Without question, Tamra Wade excels in new-home sales.
Twenty years ago, she began her career in the industry in on-site sales, and eventually grew into a management role. At the height of her position, she was expertly juggling 30 neighborhoods. Then the bubble burst, and she quickly pivoted, joining a local real estate team in 2009.
After learning the ropes, Wade founded The Tamra Wade Team, a leader in new-home sales, currently with 35 members and 12 on staff. In the Atlanta housing market, she and her team consistently garner high marks. Wade herself was awarded 2019 Sales Manager of the Year by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, and has been featured in Atlanta Agent Magazine and Real Producers Magazine.
Today, Wade continues to lead her mega-successful team, but also has newer shoes to step into: broker.
“I decided I wanted to open my own brokerage to provide an opportunity for agents in new construction to come into the brokerage if they wanted to do resale,” says Wade, who established her firm, RE/MAX Tru, in 2018. “It provides for flexibility.”
Here, Wade discusses her dual responsibilities, her new-homes niche, and more.
Suzanne De Vita: Tamra, your husband, Randy, is a custom homebuilder. How did you get involved in real estate?
Tamra Wade: I got into new homes in 1999, and I was an on-site sales agent and manager. Then the market had its downturn, so in 2009, I joined the No. 1 RE/MAX team in the state of Georgia (at the time), and learned under the team for about a year, then branched out and started my own team in 2010.
SD: You are a broker, as well. What drove you to get licensed?
TW: My team had been primarily new construction. In 2018, I decided I wanted to open my own brokerage to provide an opportunity for agents in new construction to come into the brokerage if they wanted to do resale. It provides for flexibility—sometimes in new homes, it gets a little slow if you’re between neighborhoods.
On The Tamra Wade Team, we’ve got about 35 agents and about 12 staff. We’ve got marketing, listing and sales management departments, and support staff, as well as an inside sales department. There’s about 25 agents on the brokerage side. My right hand has been with me for 10 years—she started out in an admin role and is now director of Operations for my entire team.
SD: How would you define your leadership style?
TW: I’m there as support. I try to empower my departments to run themselves as much as they can. My goal is to get people in a place so that they can get the job done and make the client happy.
SD: What’s your culture like?
TW: We have a bunch of women and some men, so it can get a little funny at times. (Laughs) We’re about respect, teamwork, honesty, integrity, and doing the right thing.
SD: You’re an expert in new-home sales. How does your background in construction help on the resale side?
TW: In new construction, we’re taught how to draw traffic and get attention, how to market, and how to follow up and talk to people. When my resale agents deal with sellers—or even when I’m working with sellers—we come from a place of, “I handle millions of dollars of inventory for a builder, and figure out how to sell and market those properties. Wouldn’t you want someone who knows how to do that to work for you?”
SD: What are your goals in 2020, for both the brokerage and the team?
TW: On the brokerage side, we are actively pursuing bringing on agents. My biggest goals for the team right now are to bring on more builders for more opportunities and to train and coach our agents. We have our agents get national certifications for new homes—we want them to be as knowledgeable as they can be, and sought after by builders. Overall we want to continue to grow, but grow steady.
Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s senior online editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com.
