VALDOSTA – Hope Brown is a local Realtor, Georgia associate broker and Florida broker at Legacy Realtors in Valdosta.

Brown has more than 11 years of experience with real estate, beginning her career as a real estate paralegal. For more than six years, she has been Valdosta-Lowndes County’s “Favorite Realtor,” with more than 300 transactions.

Brown specializes in commercial, private, land and investment property purchases.

“As a real estate paralegal, I observed the market through foreclosures, which inspired me to become a licensed Realtor,” she said. “It’s actually a dream come true to develop a unique strategy for my business and brand.”

Brown said the highlight of her career is seeing her clients receive their keys at the closing table.

“I always put my clients first and I treat every client the same no matter what the price is on the transaction,” she said.

Brown is on the board of directors at Valdosta Board of Realtors, a member of the National Association of Realtors and was in the top three of The Valdosta Daily Times Best of South Georgia Realtor of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023. In 2022, she was named Best Realtor of South Georgia.

In addition to her involvement in the real estate business, Brown is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, on the board of Southern Georgia Black Chambers, and supports various causes, schools and nonprofit organizations.

Recently, Brown has become a mentor to new agents at her firm and beyond.

“I want my mentees to have the help that I didn’t have when joining the real estate field,” she said. “I support my mentees by teaching them the ropes and supporting their daily journey.”

Brown shares tips for future Realtors.

“For those interested in real estate, I would recommend Barney Fletcher Real Estate School,” she said. “Also, we have local agencies and schools that teach continuing education courses.

“Whenever it comes to shadowing a licensed real estate agent, do the necessary research and speak to successful agents,” Brown said.

Brown Tips for Buyers:

– Save money for a down payment.

– Research the area.

– Research on lender — listen to your Realtor recommendations.

– Select a budget.

– Home Inspection — new or pre-existing home.

Why should you hire an experienced Realtor?

“We have a ton of knowledge regarding the real estate industry. Purchasing a home requires a lot of contracts, forms and disclosures. Guess what? The Realtors at Legacy Realtors read every document to ensure you are getting the best deal while avoiding delays and costly mistakes.

“We have top-notch home-searching skills. Once we know your price range and preferences instead of us searching Zillow, Trulia, or Craiglist, we actually have a very reliable system known as the South Georgia MLS system. We can enter your preferences into the system and it will pull up every home within your price range and preferences. Once you review those listings you all can advise us of the desired homes you would like to view.

“Since we are representing you, we will schedule the appointment with the listing agents and the owners of the homes, in order to decrease the number of follow-up calls you might receive (if you decide not to use an agent). In addition, we can provide knowledge on your desired neighborhood, and find out the comparable sales, school district, as well as crime rate.”

A1 negotiating skills. Negotiation is a big part of the home-buying process. Whether it’s a traditional sale the Realtors at Legacy push hard to get each and every one of our clients the best deal for the sellers to assist with closing costs thereby cutting down on your upfront out-of-pocket expenses.“We will also draft up all the contracts but we ensure we have enough time for home inspections, contingencies and everything else that we deem to be important,” she said.

“We have an established professional network. We are connected to a lot of beneficial people. When it comes to the home buying process not only are the seller and buyer involved in the transactions. There are several different things that the Realtor cannot handle or know but we will make it our mission to know everyone who can possibly help in the home-buying process. Such as mortgage brokers, real estate attorneys, and home inspectors. We can provide you all with a list of references.

“Since we have licensed Realtors we adhere to a strict code of ethics. We are loyal, trustworthy, and honest to all of our clients. In addition, we believe in keeping every transaction confidential.

We follow the rules and procedures to keep all parties involved from experiencing any legal issues.“Valdosta is my hometown and I am trying to turn potential clients into homeowners,” she said.

“Allow me to be your trusted Realtor, I will get you to the closing table.”