Jewelry Artisans

by Audra H. Anders for The Aha! Connection

This past summer my husband and I were walking off our Hobnob lunch by causally window shopping in the Perimeter Place development.  The skies unexpectedly opened and POURED rain, so we dashed into Jewelry Artisans for cover.  Neither of us had ever been there.  I am typically a more costume jewelry kind of gal, but I happened to be in the market for a new wedding ring. … Read More »

Chris Boivin a helpful, honest, hardworking family man who wants a win/win/win for his Real Estate transactions

By Audra H. Anders for The Aha! Connection

One of my favorite parts of The Aha! Connection is meeting new people and connecting them with others who NEED to know them!  Back when my kids were young, participating in sports and attending the local schools, it was so easy to meet way more than one new person every single day.  Now that my boys are in their twenties and don’t live nearby…and the fact that I work from my home…I typically jump at the chance to get out of the house and meet someone new.

I sat down last week with Chris Boivin and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him, learn about his real estate career, and find out about his young family.  Chris’ office is with Keller Williams Atlanta Perimeter, located in the beautiful Terraces Office building.  Their lobby is amazing and full of water features, a small cafe, tons of places to sit and chat and there’s even a putting green!

It took me a moment to get Chris to talk about himself.  He’s definitely not one to brag and even admitted he does NOT like to talk about himself.  He’s a hard worker, a smart worker, and wants to do his absolute best to help his clients….but doesn’t want to be the center of marketing attention!  I totally appreciate that about him but don’t worry…I eased his tension and learned plenty about him to share with you!

Fun fact:  He originally planned to be a commercial airline pilot.

Let’s start with his adorable young family who have resided in Dunwoody’s Village Mill subdivision since 2014. Chris and his family have loved Dunwoody’s central location, proximity to shopping, restaurants, family activities and overall small town feel. They doubt they will ever leave.  Chris’ wife Alison is not only from Dunwoody, but she also attended Vanderlyn Elementary, Peachtree Middle and Dunwoody High School and has attended Dunwoody United Methodist Church pretty much her entire life!  Alison is currently employed by Riverside Insights.  Chris and Alison share two children who started out at the local public schools like their mom, but moved to private school during Covid.  They currently attend Atlanta Academy and Cornerstone Christian Academy.   

When I asked Chris why people should consider hiring him as their Real Estate agent, he told me a great story about one of his first listings which happened to be in Dunwoody Club Forest.  The house was owned by a woman who needed to transition to assisted living.  The home had not been updated in many years.   Chris told me stories about him personally power-washing the deck and cleaning the pool because he felt it was the right thing to do to get the home sold for the best price in the best time frame.  Have you EVER met a realtor who would do that!?

He is unique in that he will NOT offer to sell your house without advising you about your specific situation.  If the finances don’t seem right, he won’t encourage you make a move.  He really thinks about how he can add value, what your home is worth, what you need to put into it to get it ready to sell, what the current market will bear and what the current interest rates are and will break it down for his clients and may or may not advise that it is the right time to sell/buy.  He tells the truth based on his calculations.  What a refreshing take for a Realtor!  I asked him to elaborate some on this and he reminded me that most people’s home purchase is the largest purchase they will make. Therefore, he wants to help make sure the choice is wise, financially sound and to secure his reputation as someone who adds value to the process.  

My takeaways from my first meeting with Chris:  He’s a helpful, honest, hardworking family man who wants a win/win/win for his Real Estate transactions + he loves Dunwoody and our community!

His contact information is below but you can also meet him at one of the 3 upcoming events he is hosting:

  1. Shredding Event (Free)
    Bar{n} this upcoming Saturday, March 2nd from 11-2.   Bring your documents to shred and receive a 10% discount at one of the Village Dunwoody restaurants while you are there!  (Bar{n} Booze & Bites, Message in a Bottle, or Morty’s Meat Supply!)

