Many in real estate will tell you that part-time agents don’t last in this business. If that’s true, the exception to the rule is Realtor Lora Dawson, who has 23 years of real estate experience under her belt, much of that gained while she was a part-time agent.
Dawson grew up in Chattanooga, graduated River-side High School, and attended UTC and Tusculum College to complete her bachelor’s degree in accounting. In the early ’80s, she began investing, taking many different related seminars and classes while employed with TVA. This went well until 1988 when TVA started massive layoffs. Dawson says she believes in having a plan B, and so instead of idly wondering what she would do if she was selected as one to be laid off, she spoke with her husband and they agreed that becoming a Realtor might be the best course of action. As an investor, Dawson already knew a little about real estate, and so she went ahead and took courses at UTC and Chattanooga State to get her license.
Yet, when Dawson began interviewing with various companies, she realized that many real estate agencies didn’t want to take on part-time employees like herself. Dawson says she couldn’t afford to quit TVA, not knowing if she could be chosen as one to be laid off or not. When she interviewed with Century 21 Heritage, the manager agreed to take her on part-time, but warned her that part-timers usually didn’t do well or last very long. Dawson remembers telling him, “Well, you haven’t hired Lora Dawson yet, so don’t judge me by everyone else in the past.”
On board with Century 21 Heritage, Dawson didn’t lose her job at TVA at that particular time. Yet, just a few short years before Dawson would be eligible for TVA retirement, Century 21 Heritage was sold and Dawson was looking for another agency to find part-time work with. She was met with the same skeptical response about part-time agents at many offices, but persisted because she was passionate about selling real estate and knew she wanted to go into it full-time after retiring from TVA. Dawson caught a break when she called a friend and former co-worker who was manager at the Gunbarrel Road Crye-Leike, explained her situation, and he told her, “Come on home.” As a part-time Crye-Leike Realtor, Dawson finished out 25 years at TVA before retiring and going into real estate full-time.
Now, Dawson says she is glad she moved to Crye-Leike, with the many services the company offers its agents. “They really want you to get out there and be with the people and not be bogged down with all the administrative work,” she says. “They offer tools here to save us time from reinventing the wheel.” With lots of training, classes, motivation and updates on trends, Dawson says everything a Realtor needs is here, at their fingertips, to use to go as far as they want to in the business.
Crye-Leike has also given Dawson the opportunity to become a relocation specialist, which has really opened up many doors for her in working with lots of people from different parts of the country, she says. Crye-Leike’s relocation de-partment is well known and stays updated and certified on all the networking vehicles out there, which allows them to bring in good resources for agents who go through extensive training to be a relocation specialist. Dawson says she certainly would not have had this opportunity if she had not been with Crye-Leike.
“Crye-Leike is a great company to work with because they are very supportive and always there for you if you need any assistance at all, no matter what time of day it is,” Dawson says. “There is an opportunity there for you to grow your business with their help, support and motivation.” Dawson says she loves the idea of working in real estate because she meets so many different people, gets to learn about different cultures, and has all but left behind her introverted nature from her earlier years. She also enjoys that Realtors are able to genuinely help people.
“I think that we are all here with a mission … I feel like mine is helping other people. I know you can’t help everybody, but you can certainly try,” Dawson says. “For what you can’t do, you can instill in them what they need to do to be able to help themselves for the ultimate goal of what they are wanting.” Dawson also tells her clients that she is a lifetime Realtor for them, meaning she will be there for them even after the sale. She says she considers this to be a continuation of helping someone, and not just about getting a paycheck.
Gaining the designations of ABR, e-PRO, GRI, CRS and relocation specialist over the 23 years she has been in real estate, Dawson has also earned the title of a multi-million dollar producer, licensed in both Tennessee and Georgia. She likes to travel with her husband in her free time and enjoys spending time with their two grandchildren.
In her experience, she says what has been the most beneficial for her is being consistent, and listening to clients even if they come to her to buy a house but soon realize they are not quite ready.
“You don’t close the door on those who are not ready,” Dawson says. “The thing is you help to get them ready or send them to different places who are designed to help them. Never close the door on any client because those clients always come back to you because their situation doesn’t always stay the same. And secondly, they have friends, relatives, co-workers that, if they feel you care and they can talk to you, they will send you business or they will come themselves at a later date.” Dawson says every person she meets is a potential client, and she works to present herself in a way that they will want to be her client.
“For other Realtors, I would say the consistency of being the best that you can be in the business even with the down times [is important.] You have to be in there and hang in there because this is a profession, and there are going to be ups and downs like a roller coaster. Enjoy the ride,” Dawson says.