We recently connected with Teresa Cowart and have shared our conversation below.
Teresa, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My grandmother told me as a child, I could be anything or anyone I wanted as long a I worked hard and believed I could. she was right. As she often was. She instilled a strong sense of purpose, confidence and optimism in me that still runs within me and is my guiding force.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Legacy is my theme at this point in my life. basically leaving the world better than I found it. Leaving a footprint that lives beyond me. Making a difference in peoples lives that impact more than me or them and making a significant contribution to the community I live and work in.
Title: Making a Difference in Real Estate
Teresa Cowart was born in Ga and raised all over the world due to her Dad being in the military. Family and roots were Georgia, so as an adult she came home. She has 3 amazing adult daughters, a son in law, 3 adorable grandbabies and lots of extended family.
Teresa Cowart’s journey began in 2003 when she left “Corporate America” to find a better lifestyle for her family. In 2004 she became a licensed Realtor and joined RE/MAX Accent. After a couple of years of working as an individual agent, the growth was overwhelming. Her client base grew quickly and she had to start a team to keep up with the needs of her clients and have time to be a mom as well. Thus in 2009, the Teresa Cowart Team was born.
She now operates a successful full service team of over 25 professional hard working agents and a staff of 12 selling over 700 homes a year. They pride themselves on exceptional customer service and staying up to date with marketing strategies that set them apart from the competition. She is super proud of all they do, but mostly she is proud of their hearts. Culture is number one on the team. You won’t find a more dedicated group of agents that act like family, work hard to make sure clients expectations are exceeded and are dedicated to community involvement.
Many years ago, when she was deciding on a logo, the starfish story kept “showing up” and thus became the mission and the mantra of TCT. Making a Difference in Real Estate. Like that story, she knows that while they won’t work with everyone, they can make a difference in the lives of the ones they do. Relationships and making a difference one person, one family at a time has always been her strongest motivator. She is often heard saying, real estate is not my job, it is a lifestyle, it’s who I am and as natural as the air I breathe. She has been able to incorporate her busy work life and her busy family life and truly enjoys her life, as crazy as it is.
Through the years she has grown her team and added auxiliary businesses (Property Management, Mortgage Company, Staging etc). In 2013 Teresa bought and became a Co Owner of RE/MAX Accent, where it all began. In 2020 she bought Belhaven Acres, an event venue, located in Richmond Hill. The team is able to utilize this facility for functions, it is open to the public for weddings and celebrations, and she donates it as an event space for multiple charities (free) throughout the year. Giving back to the community is a non negotiable to Teresa and she and her team (and her family) make it a priority. She believes to whom much is given, much is expected.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My grandmother used to say I was stubborn as a mule and would argue with a signpost if I thought I was right. She was not wrong. I think sheer determination and grit is the key to my success. I’ve always worked very hard and have been committed to instilling those qualities into my children as well. I’m very transparent and authentic with my family, friends and my team. Everyone knows my “why” and they all know I will work as hard or harder along side them and for them to make all our dreams come true.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
In my late 20s/early 30s.. I moved from fiction to non fiction. I remember reading the Stephen covey books back as a young professional. It was eye opening to hear someone break it down. What I knew intuitively, he spelled out and gave a systematic formula on how to organize and plan the course of my business life and personal life. How to prioritize what needed to be done and by whom.
I an an avid reader and over the years Tony Robbins on motivation (I mean the man gets people so entranced they walk on fire with no pain), Gary Vanderchek on marketing, Dr John Maxwell is my leadership guru , Tom Ferry on Real estate Business and coaching. Books on negotiation, coaching, motivation, living abundantly and giving excessively (both emotionally and professionally). Mostly living a life of JOY and protecting that daily. In fact, I listened to the book “How to UnFuck Your Life” years ago driving home from dropping of my middle daughter at college. I did not have high hopes for it and yet it changed the way I felt about decisions I was making. For everything I said yes to… I was saying no to other things. I weigh invitations and decisions with that equation now. This year, I added if it does not make me money or bring me joy…. I’m likely not to do it
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.teresacowartteam.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teresacowartteam/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeresaCowartTeam/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresacowart/
- Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/TeresaCowartTeam/
Image Credits
None. We created them all in house
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