  2. First Time Home Buyers Seminar (Free)
    Wednesday, April 24 from 5:30-7:30 at Total Wine

  3. First Time Home Buyers Seminar (Free)
    Wednesday, May 15, 5:30 – 7:30 at Total Wine.

Chris Boivin, Keller Williams Atlanta Perimeter
115 Perimeter Center Pl #100
Atlanta, GA 30346
678-773-8547
chrisboivinrealestate@gmail.com

Laundry Lounge Sandy Springs ~ Even for people who have a washer and dryer in their home!

by Audra H. Anders for The Aha! Connection

Yes, I have my very own washer and dryer in my home.  It has been a long time
since I’ve been in a laundromat…probably a few decades actually.  I mostly remember scrambling to find quarters.  So I was pretty intrigued to find out what a laundromat looks like in 2023. … Read More »

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The Consumer Innovation Center has relocated, upgraded and is still paying people for their opinions…right here in Dunwoody!

by Audra H. Anders for The Aha! Connection

By now you have likely figured out that the “Perimeter Target Shopping Center” is now called Ashford Lane and keeps improving every day!  The Consumer Innovation Center used to be next door to HobNob and caddy corner from Superica but they’ve simply moved around the corner between Crunch Fitness and the new Hall at Ashford Lane. … Read More »

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Meet the Founder of Farmhouse Realty – Brandon Adkins ~ Local, Honest & Grateful

by Audra Anders for The Aha! Connection

About two years ago I started hearing about Farmhouse Realty but had no idea where in the world they came from.  Their social media was amazing, and I happened to recognize a couple of their faces as people I’d seen at Dunwoody United Methodist Church.  As it turns out, while the founder, Brandon Adkins, was teaching a Sunday School Class at DUMC my youngest son was the youth volunteer for Casey Drake’s Vacation Bible School Class.  I love the small town/small world connections experienced while living in Dunwoody! 

Peggy and I sat down recently with Brandon over coffee and tea at Crema.  Peggy recognized him immediately from their time together as DUMC Preschool and Vanderlyn parents and we quickly eased into a lovely conversation about all our common connections.  I noticed right away that Brandon seems very kind, loves his boys, and his heart is on fire for our Dunwoody community.

Let me tell you a little about Brandon.  He has three boys…Ben (12), Will (10) and Sam (6).  Brandon was raised in Cobb County, has graduate and undergraduate degrees from UGA, and began his illustrious 11-year career at KPMG as a CPA.  While at KPMG his industry of focus was…real estate.  Brandon even had the amazing opportunity to spend 3 years in Australia with KPMG.

When he moved back to the states, he spent a year in Atlanta and a year in Boston working with KPMG’s private equity clients.  In 2010, when his first son was on the way, he chose to settle in the Dunwoody North neighborhood primarily due to the awesome Brook Run Park across the street.  He started his family there and spent many hours at the park and getting to know Dunwoody, GA.

Brandon fell in love with Dunwoody, decided to put roots here and basically spent the next three years shopping for his dream house.  Brandon’s face lit up when telling Peggy and me about studying/watching every home listing, every bus stop, every neighborhood, every park during the search for his forever home.  In 2011, Brandon left KPMG to be an interim (short term) stay-at-home dad until he could find the right childcare fit.  As it turns out….Brandon was the perfect fit as a stay-at-home Dad for SIX YEARS until he made his next career move.

As the boys grew older and didn’t need full time childcare, Brandon was anxious to get back to work.  However, he wanted the flexibility to be with the kids after school, on school breaks, etc.  He has always been interested in Real Estate, so he started out slow by first obtaining his real estate license.  In 2017, Brandon joined Keller Williams and was mentored by fellow Dunwoodian, Michael Culver.

Brandon was successful right away.  In fact, he sold his first house a mere 17 days after obtaining his license, which at the time was a  Keller Williams Atlanta Perimeter Rookie record!  When we asked Brandon why he has been so successful, he claims it was not the CPA/Masters/KPMG experience but more likely his success has been fueled by the network he made as a stay-at-home Dad.  The master’s degree and consulting experience are the cherry on the top, but the many referrals, his co-workers, office manager and clients are all a result of his being a Dunwoody Dad.

He told us about his first listing.  The home was in The Branches and a competitor was also there even though the owners had stated they wanted to do a “for sale by owner” and weren’t interested in listing with a realtor.  Brandon boldly knocked on the door to introduce himself and forged a relationship with the owners.  He used his CPA background to show this owner why he would list his house at a certain price which happened to be higher than others had suggested by $100,000.   The owner rolled the dice on Brandon and ended up with multiple offers and sold over list price.  Brandon feels he has a skill set advantage when it comes to real estate….and that is PRICING.  But ultimately he believes his biggest advantage is his and his team’s network around Dunwoody.

