When northerners A. Rose Berry and her boyfriend, Eirik, moved to Tennessee in 2020 to begin new chapters in their lives, they arrived hoping to grow their family by one.
They started, as many aspiring parents do, at the local animal shelters. “One of our goals was to find a dog,” Berry, 32, recalls with a bright smile.
The search for a fur baby went poorly at first. Then the couple attended an adoption event at A Paw and a Prayer, a nonprofit rescue outfit for abandoned or abused dogs.
Although Berry and her companion quickly spotted a healthy, happy pup, she says they were searching for a soul match. “We weren’t looking for a wonderful dog, we were looking for our dog,” she explains.
A Realtor, Berry draws a comparison between her and Eirik’s search for a dog and the sometimes-exhausting quest to find a home.
“There’s nothing more special to an individual or a family than the place where they hang their hat. And a lot of times, people have trouble finding a house that feels comfortable for them, or suitable for their current situation.”
As they were leaving, Berry thanked a woman who was working at the shelter for loving and physically caring for the animals. She didn’t realize she was speaking with A Paw and a Prayer’s founder, Judy Butterfield.
Butterfield inquired about the kind of dog Berry and her boyfriend wanted. When Berry said a bully breed, Butterfield replied, “I have the perfect dog for you,” and showed the couple a photo of a dark chocolate mix of a boxer and a Staffordshire bull terrier.
Berry and her boyfriend insisted on seeing the dog in person before deciding and then said yes after instantly forming a connection with the animal at its foster home.
Today, Rollo – who’s named after the first ruler of Normandy in honor of Eirik’s Norweigan ancestry – is not just a member of the family; he’s also a reminder to Berry of the importance of being involved in something bigger than herself, she says.
“Rollo changed our lives,” she says. “I also fell in love with the shelter. So, when I sell a house, I donate a portion of my proceeds to A Paw and a Prayer.”
A former marketing professional, Rose says becoming a Realtor was a long percolating dream for her.
“I love houses,” she raves. “I went through a phase of wanting to be an architect, then for a period of time, I wanted to be an interior designer. Then I decided I wanted to bring people to where their hearts need to be and harmonize their lives.”
Berry earned her real estate license after moving to Tennessee but says her true education in the profession came as she and Eirik tried to purchase a rural home in Alabama. The experience was, she says, a mess.
“There’s an old cemetery on the property, which was fine with us, but the title wouldn’t come back clear. Then the appraisers malfunctioned, and we had to survey the land, which brought up issues with the lot lines. When they said they wanted to take away the driveway, we walked away. And that was fine because that home wasn’t meant for us.”
Berry says the ordeal helped her to figure out the right questions to ask when aligning herself with a vendor. “I want to give my clients good options so they can avoid what Eirik and I went through,” she says.
Much like Berry insisted on meeting Rollo in person before making a decision, she says she prefers to meet her buyers face-to-face as she begins to assist them in their search for a home. From the tone of their voice to their expressions and body language, she’s constantly reading her clients in an effort to understand what excites them and turns them off.
Part of this process involves getting a full picture of their lives. So before asking how many bedrooms or bathrooms a buyer wants, she’ll inquire about the hobbies they enjoy and ask about their plans.
Berry – who’s as digitally savvy as anyone from her generation – also recommends showing houses in person rather than online so clients can experience not just the home but also its surroundings and even the sounds that will become a part of their lives.
When a buyer likes a home but says it’s not perfect, Berry suggests it might not be their dream home, but it could be the perfect home for a season.
“I have a hard time telling someone I’m going to find their forever home. Everyone has dreams, but dreams change. I prefer to say, ‘I can find you a home that’s perfect for you for today,’ and focus on the things that make sense for my clients here and now.
“Not every house is a forever home. If a house becomes one – wonderful – but I don’t want to cloud anyone’s mind with unrealistic expectations. And I don’t want them to miss the opportunity if they find a home that’ll be good for them even though it’s not perfect.”
Berry’s love of houses was birthed in New Hampshire, where her full-blooded Italian mother raised her. Their home was a place of fertile creativity, where Berry learned to sing, dance and cook and ate big, homecooked Italian meals.
“The heart of our home started in the kitchen and spread throughout the rest of the house,” she remembers.
Berry says she was also close to her biological father, who loves her “more than anything in the world.” When Berry’s mother died of cancer when Berry was 19, her father taught her to continue to live life to the fullest and to always care for her family, which includes her brother.
He also passed on his infectious energy, which Berry says spurred her early efforts to develop a career in marketing. Drawn to the idea of impacting large numbers of people, Berry learned as she worked and, in time, became the associate marketing manager for a paper manufacturer.
“Yes, I had to sell paper,” she says. “That was hard. But the Italian in me can become very passionate about something, and when that happens I dive in and learn everything I can until I master it.”
Although Berry was raised in New Hampshire, she’d visited Tennessee several times while growing up. Her mother and stepfather managed bands, including a country music group she sidesteps naming but that regularly attended the annual County Music Association Awards.
Trips to Tennessee with the band introduced Berry to the natural beauty and the spirit of Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Nashville.
“I recorded ‘Crazy’ in a little recording studio in Nashville as a kid,” she laughs. “I loved visiting Tennessee. It always felt right.”
Berry remembered how Tennessee had felt to her as a child when she and her boyfriend decided they wanted a change of scenery. When she suggested the Volunteer State, Eirik said he was game.
“We were sick of nine months of winter. The sun is even less intense up north in the summer than it is here in the winter. And the sky is bigger here. Up north, the trees are so tall and full that they shrink the sky, so you get only a patch of blue, but here, it’s like, ‘Ahhh.’”
Berry looks up, closes her eyes and spreads her arms as she exhales. Although she says she loves experiencing all four seasons, she says her affection for the Chattanooga area isn’t limited to the amount of sun she’s able to absorb but also its outdoor amenities and the warmth of its people.
The latter was instrumental in helping Berry lift her business off the ground, she adds.
When Berry became licensed in 2021, she was still an outsider in the Chattanooga area. But the training at her brokerage – Keller Williams Greater Chattanooga Realty on Lee Highway – taught her to reach out to her sphere, which she lacked. So, she built one the same way she makes the sourdough peanut butter cookies she features on her personal social media pages – from scratch.
“It’s been fun,” Berry says. “I talk with as many people as I can, form connections with them and work hard to become a contributing member of the community. My partnership with A Paw and a Prayer is part of that.”
When Berry and her boyfriend arrived in the Chattanooga area, they were hoping to grow their family by one. Now Rollo has a sister, a white Staffordshire bull terrier and Dogo Argentino mix named Raina. Both pups are enjoying life in Ooltewah, where the foursome has settled.
Berry hopes to continue to grow her business, too. To that end, she regularly updates her real estate pages on Facebook (facebook.com/aroseberry.bringingharmonyhome) and Instagram (instagram.com/aroseberry_bringingharmonyhome) and is reaching out to investors and individuals who want to lease a property in Tennessee.
While Berry appreciates the usefulness of social media, she says she’ll continue to express a desire to meet her clients in person, as it’s the best way for her to find them what she has – a home that’s perfect for now.