Realtors have a bad name, says broker Vickie McBryar, and she wants to help change that. For her, improving the public image of real estate agents begins with making sure her clients understand their relationship is not about dollars.
“I have walked away from closings with no money because my clients trusted me, and I didn’t want to let them down,” she says. “As a Realtor, I’m in a position to help people. Sometimes, that means not taking my commission.”
To earn her clients’ trust, McBryar is honest to the point of risking sales. When she learned a “bank repo” a young couple with very little money was in the process of buying had septic tank issues, she immediately gave them the news. The information didn’t kill the deal, but she would have rather lost the sale than put her clients in a home that needed an upgrade they couldn’t afford.
“If you hide something, they won’t be back,” she says.
McBryar has nothing to hide because she adheres to a strict ethical code, something she hasn’t always seen during her decade in real estate. “I do everything by the book,” she says. “To me, real estate is about integrity, not doing something underhanded to make a sale.”
Making a good name for not just Realtors but also herself is doubly important to McBryar, as her business is on the line – literally. As people drive by 12134 South Main Street in Trenton, Ga., and see the sign on top of the small, one story building that reads “McBryar Realty,” she wants them to associate the name of her company with being treated well.
McBryar’s approach to doing business has paid off. “We’re doing well, and we have a lot of repeat clients,” she says. “That comes from working hard to make our customers happy.”
“Working hard” is an understatement for McBryar, who regularly puts in 12 hours days and is known for laboring for weeks at a stretch without a day off. “Real estate is a seven-days-a-week job,” she says. “Yesterday, I started working at eight in the morning, and I didn’t go home until nine in the evening. People think you don’t have to work hard as a Realtor and that you make a lot of money. Nothing could be farther from the truth.”
McBryar had no such disillusions when she obtained her real estate license in 1995 and went to work a local firm; she knew what she was getting into. But she had taken an early retirement from Tennessee Valley Authority in 1991, and needed to return to the workforce. Although McBryar was aware of the hours involved in selling real estate, as a mother of three children, she liked being able to set her own schedule.
She also enjoyed the work. “I liked getting out and meeting people, I liked how no two days were the same, and I liked how there was always something new to learn,” she says.
Although McBryar didn’t make a sale for three months, and her first commission check was a mere $353 dollars for selling a piece of land, she stayed the course. “There were times when I hated it, but I stuck with it. And I’m glad I did.”
McBryar also knew what lie ahead of her when she parted ways with her second broker and opened her own company. But her husband, a developer, encouraged her to take that step. “I wanted to do things my way,” she says matter-of-factly.
Even during the recent dry spell, McBryar has never regretted launching her own business. “I like teaching my agents,” she says. “And I like trying to give Realtors a better name.”
McBryar also likes the freedom to do as she pleases with her clients, whether that involves yielding a portion of her commission to seal a deal – or telling difficult people to hit the door. “You can’t make everyone happy,” she says, laughing. “And if someone starts out being ugly, they’re going to be ugly through the entire process, so I have no problem telling them to take their business down the street. I’ve done it many times.”
McBryar’s honesty is refreshing, as is her love of Trenton, which comes from having grown up in the city and lived there her entire life. One can easily see how a buyer could become enchanted with her subtle Southern charm and soft sell of the city. “We have a small town atmosphere, our schools are good, we have great parks, and we’re centrally located,” she says. “People love living here.”
Although a work horse who believes a business yields what you put into it, McBryar knows how to relax. She and her entire family enjoying hunting together, whether in New Zealand, New Mexico, or Canada. Since McBryar’s “entire family” consists of her husband, their seven children, and their ten grandchildren, their outings often resemble a family reunion. “We’re big hunters,” she says, smiling.
McBryar is also a dedicated worker in her place of worship, Rising Fawn Baptist Church, where she teaches kindergartners through second graders Wednesday nights.
A woman who owned her own real estate company and then sold it used to think she was the hardest working female Realtor. Then she went to work for McBryar and found out differently. Without a doubt, McBryar’s reputation for putting her blood, sweat, and tears into every deal precedes her, as do her morals. For these reasons and more, buyers and sellers in Trenton, Ga., can look forward to seeing her name atop 12134 South Main Street for many years to come.