Covid became a reality and suddenly Brandon was back home again running virtual school for his three sons.  He still sold houses, but the market was stagnant.  Once the market started getting stronger again, Brandon realized that he wanted to be an entrepreneur and to lead his own team.  He felt a need to share what he had learned with others, so he obtained his Broker’s license, created Farmhouse Realty, and hired smart, savvy people he had gotten to know during his years as a stay-at-home Dad. 

When asked why he chose the company name “Farmhouse”…Brandon indicates it came out of a sense of place/identity.  He wants it to truly be a local business. The farmhouse is the Dunwoody “icon” and is also a name that works well outside the community while still giving a direct nod to Dunwoody.

When I asked Brandon:  “What is different about Farmhouse Realty?”  He immediately responded with the following three words:  LOCAL | HONEST | GRATEFUL  Brandon says the Farmhouse team always defaults to these three words during the entire buying or selling process.

According to Brandon, the hardest part of real estate is getting people to hire you as their agent.  He doesn’t pursue random leads because he wants Farmhouse Realty to stay a “boutique” firm where referrals, connections and relationships drive business.  Brandon wants to be an advocate for Dunwoody and shows that by supporting many local events/teams/charities.

Brandon also knows Georgia lakes, so has helped lots of Dunwoody folks with land and lake houses.  He’s your guy if you desire a lake house….he recently helped Billy Payne and his son find an AMAZING Lake Oconee home (off market) via his Georgia lake home connections.

Earlier I mentioned I sensed Brandon is “on fire” for our community.  I wasn’t wrong.  After our chat,  I learned Brandon earned a “Dunwoody Citizen Commendation” in 2014 for heroically helping a Dunwoody Police Officer put handcuffs on a suspect in his neighborhood.  The officer struggled with the suspect and injured his wrist and ankle in the process.  He was unable to get his handcuffs out of his handcuff case and Brandon saw what was happening and stopped to help.

Stay tuned for more information about other members of the Farmhouse Realty team in the months to come!

Brandon Adkins, Farmhouse Realty
CPA, Owner, Managing Broker
brandon@farmhousega.com
678-983-4747 (cell)
770-864-1337(office)
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Meet Audra’s friend Laura – thoughtful, smart, successful adoptive mom of two!

by Audra Anders for The Aha! Connection

Back around the time I first started The Aha! Connection, I received an email from Laura Schilling inviting me to lunch at Panera in Dunwoody.  I didn’t know her, but she sounded nice and wanted to get to know me because she thought our newsletter was great for the community. … Read More »

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Let’s get to know Karen Cannon

by Audra H. Anders for The Aha! Connection

I met Karen many years ago at Foodie Patty’s 40th birthday celebration at Houston’s.  Needless to say, we’ve been friends for quite awhile now.  However, when I get together with Karen in my AHA! mode, we typically only chat about all things real estate.  When I sat down with her last week, I had to twist her arm a little to let me share a more personal side of her career story.

Karen would rather talk about her people though, like how excited she is to have recently added Erin Brachman to the KCR team.  Erin brings over 16 years of experience and loves the KCR “work hard, play hard” team environment.  In fact, their entire team and spouses were going fishing the following day for their annual fly-fishing trip to the famous Soque River hosted by one of her favorite closing attorneys, Larry Feldman.

Karen and her husband, Anderson, met almost 30 years ago when she was living in Buckhead.  At the time, she was working for ExecuTrain and Anderson owned a remodeling company.  Karen worked 8 years for ExecuTrain in sales and marketing then moved onto a position in sales for Gartner, an IT research and consulting firm, for the next 7 years.  Anderson began flipping houses while he and Karen were dating.

Newlyweds: Anderson and Karen

Anderson and Karen married in 2000 and, less than two years later, along came Trice…then Ella two years after that.  While the kids were babies, Karen felt the need to get out of the corporate world and was hoping to find a job with some flexibility and better suited for a new mom raising a family.  Looking back, she now laughs that she once thought real estate was anything less than all consuming!

