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Good Neighbor Podcast: Auburn and Opelika
With her genuinely good heart and a wealth of experience behind her, Susannah works to connect local business and non-profit leaders to their neighbors. In a community like ours in which so many have invested their lives, there are fantastic stories all around us that motivate and inspire, often right next door. She hopes to share some of those here, on the Good Neighbor Podcast. Book an interview today at GNPAuburn.com
Good Neighbor Podcast: Auburn and Opelika
Ep. # 72: The GAORA Realtist Movement: Equity in Housing
Zandra Davis, founding president of the Greater Auburn Opelika Realtist Association, discusses her mission to increase Black homeownership, close the racial wealth gap, and create opportunities for real estate professionals to thrive. She shares her personal journey from Auburn native to real estate advocate, including overcoming a life-threatening cancer diagnosis that transformed her outlook on life and business.
• GAORA is part of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), with over 110 boards nationwide
• Realtists go beyond closing deals to educate clients about financial literacy, wills, trusts, and estate planning
• The Association welcomes all real estate professionals who believe in equity and fair housing
• Zandra operates Phoenix Real Estate Firm LLC providing "full service real estate with purpose"
• Auburn-Opelika community has shown remarkable resilience even during market downturns
• Zandra balances her real estate work with crisis therapy, singing, dancing, and travel
• Despite being given hours to live during her cancer battle 15 years ago, she survived to continue her mission
Connect with GAORA through email at greaterauburnopelikarealtist@gmail.com or on Instagram at NAREB_GAORA.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Susanna Hodges.
Speaker 2:Welcome With me today is Zandra Davis. She's the founding president of the Greater Auburn Opelika Realtist Association. Welcome, zandra, thank you. It's a pleasure Tell us a little bit about, well, really, what is the Greater Auburn Opelika Realtest Association? Kind of give us an overview of what you guys do.
Speaker 3:Okay, thank you for the opportunity to share. I proudly serve as the founding president of the Greater Auburn Opelika Realtest Association, and also the acronym is GORA and it's a local board of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, which is NARAB N-A-R-E-B. We are part of Region 6, which covers Alabama, georgia and Florida, but we're just one of the regions and within this region in the state of of Alabama, we have five different boards, which range from Huntsville, birmingham, montgomery, mobile and now the Auburn-Opelika area. We are probably among over 110 boards nationwide. Under the dynamic leadership of Dr Courtney Johnson Rose, our national president, our mission is grounded in the fight for democracy and housing, with a clear focus on increasing Black homeownership, closing the racial wealth gap and creating opportunities for real estate professionals to thrive. Through education, advocacy, community engagement and economic empowerment, we equip our members with the tools to succeed in today's market while staying rooted in service.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, tell me, what does this association mean to the, you know average person looking for a home or someone trying to sell their home? What does this, this Association, mean for that person?
Speaker 3:what those Association would it stand is what it is is the real test. If you have someone that, if you want someone that knows and knowledgeable as any other realtor, and how we distinguish the difference between us and a realtor. We're realtists and so what it is is we just work in. There's some people that may be a little leery and want someone to advocate for them if they have been unfair housing or what have you, and they just want to be represented by someone that is going to have a wealth of knowledge and education in the real estate industry, but it's going to advocate on their behalf. So we help everyone, but we also educate and help with financial literacy and everything. So it's not just about getting the home, it's helping them stay in their homes.
Speaker 2:Okay. Well, that is definitely a service that's much needed today, but I want to learn a little bit more about you, Zandra. What led you to found you're the founding president of the Auburn Opelika Association? What led you to create this in our area?
Speaker 3:Because our community needs it. It really needs it. To be fair, I am what you would call an Auburnite. I was born and raised in Auburn. I'm from Auburn, alabama, graduated from the local Auburn High School back in 1990. Unless you do the math on my age and I did 23 years at Auburn University, I worked as an admin there and I also taught incoming freshmen and one thing about it and I've been in real estate almost 20 years and I own my own local real estate board. I mean firm, excuse me, but the thing is I'm just oh what I always say a country girl from Wrights Mill Road, from Auburn, alabama, and I have strong connections with the community. I have strong connections with the community.
Speaker 3:I entered into real estate to be a change agent, to guide individuals and families and investors through one of the most significant decisions of their lives. I currently serve as the broker owner of Phoenix Real Estate Firm LLC in Opelika, which is a full service real estate service with purpose. But starting with Gore was a divine assignment. I saw the need for intentional leadership and inclusive, to be inclusive in the action in our region. So I created a space. We created a space where local professionals could grow their business, elevate their voices and uplift our communities together Because, believe it or not, there are things that are not fair in the housing industry and discriminatory things that happen and they need somebody that's going to be there and advocate for them.
Speaker 2:Yes, especially someone that's knowledgeable about the industry and can you know, you know, guide people into, you know what's right and what isn't right. Actually, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and there's so many people there too. We also have a program where we what to do with Big Mama's House. So knowledge is power. You got a lot of people that sell their interests in their land and their estates and their family land and stuff, and they do it because they don't have that knowledge base. They need someone there that'll represent them, help them, give them um, all the ins and outs, the pros and cons you know, and to also um, and when we sell and close deals, that's not the end of it.
Speaker 3:We them about will and trust and stuff like that and setting yourself up to make sure that your family is left well off or everything is handled appropriately, because some people just think a will is enough and it's not so. It's about education, educating our people, everybody, our community, and there's so many people they're ready buyers that they don't have somebody, some people I won't say all people, but there's some people that they don't look about trying to educate their clients.
