 When
I sat down with Jennifer Strimple and Bobbie Maynard it
was hard to believe that up until last year the two had
only known each other by name. I was quite impressed
with how well these women complimented each other
professionally. There was a level of comfort between
them that made it seem like they had been working
together for a decade or more. However, before last
summer, Jennifer and Bobbie had never met.
In May 2007, Jennifer, owner of Home Team Builders, was
looking to form a partnership with a local real estate
broker. Across the nation, many builders are beginning
to establish relationships with specific brokers. In
general, real estate brokers have access to a much
larger client base, and they are better able to handle
the marketing aspects thus, leaving the builder to focus
on the construction of the actual home. Prior to
becoming owner of Home Team Builders, Jennifer had been
working in construction for more than ten years, first
in commercial construction and then later in
residential. Therefore, she had a good feel for the kind
of person that she wanted as a partner. For her it was
important to find someone who was experienced,
knowledgeable of the area, successful, and most
importantly, she wanted to find someone who put the same
emphasis on customer service as she did.
Luckily for Jennifer, that
person turned out to be Bobbie Maynard.
With well over two
decades of experience under her belt, Bobbie is one of
the area’s top brokers. She and her team work out of the
offices of Allen Tate on Green Valley Road. It was here
that I had the opportunity to speak with the two women.
 When
Jennifer and Bobbie first met, they admit, they clicked
right away. Perhaps it’s the red hair, I wonder, but
instead I ask. Jennifer says that like herself, Bobbie
is a workaholic. Both women smiled one of those knowing
smiles and they continued to explain that they share a
strong commitment to the client, and a strong desire to
see the deal through to the very end. The two women knew
that with this partnership they would be able to see a
sale through from construction to closing. With them,
all the bases are covered. So, with one phone call
nearly all aspects of the home building and buying
process can be done. This is a very nice and convenient
benefit for the client. Additionally, both have equally
strong opinions about customer service. They agree that
true customer service in this particular industry
extends even beyond the day of closing; they feel that
their clients should be able to contact them 4-5 years
later and still get the service they deserve. It helps
too, that these two come to the table with so much
experience in their respected areas. These ladies
haven’t just been around the block, they’ve carefully
researched it, built it, marketed it and sold it.
As a true veteran in real estate, Bobbie has risen to
the position where she is able to choose the people with
whom she will work. Plus, she says that she knows
quality when she sees it, and the Home Team Builders’
homes are a high quality product. Bobbie is a busy woman
and she would not waste her time working with a builder
that she didn’t trust. This is equally true for
Jennifer. Her time in construction and building has
given her enough exposure to brokers, and she knows when
she is dealing with one that will get the job done.
Another successful aspect of their partnership is their
ability to communicate with each other. Though, I
suppose, that is key to any relationship, business or
not. The two women can discuss things in an honest and
open manner, and both work hard to remain as objective
as possible. In this short period of time, they have
been able to grow to trust each other greatly. Jennifer
uses Bobbie and her team at Allen Tate as a sort of
sounding board. She bounces ideas off of them about
where to and what to build. With her twenty-four years
of experience, Bobbie has come to know the industry very
well. She has seen trends come and go and explains that
they tend to move in a five-year cycle. Being a broker
enables her to stay up to date with housing trends and
to hear directly from the clients. She can then get this
information to Jennifer and both women are then able to
make sure that a buyer is getting what he/she wants.
As a woman, I have to admit that I like the idea of
bringing my business to other women, and I don’t seem to
be the only one. Bobbie says that women would rather
work with women, and I think this is especially true in
industries such as real estate. Unfortunately, nearly
all of us have had at least one negative experience
where we were treated differently in a male dominated
industry simply because we are women. This is a fact,
even though men admit that, with couples, women make
more decisions when buying a home. With Bobbie and
Jennifer, women are handling both sides of home building
and buying; not only are they women, but they are both
award winning professionals.
 Certainly
there are more women out there looking to enter into a
business partnership. With that in mind, I asked Bobbie
and Jennifer to offer up any advice to these
individuals. Almost simultaneously they answered, “Work
with someone you respect, has experience, feel
comfortable with and trust,” and it was obvious to see
that this dynamic duo has all of that and more.
Since joining forces, the women have seen through
several successful deals. One of their first projects
together was the 2007 Parade of Homes Gold Award winner,
and once more they will combine efforts on two entries
at this year’s Parade of Homes. This might be a great
time to stop in and meet the redheaded duo because they
will be alternating between the two homes on April
26-27, and May 3-4.
In the meantime, don’t be surprised to see signs for
Home Team Builders alongside signs for Allen Tate
Reality. Their partnership is still in its beginning
stages, but the two have plans to make it grow, to
continue to improve and to keep the stereotypes of the
passionate, fiery red-heads alive and well. |