Anderson suggested she get her real estate license so she could sell his renovated flips and see if a career in real estate might be a good fit.  After getting licensed in 2003, it did not take long before Karen started pursuing other people that needed her help.  Karen gained more and more clients and then sold a listing in her neighborhood (The Branches) and that’s when her real estate business began to take off.

That is also about the time Anderson got pulled into the “family business”.  Karen was still working her corporate job and needed Anderson to help with the growing real estate business.  His building background was a perfect complement to Karen’s sales skills.

When they got their real estate license, they originally hung it with a no-name, hands-off brokerage and set up an office in their basement.  They named their “team” Karen Cannon Realtors because it sounded more like a company and, Karen jokes, Anderson was adamant that they would sell a lot more houses if she were the “face” of the business, not him 🙂  Karen did what Karen does – sell.  Anderson helped clients work through inspections and get to closing but also designed the KCR logo, signs and did all the marketing back then too.

After a year, Karen left the corporate bliss and went full-time with real estate.  Anderson did too and, in 2008, got his broker license with plans to start their own firm.  Later that year, Karen Cannon Realtors, Inc. was established and, as they say, the rest is history.

Why is Karen so successful?  She credits follow-up skills, tenacity, and the ability to connect with people and the drive to help them…exactly the things that made her successful in the corporate world.  She’s extremely hard working and always willing to go the extra mile and still loves the art of every deal.

Karen and Patty

We segued for a moment to reminisce about the amazing human who originally introduced us…Patty Parker Moncrief AKA Foodie Patty.  Karen reminded me that she spent every Friday with Patty and their kids when they were younger.  Karen and Patty’s youngest children and oldest children were the same ages.  A perfect match.  Patty (the life of any party) would introduce her around.  Patty, other neighborhood friends, soccer friends, Austin friends helped spread the news about how awesome Karen was to work with and their business continued (and still continues) to grow and grow.

Now you can find them nestled between Marlow’s Tavern and First Watch in Dunwoody Village.  Karen and Anderson’s kids are practically grown.  Trice is thriving at Georgia College while getting a business degree and as a member of the bass fishing team.  He is planning for a career in sales.  Ella is in her first year at UGA studying finance and sports management but reportedly misses the fun real estate stories!

When not working, Karen and Anderson love to be on the lake with family and friends.  It’s their respite from the craziness of real estate.  Their kids love water skiing and wake boarding.  Now that they are empty nesters, they are also enjoying more traveling and weekends in Athens cheering on the Dawgs.

L-R…Anderson, Trice, Ella & Karen Cannon

I’m sure we will continue to see exponential growth from the KCR team…and I’m happy to have been able to give you a little sneak peek into how it all started.  

Karen Cannon Realtors
1317 Dunwoody Village Parkway #103
Dunwoody, GA 30338
(770) 821-6365
Info@KarenCannon.com
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The Woodhouse Day Spa is a World Class spa right in our own backyard!

by Audra Anders for The Aha! Connection

Last week I had the pleasure of stopping by the Woodhouse Day Spa for a tour with Khyshan Perlman (Franchise Owner) and Ashley Croft (General Manager).  A wonderful whiff of magical spa scents welcomed me when I walked in the door.  The combination of all the varieties of specialty products create an aroma that you just want to bask in…for hours!… Read More »

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The Davis Academy Launches New Community Parenting Initiative…….Nurture

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, and as a commitment to the greater Atlanta community, The Davis Academy is launching a new community initiative called Nurture.  After three decades of developing extraordinary educational experiences for its students, the school is thrilled to offer special programming and resources that will engage, connect, and support families with young children throughout greater Atlanta. … Read More »

Meet Shannon Durieux from The Suits Team of Keller Williams Realty

Shannon Durieux, The Suits Team

by Audra H. Anders for The Aha! Connection

Peggy and I set lofty goals to get out and meet with many of our clients in 2022!  As the year is winding down we have a few more on the calendar and, although scheduling has sometimes been difficult,  once we sit down for a client interview it turns into so much fun.  Last week, Shannon Durieux and I had a coffee date at the Dunwoody Village Starbucks.  Before the hour was over we were having a blast figuring out our MANY mutual friends and finding it impossible to believe our paths had not crossed before.  Turns out her oldest son was on my 2019 Spring Break trip!  I was in the DHS 11th grade “boy house” and her son was the guest of the younger brother of one of the 11th grade girls in the “girl house” next door…such a small world!

