Let’s take a trip down memory lane: 11 years in the business

Somehow, this year marks 11 YEARS in real estate, which is both very exciting and mildly offensive because I swear I just got my license. If you’re new around here or you’ve been following me for years and mostly know me as the girl constantly posting houses, golf courses and whatever trip I’m on… hi! I’m Rachel Love.

I moved to Onslow County in 2014 and got my real estate license in 2015 at the ripe old age of 19. Was I old enough to legally drink a glass of champagne at my own closings? No. Was I helping people make some of the biggest financial decisions of their lives? Absolutely! And somehow, here we are 11 years and 500+ homes later.

Although I say “somehow,” I actually know exactly how I got here: because hundreds of people trusted me to be part of some really big moments in their lives. Every closing, referral, repeat client, friend who shared my name in a Facebook group, and person who answered “I know a REALTOR®!” when someone mentioned moving to Eastern North Carolina helped build this career and I don't take that lightly. 

Eleven years in real estate means I've had the opportunity to experience pretty much every personality this market has to offer. I’ve seen some things.. 

I've worked through short sales and foreclosures, watched interest rates drop to numbers we will likely never see again in this lifetime, navigated the absolute fever dream that was the COVID housing market, survived multiple-offer situations where buyers practically had to offer their firstborn child, and then watched the entire market shift as interest rates climbed and affordability became the conversation. I've had record-breaking years, ridiculously busy years, weird years, incredible years and years that made all of us in real estate collectively ask, "Sooo... what exactly is happening?"

The good news? After 11 years, I don't only know how to sell real estate when it's easy. I know what to do when it's weird. And in real estate, weird is basically guaranteed eventually. Markets change. Rates change. Inventory changes. Buyers change. The strategy that worked two years ago or sometimes even six months ago isn't necessarily going to work today. That's where experience matters. I'm incredibly grateful to the clients who have trusted my advice through every single version of this market, especially the ones where none of us had a crystal ball and we just had to make the best decision with the information we had.

Somewhere along the way, I became a property manager too! Because apparently selling houses wasn't keeping me busy enough, I decided to start a property management company. In reality, it happened very naturally. Living and working in an area as transient as ours means I've watched hundreds of homeowners face the same dilemma when orders come in or life changes: Do we sell the house... or keep it? And despite what the internet may tell you, there isn't one universally correct answer. Sometimes selling and walking away with your equity is the smartest move. Sometimes keeping the house as a rental becomes an incredible long-term investment. And sometimes you become a landlord, make it approximately one year and call me like, "Rachel, sell this thing immediately." All are valid experiences. 

Starting Love & Co. Property Management allowed me to help clients through more than just the buying and selling part. I've now had clients I've helped buy a home, manage it as a rental, and eventually sell it. Getting to be someone's REALTOR® through multiple chapters of their life is one of the coolest parts of what I do and the fact that someone trusts me enough to keep calling me as those chapters change means more than I can really put into words.

If there's one thing 11 years has drilled into my head, it's this: real estate isn’t a one size fits all. I'm not going to tell you to buy a house because I'm a REALTOR® and I sell houses. I'm not going to tell you to keep a property because I own a property management company. And I'm definitely not going to tell you it's a "GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!" just because someone made a cute Instagram graphic saying so. Sometimes you should buy. Sometimes you should sell. Sometimes you should rent the house out. And sometimes the smartest financial decision is to do absolutely nothing. My job is to understand your situation, tell you what I'm seeing in the market, run through your options and help you make the decision that makes sense for you. Even if that decision doesn't result in a commission check for me tomorrow. That's how I've always done business, and 11 years later, I don't see that changing.

Over the years, I've gotten to do some pretty cool things. I've helped 500+ clients, earned my Military Relocation Professional designation, was named one of Coldwell Banker's 30 Under 30, became a Broker-in-Charge, started a property management company and had some truly record-breaking years. And yes, I'm proud of all of that. But the longer I do this, the more I realize that none of those accomplishments are really mine alone.

You can't sell 500+ homes without 500+ people choosing to trust you. You can't have record-breaking years without clients telling their friends, family, coworkers and neighbors about you. And you definitely don't make it 11 years in a business built almost entirely on relationships without some really incredible people supporting you along the way. That's what I'm most proud of; the people who come back. I've helped people buy their first house and then sell it years later. I've helped their parents, siblings, coworkers, neighbors and best friends. I've gotten texts from clients I haven't talked to in years that basically say, "Hey! My friend needs a REALTOR®. I gave them your number." And every single time, it means something to me. Because you don't refer to someone you care about to somebody you don't trust. 

Outside of real estate… contrary to what my screen time report might suggest, I do occasionally stop working. When I'm not showing houses, negotiating contracts, handling rentals or answering emails, there's a good chance you'll find me on a golf course, running, lifting weights, planning my next trip, reading, or at home with my two dogs and cat. I'm an avid traveler, increasingly obsessed with golf, a dog & cat mom and generally very easy to convince that we should book the flight.

I also have a huge soft spot for our military community. Some of my best friends are military, and after living in Onslow County since 2014, I've had a front-row seat to just how unique military life and homeownership can be. PCS orders don't exactly care what the housing market is doing. Which is another reason I've always wanted my clients to understand all of their options; selling isn't the only one.

When I got my license at 19, I had absolutely no clue what the next 11 years would bring. I didn't know I'd help more than 500 clients. I didn't know there would be record-breaking years. I didn't know I'd work through foreclosures, short sales, a global pandemic, historically low rates, bidding wars, rapidly rising interest rates and whatever other plot twists the housing market decided to throw at us. I didn't know I'd become a Broker-in-Charge. And I definitely didn't know I'd eventually start a property management company. I was just a 19-year-old who decided to get her real estate license and see what happened. 

Turns out... quite a lot happened. But when I look back at the last 11 years, what I feel more than anything is gratitude. Grateful for the clients who took a chance on 19-year-old me. Grateful for the ones who have come back two, three and sometimes more times over the years. Grateful for every referral, every review, every social media tag, every person who has shared one of my listings, and every friend who has supported my business even if they've never personally bought a house from me. There is no 11-year milestone without all of you.

Real estate has given me a career I genuinely love, but my clients are the reason I've been able to make a life out of it. Through every version of the market and every version of my career, one thing has stayed pretty consistent: I want my clients to feel like they have someone in their corner. Someone who will tell them the truth, even when it's not necessarily what they want to hear. Someone who understands that buying or selling a house is a huge financial decision but also understands that there are actual human beings and real lives attached to those decisions and someone who's still around years after the closing table when life inevitably changes again.

So whether you've worked with me before, referred someone to me, shared my name, cheered me on, quietly followed along for years, or you're brand new around here… thank you. You've played a part in these 11 years, and I'm incredibly lucky that I get to keep doing this.

And if you're trying to figure out your next move; buy, sell, invest, rent it out, or maybe just sit tight for a minute… call me. We'll figure it out.

Here's to 11 years down, the people who made them possible, and hopefully at least 11 more years of the real estate market keeping me humble.