News Article

Realtor of the Year 2003
The Courier Tribune
December 21, 2003

The 2003 Realtor of the Year in Randolph County is Linda Brantley, broker/co-owner of Garris-Brantley Properties, Inc. since 2000. The award was presented by fellow Realtor Carol Gilliam on Dec. 6 at Asheboro Country Club at the Asheboro-Randolph Board of Realtor's annual Christmas dinner.

"I had no idea I was going to receive such an honor," said Brantley. "In fact, I almost didn't make it to the dinner because I didn't have a baby sitter." Fortunately, a sitter was found a the last minute. That gave Brantley the opportunity to make the dinner and receive her award. During the presentation, where the name of the recipient wasn't revealed until the last minute, Brantley said she found herself looking around trying to determine who all the accolades were for: "Carol had more to say about me than I could have thought of myself", she said with a laugh.

Some of those accolades include Brantley's professionalism, her dedication to the board and her customers and her reputation as someone who is easy to work with. Winning Realtor of the Year is a culmination of a career that began in 1988 and is still going strong. Brantley said she started out working in a construction office that also dealt in real estate. Upon receiving her license, se worked with another Asheboro real estate firm for roughly 11 years, doing mostly office work. In 2000, she decided to step out on her own.

In 2000, Garris-Brantley Properties, Inc. was started as an expansion of Garris-Brantley Design Construction - located at 904 S. Cox St., Asheboro, N.C. Garris-Brantley Design Construction is where Brantley's husband, Pat, works as a general contractor. Together the couple have three children, Daniel, Christopher and Angela.

Brantley spread her time out, not only managing her own realty service that deals with property management and residential sales, but in service on the board of directors for the Asheboro-Randolph Board of Realtors. It's a position she's held since 2001. Somehow she manages to find time to volunteer at Donna Lee Loflin Elementary School in Asheboro and work with her husband on local Habitat for Humanity projects. But most of all, Brantley said she has always been and continues to be fascinated with the real estate industry. In recent years, she said it has been especially rewarding to help many people make the move to homeownership for the first time. "I get the biggest reward from that. If you take the time to work with them, make sure they are getting what they need and want, first time home buyers are so happy with their purchase," she said. "I think even more than someone who has bought and sold a lot."

It's a changing business, Brantley said, one that keeps her on her toes, with plenty of continuing education necessary to stay abreast of evolving laws, regulations and the business climate. Brantley said owning her own business has given her the opportunity to focus as she never has in the past. "One thing about it. I can honestly say I've never had two days that are the same or that are ever boring."

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