Donace Dillon did a lot of different things before she found the one thing she loves to do: real estate. But being a Realtor has been more than a job for her; it’s been an agent of change in her life.
Before earning her real estate license in 1997, Dillon had worked as a janitor, done a stint in a factory, and spent years in secretarial positions. When her last employer told her she’d gone as far as she could at the company - that they would be unable to give her another raise or promotion - she decided a change was in order.
“I was driven. I would work until 7 or 8 o’clock at night. I didn’t take breaks. And I couldn’t leave work undone. When my boss said he couldn’t bump me up anymore, I decided to try something else,” Dillon says.
Dillon had friends in real estate. The idea of buying and selling homes appealed to her.
“It looked fun. It looked energetic. And there was the potential for me to have a good income. I also liked the idea of having the freedom to make my own choices,” she says.
Dillon tried to continue to work in administrative positions while doing real estate on the side, but realized she was not getting out of the rut she had been in, so she quit doing secretarial work for good and began focusing on real estate full time.
She’s done well ever since, and today, she’s the managing broker at Bridge City Realty, a boutique real estate firm located on Frazier Avenue.
“I love our location,” she says. “We’re Bridge City Realty, and we’re located at the end of the walking bridge!”
Dillon certainly appears to have the enthusiasm required to maintain the brisk pace of a career in real estate. Her energy reserves serve her well, as she oversees the work of 17 agents in addition to listing and selling homes - apparently without breaking a sweat.
Like many Realtors, she says she enjoys working with clients and loves helping them to find the right home in the right place at the right price. But she doesn’t think of herself a salesperson; rather, she considers herself a caretaker.
“When a buyer walks into a house, they’ll know whether or not they want it,” she says. “And if they don’t want it, there’s nothing I can do or say to make them buy it. My job is to facilitate the biggest purchase of their lives.”
She’s more direct with her agents. “I tell them you have to list to last. Some people are effective buyers agents, but I believe listings make your phone ring,” she says.
Dillon, who prefers taking on seasoned agents, is clearly an optimistic businesswoman, but she refuses to candy coat her line of work. “Real estate is a great business. You can make it what you want it to be. But you’ll have to work hard. Some people get into it thinking it will be easy money, but that’s not the case,” she says.
Sitting at her desk in her office, Dillon looks at home. She appreciates owning her own business but also being a part of a larger work family. Having a place at Bridge City feels good because she’s spent most of her life in transition.
Dillon’s father is a minister who moved a lot when she was growing up. She attended 11 schools in 12 years and then moved from Virginia to Cleveland, Tenn., when she married “too young.” Dillon and her husband at the time had two daughters, her only children.
Today, she’s married to Andy Dillon, the owner of Bud’s Sports Bar on Brainerd Road. Her daughters have provided her with three grandchildren, the youngest of which keeps her busy when she’s not working. When Dillon has a few minutes to relax, she indulges her inner computer nerd.
“I’m always at the computer,” she says, laughing. “I’m either working, or looking stuff up, or reading something. I drive people crazy with emails. If I find an article I find interesting, I think everyone will love to read it.”
Dillon likes animals even more than computers, and enjoys taking care of her three dogs and one cat. “I would take in every dog if I could, but I know I can’t,” she says, feigning a frown.
Dillon says she was once shy and withdrawn. Many of her previous jobs involved her sitting alone at a desk, working for one person. But real estate has changed her. She’s now an affable, outgoing presence whose liveliness is infectious. Those who knew her before would barely recognize her now.
“I’ve changed so much since I got into real estate. At first, I couldn’t speak to anyone. I was shy and scared to death,” she says. “Now my kids tell me I don’t shut up. Real estate brought me out of my shell.”