Rebecca Cole was 19 when she packed her Jeep Wrangler and drove from her home in Seattle, Washington, to Covenant College.
Cole had never been to Chattanooga, let alone Covenant, but she had friends who had, and they’d assured the former was a “quaint little city” and the latter was “a beautiful college on an amazing mountain.”
Based on their rosy assessment and fueled by a desire to explore the world beyond her not-so-quaint – or little – home city, Cole crossed the country on what she says was a whim to begin her higher education.
“I applied two days before Thanksgiving and learned I was accepted two days before Christmas,” Cole recalls. “A few days later, I was in my Jeep. I had no idea what I was getting into.”
As Cole and her Jeep pulled in at Covenant after several days on the road, she learned that although the tree-covered mountains of Tennessee don’t quite rise to the majestic heights of famous Pacific Northwest peaks like Mount Rainier, they’re splendid in their own way.
Today, Cole says she loves the Chattanooga area – which became her new home – more than ever. She also bears little resemblance to the adventurous young woman who was able to toss her belongings in a vehicle and relocate 2,500 miles to the east.
Now nearly 40 and far more rooted to her locality, Cole is a wife, a mother of four, a diligent volunteer and managing broker of a new real estate firm.
At the moment, Cole is discussing her broker role as she drives to an appointment. (Talking hands-free on her phone while commuting allows her to tuck one more thing into an already crammed day.)
“I’m excited about leading Tyler York Real Estate Brokers in Chattanooga,” she says with credible conviction, despite her insistence that her enthusiasm sounds cheesy. “I love what the company has accomplished and am ready to bring its success here.”
Cole is referring to the firm Charlie Peterson – a real estate broker, writer for the Inman real estate news site and Realtor mentor – founded in Nashville in 2018. Compelled, as his bio on tyleryork.com reads, to develop a higher standard of real estate professional, Peterson founded the company on the principles of collaboration and support.
“Some people think real estate agents are only out to make a profit or are more concerned about making a deal happen than serving their client,” Cole says. “Charlie wanted to change that.”
When Peterson opened the doors at Tyler York, its agent roster consisted of only him and his wife. Four years later, the company has a stable of 50 agents and is ranked No. 25 in volume in Middle Tennessee.
Cole says one of the keys to Tyler York’s success has been agent specialization. Instead of developing a line-up of Realtors who tackle the gamut of real estate transactions, Tyler York encourages agents to become experts in specific areas – whether it’s luxury estates, investment properties, land or whatnot – and then work together to promote each others business.
“If I’m not a luxury homes agent and I come across a buyer or seller who’s looking for someone who is, I’m going to say, ‘I’d love to help you, and at my company, this is the person you need,’” Cole explains. “It reduces competition and creates a team atmosphere in which people are working together.”
Cole is still speaking with conviction, as though she believes convincing Realtors to pass off clients to each other will be as easy as she’s making it sound. However, when pressed, she admits the competitive nature of the real estate business might make embracing Tyler York’s model challenging for some agents.
“It’s worked well in Nashville, but Nashville is different from Chattanooga, so my challenge is to tailor the model to the local market.”
In a statement emailed to the Hamilton County Herald, Peterson expresses confidence in Cole and her ability to build an office in Chattanooga that reflects the values on which he based his company.
“Rebecca is pure positivity and determination. Her natural curiosity for learning new things, coupled with her drive to find solutions, is so contagious, it feels like you can accomplish anything when you’re around her,” he writes. “If you hear a voice of encouragement cheering someone on, you can bet it’s Rebecca’s.
Peterson adds that Cole’s desire to see others succeed and raise the bar of the industry led her to pursue her broker’s license.
Cole began her real estate career while earning an undergraduate degree in business one year – and one college – at a time.
“I wanted to graduate without having any debt, so I’d work and save money and then take as much school as I could. It took eight colleges and eight years, but I eventually earned my degree without taking out any loans.”
Real estate helped to pave the way. When Cole was 22, she and a friend purchased and renovated a Fort Wood house. After living there for a period of time, they turned it into a rental.
When Cole married her husband, William, the two of them purchased and restored a house of their own. That experience led them to purchase and flip multiple dwellings, which in turn inspired William to become a custom homebuilder.
Cole earned her license in 2014 so she could serve as the agent when her husband was ready to sell a house he’d built.
She hung her license at Fletcher Bright, where she worked until January of this year.
“I loved working for Fletcher, but it was time for me to grow as a person and as a Realtor,” she says. “I love teaching agents about how to do real estate well and I like being a resource for others, so I became a broker.”
If Tyler York had a physical space in Chattanooga, it would still smell of fresh paint and new carpet, as Peterson launched his expansion in the Scenic City the same month Cole earned her broker’s license. But for the moment, the company’s associate brokers are working virtually as Cole searches for a brick-and-mortar home for the office.
These agents include Ana Faulk and Beth Ehly. Cole says she’s looking for additional agents to join them on their journey to redefine real estate in Chattanooga.
“I’d love to show people how to work together and thrive,” she says.
Parenting and volunteering keep Cole busy even when she’s off the clock. A firm believer in being involved, she serves as a substitute teacher as Chattanooga Christian School, where her older children attend classes, and she pitches in wherever and whenever possible at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church.
“Up until last year, I think people thought I was a full-time volunteer,” she laughs.
Cole’s daughters are 7, 9, 11 and 13, which alone can be a round-the-clock endeavor. Thankfully, she says, her husband works as hard as a father as he does a builder.
“When our basement flooded over Thanksgiving, he taught the girls how to lay the hardwood floors and reset the toilet. He’s all about teaching them to be independent. He’s like, ‘These are life skills you need to know.’”
To relax, the family escapes to its short-term vacation rental in Marion County, where a boat ride on the water can begin a few steps outside the door.
When Cole returns with her family to their Lookout Mountain home – which is nestled in mountains that might not rise to the majestic heights of the peaks she left behind when she was 19 but are splendid in their own way – she’s ready to work again.
Her thoughts as she settles in are often focused on creating an environment in which she helps other Realtors achieve their dreams of success.
“There’s enough real estate out there for everyone to be successful,” she says with fresh conviction. “Instead of competing against each other, let’s celebrate each others wins.”