to focus on my mom, my church and my career. But one day, if God were to send me somebody...”
Henderson stops there, looking as though she isn’t sure what she’d do.
She’s knows, however, she’s come a long way from the timid, insecure woman she once was. Today, Henderson is sure of herself, thrilled with her career and eager to minister to others. But, just like she won’t ease up on the job, she won’t take the credit for her success or say she’s “arrived.”
“It was the work of the Lord in my life. And He isn’t finished with me yet.”
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