We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brittany Hall. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brittany below.

Brittany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your firm earns is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.

I will never forget the first clients I met while working an open house. It was a beautiful spring day and a couple from California entered the home. They were visiting Nashville for a week to consider where they’d want to live if they moved here. They didn’t know anyone nor did they know the area. We related a bit over my University of San Diego license plate cover and they shared that they were from Northern California. I shared with them what I enjoyed about living in Tennessee and they opened up to me about their dreams for the future and why they were considering Nashville. I let them explore the house and before they left, I handed them a folder with some helpful home buyer information and my card. I also asked them if I could add them to my monthly e-newsletter. They happily agreed and we parted ways. Fast forward 3 months later and I get a phone call from them telling me that SURPRISE, they’re ready to make the move! They said that they had been hesitant to uproot their jobs and their lives UNTIL they met me at the open house. They said that they felt a connection that inspired them to take action as soon as they got home, planning out the sale of their home and their job transfers. Their words were “you were the missing piece to our puzzle”. I was so incredibly touched. I am happy to report that they are settling into their Nashville home as we speak and are so excited for this new start! I am thankful that they trusted me and I look forward to introducing them to all Nashville has to offer!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

As an enneagram 2, I have always felt the desire to help others. For the first 12 years of my professional life, I worked in the hospitality industry. I loved what I did but I always wondered if there was a better way I could serve my community, a more direct way I could make an impact locally.

As a Realtor, I am hyper local. Most of the transactions I do are in the community I live in. Instead of working with tourists and companies; I now get to work with my friends, neighbors, community members, and future Tennessee residents! I am the guide and advocate for buyers on their homeownership journey and the marketer/connection maker for sellers as they look to make a move. There is a lot of paperwork with many different deadlines in a real estate transaction. Things can get messy if you don’t know what to be prepared for or how to solve for issues when they do arise. Furthermore, buying/selling homes is not only a big financial commitment – there are also a lot of legal implications to be aware of throughout the transaction. Realtors help buyers/sellers avoid taking this burden on themselves.

What I’m most proud of at work are my problem solving skills and business acumen. When someone says (or thinks) something can’t be done or we’re at an impasse, I immediately start looking outside the box for solutions. I leverage my network of industry professionals when needed and I won’t give up until it’s proven there’s no solution.

For example, I recently had a client where we hit about every road block you could, including an FHA appraiser who required roughly $7000 worth of work in the crawlspace be addressed before he would let us close. My buyer didn’t have the extra cash and the seller didn’t have the extra cash, so the Listing Agent said, “I think the deal is dead”. We had come so far, there was no way I was about to give up that easy! I asked her to let me make some calls and see if I could find a solution. Eventually, I was able to secure a contractor to do the work and agree to be paid at the closing table out of the seller proceeds so no one had to come forward with cash out of pocket. It was a win-win solution and my client was able to close on her home!

My problem solving skills plus my 12 years of corporate training in the hospitality industry set me apart in this industry. My previous career gave me an invaluable education in how to work with a variety of personalities; it helped me perfect my communication skills, appropriately set expectations, and hone in my organizational skills. These soft skills can be hard to learn. This is a relationship industry. Buying and selling relies on a Realtor’s relationship with their clients, community, and other Realtors. To me, these soft skills are as crucial as understanding the technicalities of the housing transaction.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Most all of my clients have been referrals from friends and family. I love running a business by referral because it makes it easier to start building a relationship. Having a good Realtor/client relationship makes the whole process much more enjoyable. There’s less awkwardness at the start because they know someone who has vouched for me, my character, and my work ethic. Plus, if we know someone in common, there’s a chance we have similar interests! I always tell my circle, I am never too busy to take care of your people!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

You know the saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? Unfortunately (or fortunately), I’ve had to make a lot of lemonade. In 2007 I graduated into a recession economy. Not just any recession – the GREAT recession. It was hard to land my first job and when I did, my position was eliminated 9 months later because the company was bought out. In 2009 my father passed away suddenly. He was not only my Dad but my coach and inspiration in my business/professional life. His loss is felt every day. Then, as we fast forward to 2020, the pandemic causes havoc worldwide. Several industries feel the impact, especially hospitality, and my position is eliminated again. Between losing a parent at 24 and becoming unemployed twice at no fault of my own – life has certainly not felt “fair” nor easy.

That said, I believe that when life gets ugly or feels “unfair” there’s almost always an opportunity to learn, grow, and better yourself; whether it’s personally or professionally or both. That’s not to say I don’t get mad, feel sad, or feel sorry for myself – those emotions have all crossed my mind a time or two. It’s healthy to feel and to express your feelings, especially with loss. However I recently heard someone say that life’s difficulties either make you “bitter” or they “make you better”. It resonated with me because – after I have sat with the bitterness/resentment for a bit – I’ve always asked myself “Why did this happen to me? What was I meant to learn from it?” and in some cases “What new doors will this open for me because this happened?”. Every time I ask myself those questions, I find answers and opportunities for gratitude. The gratitude helps me put the bigger picture into perspective and the answers help me take action to move forward. As they say, when one door closes, another door opens!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nashvillehomeguys.com/agents/brittany-hall/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/brittanyleighmovestennessee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittanyleighmovestennessee
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/brittanyleigh-movestennessee