Tiffany Harris and Brandi Hawkins of Harris Hawkins & Co: How We Are Helping To Make Housing More Affordable
Business is personal. At least for us. When we opened our doors, we wanted to be everything to everybody and be everywhere. We quickly realized that was impossible and that by having our hand in everything, we were preventing our business from scaling and growing.
In many large cities in the US, there is a crisis caused by a shortage of affordable housing options. This has led to a host of social challenges. In this series called “How We Are Helping To Make Housing More Affordable” we are talking to successful business leaders, real estate leaders, and builders, who share the initiatives they are undertaking to create more affordable housing options in the US.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Tiffany Harris & Braid Hawkins.
Brandi Hawkins is an experienced and highly sought after Maryland-licensed Realtor. As a Baltimore County native, she is particularly versed and in tune with the unique characteristics that Maryland neighborhoods offer. Her continued passion for business and cultivating personal relationships have propelled her to excel as a self-made entrepreneur; Brandi has not only owned and managed a successful business but also began her real estate career early on as a property manager. She has a perceptive and intuitive ear for what her clients truly want and is plugged into the Maryland real estate market and it’s continued redevelopment and growth, tracking new projects and trends. Brandi lives in Baltimore County with her husband and young son, where she has made a home.
Tiffany Harris is the Broker Owner of Harris Hawkins & Co., a boutique Brokerage located in Baltimore, MD. Tiffany has an impressive Property Management background and her extensive knowledge of local market conditions and area development is a testament to her commitment to assist clients in a multitude of Real Estate goals. Tiffany serves as a current member of Maryland Realtors Housing Affordability & Equal Opportunity Committee, Greater Baltimore’s Women’s Council of Realtors, and Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors Housing Affordability Committee in hopes of sharing her knowledge with colleagues, building industry relationships, and making a difference in the affordable housing arena. Tiffany resides in Baltimore City with her husband, son, and shih tzu Cupcake.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Brandi: I was a stay-at-home mom, and one day, I decided that I needed more. I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart, and sales have always been my thing. Real estate has proven to be such a fulfilling career because I could introduce generational wealth to many families and assist real estate agents in growing their businesses.
Tiffany: Initially, I got into real estate for my own personal investments. I wanted to understand the process and contract documents. My very first clients were referred by a high school friend, and after assisting them, I fell in love with the process and was a part of such a major life decision.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Real estate is a series of never-ending, emotional events and occurrences. I don’t know if I can pinpoint one event. Every single day brings new adventures!
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
Success is subjective. We both define success similarly. Success is happiness, peace of mind, and crushing your goals. Whatever they may be. Most people correlate success to money. Money is a great reward for hard work, but doing what you love is the greatest reward.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Brandi: Absolutely! When I was 16, I worked at a consignment shop. One day, a lady named Natalie walked in. She began to tell me that she owned a boutique, and she absolutely loved what she did for a living. I begged my parents to let me work at her boutique. Natalie was young, she looked like me, and she was so savvy. I admired her greatly. I still do.
Tiffany: My grandmother. She was one of the first women in my family to be college-educated and own a home. I am where I am because of her.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table
We face microaggressions and being a black woman at the table. We decided to build our own table and chairs. At Harris Hawkins & Co, we live by “collaboration over competition.” We’ve created an environment that allows our agents and their businesses to thrive. You really can do more together. We’ve debunked the myth that women don’t get along and can’t work together and decided to be the leaders we needed when we started this business.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You get out of it, what you put into it.” Real estate is a self-starting business; no one is going to wake you up every morning. Wake up, start and keep going!
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the shortage of affordable housing. Lack of affordable housing has been a problem for a long time in the United States. But it seems that it has gotten a lot worse over the past five years, particularly in the large cities. I know this is a huge topic, but for the benefit of our readers can you briefly explain to our readers what brought us to this place? Where did this crisis come from?
Supply and demand.
Can you describe to our readers how your work is making an impact to address this crisis? Can you share some of the initiatives you are leading to help correct this issue?
Tiffany: Affordable housing is very near and dear to my heart. I was previously employed with the Howard County housing authority as an asset manager. Essentially, my responsibilities included locating and managing the county’s portfolio, ensuring that units were in compliance with fair housing laws and regulations, and ensuring that the condition of the homes was immaculate. As a full-time real estate broker, I sit on several boards and committees to contribute and tackle fair housing issues from a legislative perspective. I am in those rooms to be a voice for the voiceless.
Can you share something about your work that makes you most proud? Is there a particular story or incident that you found most uplifting?
Offering a high level of customer service while assisting clients in meeting their real estate goals. The joy and sense of accomplishment that clients feel on settlement day is such a pleasantry. From the moment clients walk into our doors, whether purchasing a $100,000 house or a $1,000,000 house, each client receives a true experience.
In your opinion, what should other home builders do to further address these problems?
This is a conversation that we often find ourselves having. There is federal funding available to developers. If you are coming into an area to improve it, many governments are willing to grant funds to redevelop neighborhoods. Sometimes, the answer is rebuilding neighborhoods, not always building from the ground up.
Can you share three things that the community and society can do to help you address the root of this crisis? Can you give some examples?
Getting on and staying involved with local and national boards and committees. Contributing to legislative votes and laws. Speaking up.
If you had the power to influence legislation, are there laws which you would like to see introduced that might help you in your work?
We will continue to fight for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion until fair housing and affordable housing are for all.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started leading my company” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
Hire people to do the things that you don’t want to do or cannot do.
Business is personal. At least for us. When we opened our doors, we wanted to be everything to everybody and be everywhere. We quickly realized that was impossible and that by having our hand in everything, we were preventing our business from scaling and growing.
Hiring our Client Concierge has been the absolute best decision we could have made. I only wish we would have done it sooner.
Hire a bookkeeper. Everyone doesn’t learn the same way. It’ll all pay off.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Raising children that don’t have to recover from their childhoods. Let’s normalize ending childhood trauma.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Tiffany: Jay-Z. He’s a total “Business… man!” just to be in the room with such a mogul.
Brandi: Michelle Obama. She is the epitome of grace.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
