I am very proud to announce to you all, that one of my favorite people, Linda Fredericks was awarded the top honor this year as REALTOR of the Year by the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS. Ok, yes she's my mom and I am, admittedly, partial. But after all these years of knowing how great she is, it's wonderful to see that quality admired by the rest of the professionals in our association. So, in honor of Mom, here's a little bit about her career that contributed towards her being named the 2009 Realtor of the Year.
Linda's career started a long, long time ago in a galaxay far far away... ok, well, a long, long time ago. She began her career in real estate as a secretary for an appraiser where she worked for five years. Her next step was to get a real estate license, which she did in 1975. Back then it was a simple process to get a real estate license and no training was available to her. So, for her first sale, her client signed a blank purchase agreement and gave her a $100 bill for a deposit. She took the cash and the blank contract back to the office, handed it to her broker, and said, "Now what?" She's certainly come a long way from that first sale. She quickly rose to become the top producer at her office and has remained one of the top producers no matter what office she's worked at since then.
In 1990, she opened up a RE/MAX franchise in Baton Rouge. She and her partners recruited the best of the best to work with their office until deciding to sell 9 years later. She moved to another RE/MAX office and continued to excel in sales and wining awards each year. In 2001, her daughter (that's me), came to work with her on her team. In November 2009, the two of us decided that we could be of greater service to our clients by opening a new office called Home After Home.
Linda has not only helped thousands of families with their real estate needs. She was the first ABR in Baton Rouge and one of the first in the state of Louisiana. After obtaining her ABR (Accredited Buyer's Representative) designation, she then teamed up with a local real estate school to train other agents on Buyer Agency. Buyer Agency was a major change in the way real estate business was conducted and it required a paradigm shift in the way REALTORS think about their business. Prior to the onset of buyer agency in Lousisiana, the Realtor was an agent of the seller... even if they were taking the buyer around to see houses. This great new step in real estate enabled the buyer to receive their own representation.
Staying on the cutting edge of real estate Linda been on the Internet marketing herself and her listings as long as it's been available. She keeps her business on the leading edge of technology, and even opened her new company for that purpose. Home After Home is, by design, a technology-based real estate company.
Within her local association she has been a member of almost every committee at some point during her career. She has chaired committees, heard arbitration and ethics hearings, and played a part in setting policy within the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS. She is even a past president of 2008. At the state level she has been a director and been on many committees. She has attended the NAR legislative meetings and is an active participant in the real estate industry at all levels.
She is a firm believer in giving back to the community and believes in charities that keep the money local and provide assistance right here in her own city. To that end, she has been an active participant in the Children's Miracle Network for many years and has participated in a woman's build with Habitat for Humanity. She offers her time to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital and Ollie Steel Burden Manor as a volunteer. At Ollie Steel she is a Eucharistic Minister and particiaptes in activities with the residents.
Children have her heart. For many years she was a sponsor of various child soap box derby racers who participated in the NDR (National Derby Rallies). She helped children in Texas and Louisiana obtain the materials to build their race cars and traveled to races around the country.
Linda is a giving person who credo is "helping others." That's why she is a REALTOR... so that she can help other people. Whether it's helping a buyer, helping a seller, or just giving a home owner advice to make it though a tough time, she has had a healthy career because she enjoys what she does.
Comments(3)