REVStaffing in the News

Broker/Agent Magazine Article

Featured agent, Brenda Parish of RE/MAX Southern Realty in Destin Florida, attributes REVStaffing as one resource that has helped her grow her business.


June 2007
Brenda Parish From Dreams to Reality, One Client at a Time Brenda Parish found the most beautiful place she had ever seen when she and her family vacationed in Destin and other beach areas along the Emerald Coast in the 1960’s. She lived the dream when she moved to Destin in 1987-1991. The allure of the coast brought her back many times until she returned to the area full-time in 2001. She renewed her real estate license and began a new life and new career. Today, Brenda is a top-producer for RE/MAX Southern Realty in Destin. She has developed a reputation as both an experienced REALTOR and a trusted friend clients can turn to and refer their friends and family. She has also become a valued member of a development team which recently completed the successful Indianola on the Water condominium project in Fort Walton Beach. “These last few years have been extremely exciting, challenging rewarding. I feel like I have been so blessed to be in this wonderful place, have a fantastic career and get to share it with those I love.” After moving back to the area, Brenda rekindled a friendship and later married developer Bob Parish. Together, they have shared interests, hobbies and lots of family, including great grandchildren. Bob was the one who encouraged her to renew her real estate license she had originally obtained in 1989. She had worked in various customer service positions throughout her professional life, but had always intended to be a REALTOR full-time. The timing had never been right. She renewed her license and began immediately closing sales in 2003. After initially working with Realty One she moved to RE/MAX to join a group of entrepreneurial agents who both inspire and assist each other in growing their businesses. “RE/MAX offers me a number of resources to help market my business and improve my service through continuing education. The organization gives agents a real advantage because of its name recognition and international reach.” A few years later, Brenda has no intentions of slowing down in her real estate sales career. As she says, she is just having too much fun. “What other jobs let you see so many wonderful homes, travel across the region and provide customers with a service that really makes a difference. I absolutely love doing what I do,” Brenda adds. Her work with clients, both sellers and buyers, takes Brenda as far as Navarre, over to Freeport and down to Rosemary Beach and all points in-between. She works with clients looking to sell and purchase high-end condo and multi-family units and those in the single family homes segment. She assists a good many investors who are capitalizing on ever-rising property values, especially those looking to purchase good deals during a slow market. “We had such tremendous growth here a few years ago that today’s pace, which is still significantly ahead of most years, seems slow. One of my chief responsibilities is to counsel my clients about the reality of the market and help them set realistic expectations about prices.” Her honest and direct approach has earned Brenda a number of fans who turn to her first or have been referred by friends or relatives. Her personal service which includes never letting a day go by without returning phone calls by the end of the day, have made her an invaluable resource to clients. “I don’t think I do anything more than what I expect from others. Returning phone calls, following through on promises and always being honest should come naturally to all of us. It is unfortunate that everyone doesn’t act this way or provide this level of service. I wouldn’t know how to do it any other way.” Brenda’s comprehensive approach to service has also earned her a number of awards and recognition. She was the number one RE/MAX agent in all of Florida in October 2006 and is ranked in the top 100 for the state. She is a member of the distinguished RE/MAX Platinum Club which recognizes top sales production and the highest customer service. To give her all the skills and resources to reach this lofty level, Brenda has invested in herself and her business. She became a member of the Floyd Wickman Star Makers program which helps real estate sales professionals improve their operations by focusing on a personal philosophy. “The program has helped me get even more motivated and market my business at a whole other level. I have been able to use the elements of the program to help my clients goals become my goals.” The second investment Brenda has incorporated into her business is utilizing REVStaffing. This service offers Brenda and other REALTORS a virtual assistant to assist with transaction coordination, brochure creation, direct mail service and other programs which allow Brenda to extend her marketing while focusing on her customers’ sales and service needs. She began using REVStaffing in 2005 and has seen her business grow as she has been able to market to local and regional target audiences, especially in Atlanta and other major metropolitan areas with investors seeking real estate profits. “Because they have such a coordinated level of services, my customers get the benefit of more of my time. I no longer personally stuff envelopes or try to design brochures and flyers. I let the experts do that and I focus on what I do best which is serving my customers as a valued resource.” Brenda credits both of these programs, these investments in herself, for helping her recognize the opportunity and then become a member of the development team for the Indianola project. She knew Jay McMaster, Dick Hedberg and Norm Scott the developers involved in the project and felt such a project in the heart of downtown Fort Walton Beach could be a huge success. The developers formed NWEC, LLC and began the project in April 2004. “I was just so excited to be a part of something that was so bold and visionary. The developers put together such a great project that offered a great location, direct access to the waterfront, 16 boat slips and still tied together the historic aspect of the area,” Brenda adds. The 30 luxury condo units comprising the development feature exquisite amenities, a boardwalk along the Sound, a location near attractions, restaurants and shopping and direct deep water access via private gated boat slips. Residents of Indianola on the Water have access to a lifestyle and surroundings others only dream about. The private, gated community is nearly sold out with a select few units available. Indianola on the Water is a special development that has captured the essence of a key aspect of a community, according to Brenda. It is situated next to an historic archeological find, a shell midden mound left by residents of the area hundreds of years earlier. This past April, Native American residents in the region held a torchlight service at Indianola to celebrate the heritage and importance of the location. “It was such a beautiful event and such a pleasure to be a part of. To have watched this project go from unimproved land to construction that survived Hurricane Dennis to completed and occupied units was just wonderful.” Brenda is looking forward to working with the developers new projects in the years ahead. Indeed, Brenda is looking to years of productive work in real estate. The only thing she enjoys more than working closely with her clients is spending time with family, especially when children and grandchildren come to visit. She and Bob enjoy rounds of golf and walks on the beach, but nothing beats family dinners or hearing about school and friends from any of their grandchildren and now great grandchildren. “I have to pinch myself sometimes. I have a wonderful husband, a great family, a home in paradise and a job that lets me help others realize their dreams. I tell my children and grandchildren that anything is possible; you just have to have goals and determination.” Brenda Parish has a personal motto that sums up her view on business and life – From Dreams to Reality, One Client at a Time. This simple motto captures her personal goal and those of her clients, which are really one and the same. “My personal goal as a REALTOR is to make my clients’ dreams come true and in turn, this helps me realize my dreams. Everything comes into focus when you make realizing your clients’ dreams your number one goal.” Contact Brenda Parish at 850-225-8349; email brenda@brendaparish.com. On the Internet, visit www.brendaparish.com.