Cover Feature
s r a e Y 0 2 y l r a Ne t s u r T g n i d l i u of B
s e v i G s n o m m e l P e i t s le a Chri S y r e v E Her All toy Sarah Gray written b
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small fixer-upper in the city or an oasis in the country with lots of land - no matter what type of home you are looking to buy or sell, Christie Plemmons treats all her clients with the same level of attention and care. No home is too big or too small because it is yours and Christie knows how personal buying or selling a home can be. She takes the time to make you feel comfortable and are well informed about the process. “I try my hardest to do what is best for my people,” said Christie, owner of Christie Plemmons Realty. “People know when you are looking out for them. That’s how you build trust.” Christie has been building trust with her clients throughout Hillsdale County for the past 19 years. “It’s so much fun,” she said of selling real estate. “So many of my clients have become friends and I have been able to watch their families grow.” A self-proclaimed people person, Christie was bitten by the real estate bug early and learned from one the best – her dad, Jerry Slade. “Real estate is a good match for my personality,” she said. Jerry started selling real estate while Christie was in high school. Back then, the home phone was the business phone (no cell phones quite yet) and Jerry taught his daughters how to answer the phone professionally in case a client
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called. Local real estate legend Don Helton praised Christie for her professionalism and told Jerry, “Your daughter is going to be a realtor some day.” It was not just her father, however, who gave Christie the skills to succeed. Christie grew up in mom Lisa Slade’s restaurant The Finish Line. Working as a waitress, she learned the value of a hard day’s work and how to treat customers. “My mom taught me how to work hard and treat people right,” she said. But she still had to make her own way. After earning an associate’s degree in accounting after high school, Christie knew she wanted to get out in the world and start making a name for herself. The market was pretty good in 2002 when she partnered with her dad and began selling on her own. “It wasn’t easy,” she recalled. She worked hard and gave her all to every sale – which she continues to do today. “I try to give the same effort, time, and treatment to everybody, whether it’s a $20,000 or a $200,000 sale.”