Andrew, Shannon, Alex, Jason & Mary Durieux

Shannon is one of those rare people who is actually from Atlanta.  She and her husband (Jason) were high school sweethearts at Duluth High School and have raised their family in Brookhaven within walking distance of Murphey Candler Park.  They have two boys and a girl plus a Great Dane named Tucker and a chocolate labradoodle named Cory.  Shannon’s oldest son, Alex, is a freshman at The University of Tennessee.  Her middle child, Andrew, is a sophomore at St. Pius and her daughter, Mary, is currently in middle school at Intown Community School.  Her husband is a residential contractor and owns AMA Contracting Services.  How cool is it that he can do all of her home inspections?  Plus, being married to a contractor gives Shannon a unique eye for understanding possibilities for home renovations for her clients.

Before deciding to become a realtor, Shannon graduated from Georgia State with a business degree.  She started out in the business world as a Buyer for MGM Studios.  Once her children entered the picture, she took a ten year hiatus.  When she was ready to get back to work, she took the advice of a friend and earned her Real Estate license and began working for Keller Williams in 2013.

Madalyn Suits’ son and and Shannon’s son are friends so it was only natural for Shannon and Madalyn to chat about real estate while watching their kids play ball.  About a year after working solo, Shannon joined The Suits Team and it has been a great match.  Shannon’s role on the team has mostly been as a Buyer’s Agent but she works her own listings as well.   Shannon completes around 40 transactions each year typically in Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Peachtree Corners, Smyrna and her hometown of Duluth.  

I asked Shannon to tell me what is unique about her approach to Real Estate.  I was not surprised to hear her say that referrals have been an enormous part of her success.  She has gotten at least one referral from every sale…that is truly amazing!   I can see why thought as she’s personable, patient, and a “hand-holder”….she loves when clients become new friends. 

I also asked Shannon to tell me what she’s experiencing with the recent changes in the real estate market.  She said from a buyers perspective we are back to negotiations, inspections, and closing costs, which had all but disappeared last year.  For sellers, Shannon says: “Don’t wait to list your home if you need to move!”  Selling is typically taking more time in today’s environment, so if you are definitely needing to move, go ahead and put your home on the market.

Toward the end of our discussion we couldn’t stop talking about all of the friends we have in common.  I love to make friend connections.  During my short visit with Shannon, I surmised she is dedicated to her clients and has a do what it takes and do what is right attitude.

I also found out The Suits Team is looking for talented Realtors to expand their high producing team.  Their team is all about relationships.  If you are interested contact info@thesuitsteam.com

If you are considering selling your home or buying a new one let Shannon know!

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What can an interior designer do for you? Audra’s conversation with Linda Rickles

by Audra Anders for The Aha! Connection

Peggy and I sat down with Linda Rickles over coffee and tea at the Dunwoody Village Starbucks last week.  Peggy and I have very little experience with interior design and agree this was one of the most interesting client interviews we’ve done!

Let me tell you about Linda Rickles:

Linda was born and raised in Massachusetts and is a Boston University graduate and took continuing education courses at Harvard.  … Read More »

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Karen Cannon introduced us to Hudgins Property Group and you’ll want to know why!

by Audra Anders for The Aha! Connection

Recently Karen Cannon invited Peggy and me to see a section of The Branches neighborhood that we didn’t even know existed. There’s a row of beautiful new homes built by Hudgins Property Group on land acquired in 2017 with Karen’s help from Colonial Pipeline.  I had no idea there was vacant land anywhere in Dunwoody, particularly in the ever-so-popular Branches neighborhood.  

Denese and Andrew Hudgins have been married for 19 years and have worked together 10 of the 19!  Andrew, a Georgia Tech engineer, is the builder and Denese is the very talented designer. Be sure to visit their website to see all of the beautiful homes they’ve built together in our community.  Some have been renovations, some new construction and others have been homes that were torn down and re-built.  They have 3 active children, a 14 year old boy and 12 year old twins (boy & girl).  Watch the video we created to see the beautiful HUGE yard these kids are blessed with on Trailridge Court.

