Hello, West Knoxville. Bailey & Co. Real Estate opened its second office on July 11, this one at 410 Montbrook Lane, Suite 104.
Justin Bailey and wife Kristin were all smiles. It was standing-room-only an hour into the grand-opening event. The Knoxville Chamber helped with a ribbon-cutting at 4:30 p.m. and the party was still going when I left for a 7 p.m. meeting.
Larry and Laura Bailey talk with Michael Banks at the grand opening of Bailey & Co. Real Estate, owned by their son Justin Bailey. Banks is a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch.
There’s not a cubicle in sight, just a couple of private offices and a grand open space that serves as a training area (seats 40), a place for agents to plug in their laptops and work collaboratively, and a coffee shop.
Bailey is a cautious risk-taker, an incredibly sincere young man with determination to succeed. He likes to talk about his multigenerational real estate family tracing back to his great-grandmother, Myrtle Hackworth Gill.
The Bailey family hails from Powell, but as his real estate business has grown, Justin realized that a West Knox office was crucial. This one is in the area of Downtown West off Gleason Road. Before you know it, Bailey & Co. will be opening a third office and then a fourth.
Justin has a few rules:
- He does not recruit agents; he interviews applicants. He says he doesn’t want quantity – he wants agents who are a good fit.
- The company motto is “People over Profit.” Bailey encourages his agents to develop relationships with clients, to look past a quick deal toward a long-term business friendship.
- He stresses training and promotes/models community involvement.
A personal story: Justin Bailey sold me my current house. It was his mom’s listing. A few months in, somebody bumped an in-the-floor electrical outlet, probably with a vacuum cleaner. The top came off, exposing wires, and there was no obvious way to screw it back on.
I called Justin. “Do you have a guy …?” I asked. “Well, he’s on another job.” (Justin also restores and flips houses in his spare time.) After supper, Justin showed up with duct tape. He taped the outlet cover to the floor and suggested I slide the couch over it. His “fix” is still working.
So, yes, I like this guy. And I’m proud all over that he’s now got two offices for what’s got to be the fastest-growing real estate company in town.
Sandra Clark, editor/publisher of Shopper News (June 1971-April 2017), is editor/CEO of KnoxTNToday Inc.