Celebrating 20 years of business with Trademark Real Estate hasn’t been enough for the company’s principal broker and owner, who said she’s not planning to retire anytime soon.
At 72 years old, Lorna Nobles began her career as a secretary for a real estate office. After about three years, she decided to obtain her real estate license.
“It was really different back then because it was a man-dominated field back almost 50 years ago,” she said. “So, I was the secretary, so I did that for three years, but got lots of knowledge of the real estate business, and then I decided that I’d like to get my real estate license. I thought ‘If these men can do it, I can do it, too.'”
At that time, she was one of only three women in that business, and she was the youngest, in her early 20s, she said.
Becoming an agent still wasn’t as far as she would go, though. About 20 years ago, she decided to open her own business, in August 2002.
With nine people willing to follow her, she established Trademark Real Estate. After about three years, the company had outgrown its building and moved to its current location at 4262 Central Ave., Suite D, where a reception was held Thursday evening to celebrate the anniversary.
“Never expected to outgrow it that fast, but we did,” Nobles said. “I’ve had lots and lots of wonderful people that have been with me through the years.”
Over the years, as she faced fewer struggles because of her gender, a new obstacle arose: technology.
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“With computers and phones, it’s totally different than it was 40 or 50 years ago,” she said.
A big part of the job of a real estate agent before the surge in technology included knowledge of the properties and being able to relay that knowledge to the potential buyer. Now, however, the potential buyer most likely already knows plenty about the property thanks to the internet, she said.
“Now they already know about the property before they’ve ever made the call, so you have to figure out the best way to actually keep those people with you.
“For many years, I was hitting the dirt like everybody else. I was doing all the stuff you had to do — talking to people, knocking on doors, showing property. But now, as a broker/owner, it’s a little bit different. I manage these people in here, I manage the problems.”
An example of the changes that can come after some time includes Nobles’ memories of driving potential clients to properties in her personal vehicle.
“You used to put these people in your car, and you’d have them in your car for three days until they find the right property,” she said. “And now, most agents meet their clients at the property.”
Out of the original nine employees, only one is still with Trademark, she said. The company has worked with many employees through the years, including Nobles’ daughter, Laurie Rushing. Originally, she attended college with a major in industrial engineering, she said. But, she realized what she really wanted was to follow in her mother’s footsteps.
“I went through almost four years of engineering and decided my last semester that this wasn’t for me and that I think I really wanted to go into real estate,” Rushing said.
“Even though I was young and it’s an expensive job for a young person starting out, I thought, ‘Well I can manage this and make it work for me.’ And I’ve made it work, so it’s good.”
Rushing first got involved in real estate in 1993 at 23 years old. In 2002, when Nobles opened Trademark Real Estate, Rushing joined her as an executive broker until she was elected to the Arkansas Legislature. Now, she is the principal broker of Trademark’s branch in Hot Springs Village.
“She was real significant at the very beginning, helping me,” Nobles said.
Nobles credits her success to the people around her.
“It’s all about the people,” she said. “I’m a people person. I would not be this successful if it wasn’t for my agents. I mean, they make me successful. They make me look good.”
Trademark Real Estate’s address is 4262 Central Ave. #D. – Photo by Courtney Edwards of The Sentinel-Record
Lorna Nobles discusses starting Trademark Real Estate and celebrating the 20th anniversary. – Photo by Courtney Edwards of The Sentinel-Record