The Hudgins chose their particular home location because of its unique lot at the end of the street with a huge yard and open space across the street.  They build every home like they would live in it, never cutting corners, and always improving from home to home.  One unique practice Andrew is very proud of is spray foaming the entire house before installing the drywall.   This creates superior insulation in all of their homes.  Denese focuses on the design of each home.  She keeps functionality in mind for all of her designs….in fact, their newest project, 5208 Hidden Branches Lane, contains a “prep kitchen” because this is one room she and Andrew wish was in their own home.  In case you are wondering, a prep kitchen is an additional space that is accessible from the main kitchen.  Its main purpose is to support the focal kitchen, acting as the working space whilst concealing the more practical kitchen elements from the main kitchen design.  5208 Hidden Branches Lane is elevator capable with a built in shaft, three floors, a front and back covered porch, phenomenal technology upgrades and are over 5,000 square feet.

I’d like to formally thank my friend Karen for introducing us to Andrew & Denese Hudgins of Hudgins Property Group.  Karen has worked with them exclusively for 10 years and has sold all of their properties.  They have an extraordinary working relationship and we wanted to help spread the word about how amazing they are!  Contact Karen if you would like to know more about either of these two beautiful homes for sale!

Karen Cannon Realtors
1317 Dunwoody Village Parkway #103
Dunwoody, GA 30338
770-352-9658
Website
Info@KarenCannon.com
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Robin Blass ~ Bringing Real Estate & Family Together!

by Audra Anders for The Aha! Connection

Robin Blass

Robin invited me over for a chat at her Ashford-Dunwoody office last week and it was so nice to just sit and catch up for a while in person.  I had not been to her new office in Harry Norman’s Dunwoody location … they are in such a convenient location at the dead end of Ashford Center Parkway and Ashford Dunwoody Road.  I had never even crossed the road there in my 20+ years in Dunwoody but I’ll be back!

I learned a couple of interesting facts about Robin that I didn’t know before.  First, she’s related to one of my son’s very best friends and I had never put that connection together before…and I’m ALL about making connections!  Secondly, after high school graduation she moved to Atlanta from Jacksonville, Florida to pursue a career as an X-ray technician.  While studying at Emory University, she changed her career path, obtained her Real Estate license, and has been a Realtor since she was twenty years old!   

Robin and her husband David have three grown children, Jennifer, Lauren and Matt.  She also has a 6 year old granddaughter, three year old twin grandsons, another three year old grandson and a 7-month old granddaughter.  All the grandchildren live in Atlanta and Robin spends as much time as possible with them.  She’s lived in the same Sandy Springs house for more than twenty years and loves it.  The grandkids love it too…especially the pool!

Colleen Papciak, Director of Operations/Listing Manager
Lorena Theiler, Transaction Coordinator

Both of her daughters have worked with her in the past.  Lauren has continued to work with her and now they are part of the same team at Harry Norman, The Robin Blass Group.  The rest of their team consists of Colleen Papciak, Director of Operations/Listing Manager and Lorena Theiler, Transaction Coordinator.  Robin is extremely complimentary of her staff.   Their excellent camaraderie creates a great work environment.

Robin seems to have found the perfect work/life balance.  She admittedly likes to be “in control”  and “stay busy” but the great relationship she has with her staff means they experience a lot of positive give and take.  Robin truly loves her job and doesn’t mind working 7 days a week because she knows she always makes time for friends and family each day. 

Robin’s Family Captured at Palmetto Dunes on 18 Aug, 2022 by Amia Marcell

 

Because her job makes her happy, she prides herself on being an excellent problem solver and making sure her clients are happy.  This can be tricky since in a down market, some real estate agents say the only real motivators for people to sell or seek property are the three D’s: death, divorce and debt….which are not happy occasions.  Regardless, Robin’s goal is for everyone at the closing table to be happy.  Most of her business is from referrals and past customers…which is a good sign she’s keeping her clients happy!!!

