Introducing Wendy Harris 2022 NC REALTORS® President

Why did you decide to become a REALTOR®?

It began as a business decision to assume my father’s business. It became a passion as I experienced the impact and influence the profession brings to our communities.

Where do you see the real estate industry headed in the next 100 years?

In a hundred years, we will be building fully sustainable homes and all waste will either be recyclable or biodegradable. We will live inside more compact living spaces and have more multi-generational homes or homescapes. There will be more communal green space areas and less impermeable parking and driving space. We may also be buying and selling re-estate on other planets. Perhaps this is where i-buyers and i-sellers will excel in the future, but on this planet, there will always be a place for relationships and personal service.

What makes you proud to be an NC REALTOR®?

My fellow REALTORS® make me most proud to be an NC REALTOR®. I am proud to know them and proud to learn from them. I am especially proud that they have chosen me and trust me to represent them this year. It is humbling and a responsibility I take seriously.

What is your favorite part about living/working in your area?

Fayetteville is completely unpretentious. It is a balanced community, full of American pride in the most embracing American way. Living in a military community is seldom a beautiful place to live, but it is incredibly humbling to be surrounded by people and families who have given some or all for a higher purpose. You are constantly reminded without being told that you, too, can do more.

Who is your hero?

My heroes are people who give more than they take, who desire to make a difference for good, who leave things better than they found them, who naturally serve in small or grand ways, and whose servant hearts are bigger than their egos.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

A veterinarian…not a veteran.

Where would you like to see NC REALTORS® in the next 100 years?

In 100 years, I would like everyone in the state of North Carolina— when they think housing, when they think economic development, when they think industry, taxes, insurance—I want them to think how will this impact the people who live in this state. Everything starts and ends at home. I want us to be the first, best and last organization everyone goes to for information and perspective.

What tips do you have for new agents entering the industry post-pandemic? What has changed?

Get face to face with your fellow REALTORS®. Develop those relationships with your peers. Be challenged by them and challenge them. Re-engaged in your communities. Find things to be passionate about. Since the pandemic, we have embraced more technology; take advantage of it and use it to improve yourself and your clients’ experience.

Describe the current housing market using movie titles.

“What just happened.” It’s like sellers are living in “La La Land.” I have presented 14 offers “For Your Consideration,” and sometimes, I want to “Scream.” Please take a look at “The Big Picture.”

What is something from childhood that you wish you had in adulthood?

The same sense of wonder. It is still in me, but I do not listen to it enough.

What are some interesting facts about yourself and/or hidden talents you have?

I have lived on three continents, five countries, seven states, and a sailboat. I love scuba/snorkeling, gardening and cooking. I swam with whale sharks and giant oceanic manta rays in the ocean.

What was your first job?

I worked at Hardee’s when I was 16.

If you could go back in time, what decade would you want to relive and why?

I would not want a redo of a decade of my life, but I would love to live for a time in the period of 1880 – 1890 in the English countryside.

What is the biggest change you would like to see during your term as president?

While we are in a very serious business and NOBLE profession—as Laurie Knudsen reminds us—I would like us to take ourselves a little less seriously. We can do serious work and have fun while we do it. Coming out of almost two years of partial isolation, I really want to see all of us laughing, loving and reconnecting more.

What was the industry like when you became a REALTOR®?

Thankfully the internet, websites, email and cellular phones had already made their way into everyday personal and professional life. Even though each year has brought new technological advances, I began with a good foundation for this modern world of real estate, yet, also had all of the lessons of connecting with people and the belly-to-belly importance of our industry.

If you could share a meal with any four individuals— living or dead—who would they be?

My English grandmother, who I never met, Queen Elizabeth, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jacques Cousteau.