Hollie Woodard MacKellar | February 2021 | Leadership Spotlight

Local-Centric Boutique: Making Real Estate Personal

By Jill Clair Gentry

Photos By Jon Jeffress, Deep South Photography

For Local Property, Inc. broker/owner Hollie Woodard MacKellar, the word “local” means everything. Born and raised in Fairhope, Hollie is deeply invested in the Mobile Bay area in both her personal and professional life. When she began her boutique real estate firm in 2018 after 13 years as an agent, she wanted it to embody her love for the community.

Local firm, local vibe

“That’s why I didn’t make the name of my business about me—‘Local Property’ can mean something different to everyone, but it definitely embodies who I am,” she says. “When I go on vacations, I want to go where the locals go—those places the tourists don’t know about. And with my clients who move here from other places, I love being their local source of information and inviting them into our world to get them connected to our community so they can feel like a local immediately.”

Before beginning her real estate career and moving back to Fairhope at age 30, Hollie was a flight attendant with Delta. She and her husband Bryant lived in New York, Atlanta, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.

“I know what it feels like to move to a new place and not know anyone—it’s a lonely feeling,” she says. “I want people when they move to our community to feel like they are a part of something and that people know and care about them. At Local Property, we make it a point to invite our clients to events, tell them about our favorite gyms and restaurants and recommend pediatricians, preschools, hair stylists or handymen. They’re always coming to us for recommendations, and I love that they need us and we can provide that sense of community for them.”

An agent-centric work environment

When Hollie founded Local Property, she used her experience with several different brokerages to create a company that combined her favorite aspects of each.

“Every brokerage I worked with was a different stage of life, and I learned so much from each one,” she says. “If you’d asked me years ago if I wanted

to be a broker, it was never a desire or dream—it just kind of developed. I saw where there was a need for promotion of agents rather than a big box company, and I wanted to start something new and fresh. Agents make a company, and clients make agents. If you take care of your agents as well as you take care of your clients, then you know you have a strong foundation for a fantastic company.”

Since Local Property began in 2018, Hollie has brought on 30 agents. She makes it a priority to push her agents to constantly strive to be better by providing accountability, training and opportunities for certifications and continuing education.

“In a world of so many companies, agents can work anywhere,” she says. “I want them to know it’s special. I worked hard to make my own business, and now I get to help my agents shine and promote the hard work they do. It’s a big deal to constantly be bettering yourself in your profession and to push yourself. We talk about how if you’re comfortable, you’re not learning and growing. And if you get complacent, someone is working harder than you.”

Hollie also believes it is important for her as a broker to continue to sell real estate.

“I worked for competing brokers, and I worked for sales managers, and I personally learned more from competing brokers who were in the trenches with me,” she says. “I want my agents to know I’m still dealing with the same things they are. I never thought of myself as a leader, but as much as I love selling and helping my own clients, I love seeing the success of my agents. That joy is incredible.”

Having people on board who Hollie trusts to co-lead is essential to a successful brokerage and a balanced life.

“I really want to give a shout out to our Vice President of Sales, Kasey Reeves,” Hollie says. “She’s always got my back, and she has the same vision that I do. She has helped elevate the company, and because of her commitment and work ethic, I can go on vacation, be a mom and have a personal life. She is so supportive to all the agents and so helpful to everyone.”

Build relationships, build a business

Nurturing empathy in herself and her agents for every other person involved in a transaction is incredibly important to Hollie as well.

“Brokers have to remember what it’s like to be an agent, and agents have to remember what it’s like to be a buyer or seller,” she says. “We have to put ourselves in our clients’ shoes and really know what it feels like. Otherwise we lose compassion and empathy for connecting with our clients. This is not about transactions; it’s about serving people and connecting with them for a lifetime.”

It’s a no-brainer to bend over backward for clients, but Hollie says it’s also beneficial to treat every single person—from the home inspector to the receptionist at the tile company— with respect and kindness.

I never thought of myself as a leader, but as much as I love selling and helping my own clients, I love seeing the success of my agents. That joy is incredible.

“If you are good to inspectors, plumbers, title companies and other agents, they are going to want to show up for your clients and do a great job,” she says. “This is a small town, and people know who you are—you’ve got to treat people the way you want to be treated. If you work well with others, they’re an advocate for your business. Transactions are not a race to the finish line. It’s all about the journey and the people you work alongside with. That is what builds your business for a lifetime.”

When Hollie isn’t working, she is spending time with her family. Bryant, her husband of 22 years, is area manager for Bank of England Mortgage in Daphne.

“We are best friends and absolutely inseparable,” she says. “He is a great encourager and a huge risktaker, and I love that about him. He pushes me to be better and loves to help promote me.”

The MacKellars have two children. Their son Campbell is in ninth grade, and their daughter, Audrey Claire, is in fifth grade.

“I do everything I do because of my kids,” Hollie says. “It’s such a struggle juggling motherhood and work, and I have guilt like all other moms that I can’t always be at every event. But I always, always feel appreciated by my kids. They never make me feel like I work too much because they are very involved.”

Campbell and Audrey Claire spend a lot of time at the office with their mom, and they help her with everything from composing texts to clients while she’s driving to teaching her new technology.

“Audrey Claire and I even did a TikTok together of a beach house,” Hollie says. “It’s truly a family business and we are all involved. We work together and play together.”

The entire family, as well as anyone who meets her, is enamored with their 80-pound Goldendoodle, Laddie, who is a regular visitor to the Local Property office in downtown Fairhope.