Realtor Kiwana Morrow contains a nearly blinding light. Because her skin is not translucent, this light has found other means of illuminating the people around her: her smile, her cheerful voice, and her effervescent spirit, which charges the air around her. This internal glow is part of what sets her real estate clients at ease during what can be one of the most exciting, but also stressful, processes in life: purchasing a home.
“Buying a house is an important event. It should not be taken lightly. But when clients come to me, I don’t know what’s going on in their lives. Are they struggling with their child’s academics? Are they dealing with a job situation? So as much as they will allow, I develop intimacy with them,” she says, her smile as bright as day.
While Morrow’s sparkling personality helps her to establish a connection with her clients, her comprehensive knowledge of the real estate business inspires confidence in her abilities. Throughout her years in the real estate industry, she’s worked as a closing agent at a title company, a loan closer at a mortgage company and now as a Realtor at Keller Williams. Her experience enables her to walk her clients through each step, calm their fears and give them their best chances for success.
“I believe my experience is part of why I’m here. I can help with the lending process,” she says.
Two fold purpose
Morrow, who works primarily with buyers, says creating trust with a client can be challenging because many people assume sales agents are out only for themselves.
Where Morrow is concerned, nothing could be farther from the truth. For her, real estate is first and foremost about what’s best for them.
“What’s going on in their lives? Where do they want to be? Where are they going to raise their children? It’s my job to make the transition to a new home as easy as possible,” she says.
Tearing up, Morrow says her focus on the needs of others comes from a genuine love for people. “I have experienced pain, and I believe people need someone to care about them. I also want to give others joy. That doesn’t mean I don’t have bad days. There are days when I want to run away and hide–”
On the verge of crying, Morrow stops talking and wipes her eyes. She takes a deep breath, apologizes and then continues.
“Don’t get me wrong: I want to do well financially, but money is not the only thing driving me to do this. People need more love and joy while they are in this world, and I believe I have something there to offer.”
One of the best tests of whether or not a Realtor truly cares for a client comes after the transaction is complete. If the relationship continues, then the agent was doing more than providing lip service.
Morrow passes this test with high marks.
“I sold one of my first homes to a lady who came to an open house. We still meet once a month and have dinner. We’re dear friends,” she says.
In the beginning
Morrow was born in Savannah, Ga., and spent much of her youth in Athens, Tenn. She married her husband, Scott, when she was 16 and he was a couple of years older. Unlike many teenage unions, their marriage had glue, and eight years later, they moved to Chattanooga, where her husband started working as a builder. She took a job as a receptionist at a title company and began climbing the company ladder. Later, she took a job with Community Mortgage.
After working for several years in the title and mortgage businesses, Morrow put her career on pause and spent ten years rearing her two children. When her last bird left the nest three years ago, she began contemplating working again.
Morrow knew she wouldn’t be returning to the mortgage industry, as the guidelines had changed and loans had become hard to get, so she wondered what else she could do.
As a person of faith, Morrow asked God to open the door of His choice.
“I believe the Lord orders our steps. So I said, ‘Lord, I’m here. I want You to use me. I need to make money, but I also want to make a difference.’ I believe if you do your best to make a difference, income will follow,” she says.
Morrow thought back on the thing she had wanted to do since she’d worked at the title company: become a real estate agent. As she interacted with Realtors through her role as a closing agent, she developed a desire to become one of them. However, Morrow could not see how to make a career in real estate work with her present circumstances, so she never followed through on the idea. The notion stayed with her, though, and in time, she started selling the houses her husband built.
Three years ago, Morrow earned her license and went to work at Keller Williams amidst cries of disbelief from people who told her it was “the worst possible time” to go into real estate. Her first year was her best year.
Although sales have slowed since then, Morrow says the most difficult part of her job has been marketing herself. She has such an aversion to selling her services as a Realtor, she primarily relies on referrals. To her way of thinking, she is merely allowing someone else to take care of the marketing.
“This is going to sound out there, but this is how I live my life, so I’m going to say it: We don’t market ourselves; God markets us. And we have witnessed the favor of the Lord in our lives,” she says.
A new chapter begins
The favor to which Morrow refers includes a new position: front desk manager at Keller Williams Downtown. While she enjoys the work, she’s struggling with having structure in her life again after more than ten years of making her own schedule, and she’s still figuring out how to make the strict 8-5 routine work with her also being a Realtor. But she’s confident she’s where she belongs.
“I asked God for guidance, and I believe this is where He wants me to be, so He’s going to help me to do this,” she says.
When Morrow is not behind her desk at Keller Williams, she’s at home knee-deep in gardening or elbow deep in cooking. She also likes traveling with her husband and being with her four grandchildren. Since Scott is building a home for each of their kids three minutes in either direction from their house, Morrow gets ample family time.
The light that shines forth from Morrow is born of faith. To her, being a Realtor is not just a job; it’s also a ministry. Working with buyers provides her with income, but more importantly, it gives her an opportunity to “reach out and love people.”
“I want to help my clients find the right home for them, but I also want to be utilized in a great way. Being a Realtor has been a blessing to me, and I in turn want to be a blessing to others.”