The new president of Chattanooga Realtors didn't get into real estate until after her children were grown. She had previously worked as an X-ray technician, advertising salesperson, and office manager.
"Real estate was a late decision for me, but I wish I had been doing it my whole life," says Kim Bass, a Realtor with The Group Real Estate Brokerage in Chattanooga. "My husband and I have always been pretty good with the real estate decisions we have made and I think it's very interesting and rewarding to help people find the right home to buy and realize some of the advantages of real estate ownership."
Kim Bass, incoming president of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors, speaks with the Times Free Press at The Group Real Estate Brokerage on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018 in Chattanooga, Tenn.As the 2019 president of Chattanooga Realtors, formerly the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors, Bass is likely to use the skills gained in her previous jobs in examining the changing market, selling the Realtors' policy positions and helping oversee the 2,200-member organization.
"We're coming back to a more balanced market and while our sales are still up for the year, the pendulum is swinging a bit and it may not be quite as much of a buyers' market in the coming months," she says. "Home buyers have been under a lot of stress buying a home given the frenzied pace of the market, leading people to move more quickly and to pay top dollar."
As mortgage rates edge up, the buying frenzy may slow a bit. In such a changing market, Realtors are still key to helping buyers and sellers manage successful sales, Bass says.
"It's up to us to own our profession and tell the story of our profession so people recognize the value of what using a real estate agent brings to the table," she says.
Bass started her real estate career with ReMax Properties and worked there for more than a decade before joining The Group Real Estate firm last year along with Jason Farmer, also another former ReMax broker and former president of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors. She was president of the Women's Council of Realtors in 2015, joined the board of the Chattanooga Realtors in 2014, and has also been a state director for the past two years on the Tennessee Association of Realtors.
"The association is a lot of work, but you get a lot out of it and I love that part," Bass says.