Murphy – Legends Steakhouse housed a boisterous group of 64 people from the Mountain Lakes Board of Realtors to hear N.C. Realtors President Leigh Brown speak on the state of real estate.
Brown came to speak on statewide challenges, which include protecting housing for all price points.
“The area has done a good job of attracting more jobs but there are not enough houses,” Brown said.
“That drives prices up and they are going up so fast. Realtors are good at striking that balance.”
Mountain Lakes Board of Realtors President Randy Dockery agreed. “There are important statewide issues to discuss, including septic tank permits.”
Brown wants to change a negative public image of real estate agents.
“We are not special interest. We represent a cross-section and live in every Zip code,” she said. “People think we chase the high dollar, but we are trying to create opportunities for everybody.”
Brown scanned the room and added, “Every person in this room has sold a mobile home.”
That was true of Kathy Vetten, owner of Exit Realty.
“I’m very proud,” she said. “Our job is to help people find homes. We work with all price ranges – and if the buyers and sellers are happy, we’ve done our job.”
Wendy Dunn traveled from Sylva for the event. As a Realtor for exp Realty,
she often serves clients in Cherokee and surrounding counties. She is happy to work in western North Carolina.
“I’m very grateful to work in a place where people are always going to come,” Dunn said.
Kristine Flaige of Nantahala Real Estate Co. spoke of the safety issues regarding women in the profession.
“Our office has a buddy system policy,” she said, adding, “but my husband always knows where I am.”
Flaige agreed with Brown’s assessment of fair representation in the housing market.
“We do what pleases our clients,” she said. “Our work is not distributed based on price point.”
Kate Simmons, associate executive for the Mountain Lakes Board of Realtors, said, “We do these lunches quarterly, but this is the first time since I’ve been here in three years that the president has come.
“This is a big ta-do!”