Davis’ passion for real estate as strong as ever

Willodean Davis has been a mainstay of northwest Alabama’s real estate market for almost half a century, but don’t think for one second she’s ready to wind down the career she loves, even at age, well….’80-something.’

Davis continues to operate her real estate business out of her long-time 115 North Jackson Avenue office building. The names and faces of Davis’ staff have changed through the years, but she loves coming into work every day, something that’s not likely to ever change.

Davis’ current team includes office manager Miranda Fite and  Zulay Brooks, a realtor who is fluent in English and Spanish. 

In the real estate industry, today’s technology could be obsolete tomorrow. And the State of Alabama’s ever-changing real estate laws and regulations make staying on top of their trade more challenging than ever for those in the real estate business.

Davis’ experience as a realtor is a catalyst in building trust in the professional relationships she forms with her clients. Fite stays on top of the latest real estate rules and regulations and Brooks, who moved from her native Venezuela in 2015, continues to build a good base of clients, both inside and outside the Latino community.

“With my wonderful staff, I can give more individual attention to people and with the experience God has blessed me with I can use that to better serve our clients. When choosing a realtor, experience matters more than anything else,” Davis said.

Davis Real Estate is set up to represent homebuyers or sellers from other parts of the country, with the ability to handle everything through electronic media. And they do that a lot, often finding properties with clients signing contracts within a day or two.

But there’s something about old school customer service that Davis will always appreciate.

“I like sitting down with a person and writing out a contract while I explain everything,” Davis said. “There’s an impersonal nature to everyone being there electronically but in our world today, things move faster than ever. And because of artificial intelligence and technology improvements, my business isn’t just in Russellville anymore.”

Davis said it’s especially important for out-of-state homebuyers to perform their due diligence on a property they’ve never physically seen. That’s where an experienced realtor can protect her clients by making a contract contingent on a home inspection, survey, pest inspection and title insurance. 

From left: Miranda Fite, Willodean Davis and Zulay Brooks of Davis Real Estate

“When you get all that done for a property, you know we are in good shape and the homebuyer is protected,” Davis said.

Fike regularly records videos of properties being considered by clients, giving them a thorough virtual walkthrough tour. 

“You have that technology at your fingertips at Davis Real Estate and it makes it so much easier to find what you’re looking for in a property,” Fike said. “We’ve seen homes bought an hour after we recorded the video.”

Davis has adapted to provide every technological advancement for her clients. But when it comes to her own personal technology, she finds the new iPhone models difficult to navigate. And she always her business phone in her left pocket, and her personal phone in the right pocket.

“Mrs. Davis will sell houses until the Good Lord calls her home, and then we’ll bury her with her two phones,” Fite said.

To contact Davis Real Estate, call the office at 256-332-9920 or you can reach Davis directly on her ‘old school’ phone at 256-762-5671.