Editorial
Front Page - Monday, October 26, 2009
Part time works just fine for Brumbelow
Ethan C. Nobles
Special to the Daily Record ecnobles@att.net
While some people say the only way to be successful in real estate is to work full time at the business, Mona Brumbelow says being a part-time agent has worked out well for her.
Brumbelow works as a volunteer program manager for the Department of Community Correction which oversees five facilities in Arkansas to which non-violent felony offenders are sent for rehabilitation and treatment. The Department also oversees parole and probation services for certain offenders.
When she’s not working at the Department, Brumbelow works as a part time Realtor for Weichert Realtors - Pat Mote Properties in Benton . It seems that Mote also agrees that part time Realtors are a valuable resource – her firm features a full time broker and executive broker plus several full time as well as part time agents. The broker’s only requirement is that the client is aware and comfortable with the agent’s status.
Brumbelow said Mote’s office is set up so that part time agents can get their calls forwarded to them quickly whether they’re in the office or not. In other words, the office is geared toward helping people get established in real estate.
“It’s good to work it alongside your regular job until you build up your client base – until you’ve got a good referral system going and people know your name,” she said. “That takes time.”
Brumbelow sold real estate full time when she started in the business six years ago and made “plenty of money” as a Realtor.
However, she also wanted to open a design business and concentrated on that for awhile. Eventually, she wound up working at the Department but also wanted to sell homes. These days, Brumbelow works primarily on referrals and still enjoys being a Realtor.
“I just really enjoy helping them find the right home,” she said of dealing with clients. “I love it when they say, ‘You helped us find the exact home we were looking for.’”
Brumbelow said working with young couples is particularly enjoyable. She said people are often nervous when they purchase their first home and she strives to help them navigate through the maze of buying houses – finding mortgages, understanding what happens at closing, etc.
“I want to help educate them about all of that,” she said. “I want them to know they’re secure with me. I’m not going to take advantage of them.”
Brumbelow said Mote shares that desire to represent clients ethically.
“Pat has such a high level of integrity and she insists that her agents do, too,” she said. “She is full of information, good advice and leadership.”
Brumbelow said Mote was the first person she interviewed with prior to getting her real estate license and that decision has resulted in an enjoyable profession. In fact, Brumbelow said Mote’s knowledge of real estate was more valuable than the scores of books and courses available on real estate.
“I found out all I really had to do was listen to Pat,” she said. “She’s wonderful to work with.”
Brumbelow said there are a lot of advantages to living in Saline County and that has helped keep the market viable. She and her husband, Terry, both work in Little Rock but prefer living in a smaller town.
“I think you still get that smaller town feeling, but you’re close enough to Little Rock to get all the benefits – shopping, restaurants and all that,” Brumbelow said.
She said good schools, comparatively low home prices and that small town atmosphere have all helped move property in Saline County during the well publicized downturn in the market.
“The challenges are the same we hear on the news. The housing market has taken a hit,” she said. “I think, in Saline County, (the market has) slowed down, but we’re still selling houses.”
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