Rachel Farmer
With the motivation of her husband, Bryan, Rachel Farmer began her real estate career in 2000. With her charismatic personality and contagious enthusiasm, she was among the top 20 agents at one of Atlanta’s largest real estate firms by 2008. That same year, she was honored with the Miss Emmie award for exhibiting the highest ethical and professional standards in her office.
A graduate of Mississippi University and a native Mississippian, Rachel has been in Atlanta for over 20 years and has lived amongst her clients since she began working as an agent. She believes that being close by has helped her immensely with her business.
“Regardless if I am representing a buyer or seller, I am always going to live within a 10-15 mile radius so I have no other choice but to make both parties very happy because I have to live, eat and play with them! I am not planning on moving any time soon! Again, they become a part of the Farmer family!”
Rachel joined Beacham & Company in June of 2009, drawn by the company’s exceptional marketing and market share dominance in Buckhead where Rachel conducts nearly all of her business.
“Beacham & Company is a small firm of agents with big hearts. We are strictly business and we are all motivated to satisfying our clients and close deals!! After all – that is when we get paid!”
When did you get into real estate and why?
I received my real estate license in the spring of 2000. My husband, Bryan, was the driving force for me getting into real estate. He is in the sign business and worked with many agents over the years and felt as though it would be a great fit for me. The kids were in school and it was time for me to go back to work! I took Bryan’s advice and jumped right in! My children, Kyle and Nicole, were 10 and 7 at the time so I had the time during the day to make it work! It was quite a challenge in the beginning. Rarely was I working when the kids were in school – my work was and still remains a 24/7 job – night, weekends and vacations. I love what I do though!
What was your most memorable sale?
My most memorable sale was my first sale! Very close family friends wanted to re-locate to Florida to retire so I listed and sold their home on the corner of Greendale and Margaret Mitchell to Donny Chapman. That was one of the first homes that Donny purchased which he later developed into a lovely cul-de-sac street with new construction homes. It was an all cash transaction. It was a very smooth and fun closing – until my buyers went to the bank with their bags packed, furniture in tow to cash their proceeds, and there was NO MONEY IN THE LAW FIRM’S ESCROW ACCOUNT. That was my first closing and most memorable phone call I have ever gotten from a seller. Back in those days the lender would send the law firm a check – the law firm would then courier (by bike) the check to the bank the day of the closing. Unfortunately, the courier didn’t make it to the bank to make the deposit so we closed but my poor buyers didn’t have any money to show for it. The bank graciously agreed to wire the money to Florida and they had it by the time they arrived. After that closing I represented the next door neighbor’s estate and sold that house and the property across the street to Donny as well. I then sold two of the new construction homes. Greendale has been good to me and I drive by the street everyday and think of that closing and the good memories and great clients that live there now!!
What special services do you provide for your client?
Sellers – I like to initially come to their home for an informal tour of the home and get an idea of their motivation to move and establish a game plan that works for them. Communication is such a huge part of our business and as much as we email, text and twitter there is nothing like a personal conversation. There is a chemistry that I have with all of my clients and each and everyone is different in their own way. In this business you not only have to be a huge multi-tasker but you have to be very respectful of your client and their needs. Every transaction is different and so are my clients. That is what I love about real estate. I will then go back and put together a detailed marketing plan that will include a pricing analysis, marketing strategy and prepare them for the home stager that I provide. I always provide the first initial home staging session which is imperative in every home that I list and sell! Once we have established everything that needs to be done to prepare the home to go on the market then we set up a marketing schedule. Our Beacham Team is awesome. We have the best photographers (Rod and Blayne) and the number one marketing team as well (Laura). I am a firm believer in caravans and open houses. I love welcoming the agents to the home and providing a lunch or drawing. Atlanta has some of the greatest real estate agents who have been in the business much longer than I have – I feed off of their resources and advice. Getting their input is the best way to price a home and give positive/negative feedback to the seller. You don’t burn any bridges in this business!! Feedback is very important to the seller and like I said – it is all about communication and keeping your clients informed at all times!! And sometimes, it’s not all good!
Buyers – I like sitting down with the buyers like I do the sellers and getting to know their wants and needs. We discuss their price range, timing for their move and some of the things that they don’t want in a home. It is very important especially working with relocation clients. Some relo companies have certain specifications that they look for in homes and it is important that you know what those are before you set up a search. We establish a game plan and then hit the streets. Susan Cross and I work together with many relo clients and we have a “relo Atlanta tour” that we brought with us from our previous brokerage firm. It pretty much highlights all of the famous spots in Atlanta along with some really cool homes!
What are your goals for the fall?
I am really looking forward to this fall. Nicole will enter Ole Miss in August and Kyle will be finishing his last year at Georgia. Time has flown by since they were just 10 and 7, when I started in this business, but I am looking forward to doubling up my time in real estate. I am looking forward to getting more involved in social media (with Lindley’s help) and aggressively pursuing more business. Buckhead has hit an all time low in inventory and I want to focus on getting more listings! I am also looking forward to spending more quality time with my clients and chasing after their children’s sports activities since mine have moved away (Kyle still has one more year as a UGA baseball player!) I will also remind them to capture the memories and hold them tight because it goes by so fast but such good times!!
What sets Beacham & Company apart from other Atlanta real estate firms?
I joined Beacham & Company three years ago. I had a great career at my previous company and absolutely loved my broker, Herbert Eustis. After Herbert retired, I decided to join Beacham & Company. I am not one to make changes so it was a huge move for me. I really loved the folks at my previous company and keep up with all of my friends there on a daily basis. I had always admired Glennis when before she started her own company. The first transaction I had with Glennis was one of my first “big deals”. In reviewing my offer she noticed and corrected a very big mistake that I made that would have probably sent me to real estate jail and put my buyer in a very uncompromising position. That is what real estate is all about – doing the right thing and putting your clients first. Glennis is the best. But one of her best kept secrets is our broker, Dac Carver. Dac is awesome and handles the day-to-day business. While Glennis is out selling, Dac is managing our wants and needs and is the best in keeping us informed on the “numbers” side of the market. He is our “graph specialist.” I can’t end without mentioning Rod and Blayne. They are our professional photographers that are the best. Please search the Beacham website and see our photos. The photos are actually your first showing on your home. They sell our properties and get the buyers in for the second showing!
For more information about Rachel Farmer and her listings, check out her Beacham profile page.