The Robin Blass Group
Harry Norman, REALTORS®
4848 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30338
(404) 495-8233
RobinBlassGroup@harrynorman.com

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Discover Dunwoody ~ Thinking Ahead for OUR Community

by Audra Anders for The Aha! Connection

We have City of Dunwoody, Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce, the PCID, Create Dunwoody, Discover Dunwoody, and so many countless other  organizations with similar names.  Does the average Dunwoody citizen have any idea what all these organizations do?  Since Discover Dunwoody has almost an entirely new staff, Peggy and I visited their offices to meet the new folks and gain a better understanding of their mission.… Read More »

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The Whitney Agee Team from zero to Chairman’s Circle Gold in 18 months!

by Audra Anders for The Aha! Connection

The Whitney Agee Team is the #1 medium size team in the Dunwoody Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices office!

Whitney resides in Dunwoody and has built her team from zero to Chairman’s Circle Gold in a  year and a half!   Chairman’s Circle Gold is top 3% out of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nationally.   When I learned about this, I was intrigued so decided to stop by and meet her.  As I approached Whitney’s glassed in office, I noticed she was meeting with a beautiful young pregnant woman that literally appeared to be about to POP out a baby!  I waited outside for them to finish their conversation and overhead so much sweet concern from Whitney as if she was herself, about to be the grandma (she’s way too young BTW!)  As it turns out, the beautiful mom to be was Audrey Lane, and her C-section was scheduled for two days later.  She had just stopped by the office to fill in her mentor on last minute work and plans for the baby.

Whitney seems to be in her element when helping mentor new agents.  She says all of her team has great nicknames for her all centering around her being like their “Work Mom”.  She’s relatively new at Real Estate herself, having obtained her license towards the end of 2018.  She briefly worked in Fayetteville, Georgia where she accumulated $3.3 million dollars in sales during her FIRST year as an Agent.  In October of 2019, she moved about 40 miles north to be near her family in Dunwoody.

Once moving to Dunwoody’s Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices office, she was excited and ready to meet new agents.   She loves to collaborate with others and kept meeting agents and thinking how great it would be if they were on a team together.  While based in Dunwoody, she had clients all over metro Atlanta and was so busy she was afraid many of the leads she collected would be lost.  So at the very end of 2020 she approached Sally Moore, her boss/Broker, with what she was afraid would be a “crazy idea”.  Sally loved the idea and the rest is history.  Whitney’s team has typically consisted of the newer agents in the Dunwoody office.  In 2021, her team accumulated $23 million in sales.  They are projected to reach $50+ million dollars for 2022.  Whitney is in the top 3% of a network of 55,000 agents worldwide.

Whitney’s role is to provide leads and guidance to the members of her team.  She practices going through homes with her teammates and teaches them how to be educated on everything to do with the sales/purchase processes.  She even helps them with their paperwork!  The joy she experiences watching her agents become successful is extraordinarily fulfilling.  In fact, Whitney mentioned she loves the hard and difficult situations and seeing her agents and/or new homeowners reach their goals after turning hard situations around.

I laughed when Whitney mentioned she may as well be a contractor.  She apparently wants to know the ins/outs and corners/crevices of every single square foot of any home she’s working with.  Even if there’s a tiny crawlspace, Whitney dives in to investigate and inspect.  Why does she does she do this?  Because she would never let someone buy a home that she wouldn’t personally purchase herself.  In fact, she told me about personally finding a “wood destroying fungus” in the crawlspace of a home one of her clients wanted to purchase.  Because Whitney found the problem early, she was able to have the seller get it fixed without her clients having to pay! 

One of her favorite types of clients to work with are first time home buyers.  She loves being a part of making their home ownership dreams come true.  Watching the light bulbs go off in their heads when they finally do the math on renting vs. buying is satisfying.  Whitney loves to share these happy experiences with her agents and their clients.

Not just anyone can join Whitney’s team.  They have about 10 people now and Whitney suggested her team is best only for motivated new agents who really want to learn and be successful.

When I asked Whitney why homeowners would want to hire her team she responded; “We provide focus on whatever the clients’ goals are.  That is the single motivator….working hard behind the scenes while focusing on and helping clients reach their real estate goals.”  She really cares more about getting you in the right home than anything else.  Want to meet her team?  Click here to see the people Whitney loves working with every day!  Fun fact:  Apparently you can also find most of the team working out together at Onelife Fitness Perimeter.


Whitney
Agee, REALTOR
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services The Whitney Agee Team
5481 Chamblee Dunwoody Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
470-345-1668

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