Speaker 2:They just want that deal. They want to get the deal done.
Speaker 3:It's bigger than that. I think I heard somebody said I'm not the agent to cash a check, and on to the next. That's not me, I advocate, and so I don't care who you are, where you're from, I'll advocate for you. And, funny enough, I just realized a few years back that the meaning of my name, I think in Hebrew or Greek, I think it's the fender of mankind. So I've been doing this all my life, you know.
Speaker 2:I love it Very cool. So you know you have. You're helping people that that you know? Obviously not, we're all don't know the ins and out of real estate. So you're helping people with that. But have you come across any kind of misconceptions that people have in the real estate industry that you would like to clear up or that you've come across often in when you're helping other people?
Speaker 3:Yes, and it kind of piggybacks off of what I said a moment ago. Yes, and it kind of piggybacks off of what I said a moment ago. Yes, the common myth is that all real estate professionals operate the same, but that's far from the truth. Narab was built to create access, ownership and opportunity where there was none, and that mission continues through boards like GORA and so many more that we have. Another misconception is that our board is just for agents. Gora is inclusive and welcomes brokers, realtors, inspectors, appraisers, attorney, title agents, lenders, investors, credit professional developers and so much more.
Speaker 3:If you're connected in the real estate and believe in equity, access and education, we have a seat for you, and if you can adhere to the mission. The thing is, if you know and you see what our mission is about and you know that there has been discrimination and unfair housing, however that may fall. If you can't see that, however that may fall, if you can't see that, then you're part of the problem, right? Yeah, so we? We just just being acknowledging it, and for what it is, but we can all work together. That's it. We just want everybody to have a level playing field absolutely yes.
Speaker 2:So let's turn back around to you for a few minutes. So you've got. You've got a career here in real estate, but what do you do when you're not working and when you're not helping people with their real estate and purchasing homes and what have you? What do you do for fun, when I'm not advocating?
Speaker 3:organizing or empowering others in real estate. I absolutely love to sing dance and travel.
Speaker 3:Dance and travel. Those are my outlets, my joy, whether it is gospel melody or to a good two-step music and movement, you know, keep me grounded and connected to the beauty of life. I believe in balance and I'm also thankful for those moments of rest and rhythm that refuel me for the work ahead. And to add, you know, when I'm not doing that at night, I work as a crisis therapist. I'm a mental health crisis therapist with Integra I. You know, I am a mental health crisis therapist. I give back. I'm always giving back.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. You sound like you absolutely are a person that gives back. So'm always giving back. In your career, have you had any kinds of hardship whether it's been business or personal that you overcame? That made you a better person or a stronger person and your business stronger?
Speaker 3:Yes, One of the greatest challenges I faced was a life-threatening cancer diagnosis, and that was like 15 years ago. At one point I was given hours to live up at UAB, like three and a half to four hours, but the grace of God I survived, and that moment reshaped my entire outlook. It birthed resilience, focus and faith at a level that I didn't know I ever had. I'm also a mother of three daughters. I'm also a mother of three daughters, a set of twins and then my youngest, but they are now 30 and she's 22. But at the time the twins were in ninth grade and they're eight years older than her.
Speaker 3:So I had every challenge since then, whether personal or professional. It's only made me stronger. Professional, it's only made me, um, stronger. I stand today not just as a survivor, but I am walking as a testimony that purpose can rise from pain. Yeah, so, um, that was I think that was the biggest object divorce and everything else. But you know, you just have to stay grounded in your faith and I there's so many people. So you know, being a therapist it's therapeutic for me, and there's so many people. So you know, being a therapist is therapeutic for me because there's so many people that come in and they see you and they think, because you're on this side of the table, you've never experienced certain things. But I have.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm very transparent with that. So I love doing that and giving back and helping others. But yeah, the cancer was the biggest thing. That that that was the biggest thing, because when you're not in control of your life and the clock is ticking, yeah, your health is so important, absolutely, I have ridiculous faith so yeah, I believe in everything that I do. I stand on it 100 percent.
Speaker 2:I do. I stand on it 100%. Well, moving back to the Realtors Association, what's one thing you wish people knew about the Realtors Association?
Speaker 3:that they may not realize. I wish more people knew that GORA is a business building, advocacy driven, community centered board. We don't just exist for titles or meetings. We help real estate professionals elevate their businesses through ongoing education and professional development and leadership training. We teach our members how to advocate for their clients, close deals, scale up and represent our communities with excellence. At the same time, our advocacy work ensures that policies affecting housing, zoning, lending and development include us at the table. We are shaping the future of real estate while leaving a legacy behind. And I must say this one thing that I am very proud of, proud of Most can't say it I'm proud to be in Auburn and Opelika. We used to be rivals when I was a 1990 baby Auburn, opelika. It was like oil and water.
Speaker 2:But we come together and we love. We're a loving community.
Speaker 3:Absolutely I agree and we stand together and I stand by that and I love that about our community. And when people, sometimes investors, come in from all over New Jersey, wherever they're from, they're just like well, you know, I want to get this property. But I tell them I said, y'all get so confused about the South.
Speaker 2:Yes, we do.
Speaker 3:We're here in a bubble and we have withstood sometimes the crash and they were looking like you mean, y'all got property. Yes, we are resilient. We are wonderful communities that are meshed together and I'm so proud of what we have. That's why, however, we can benefit and help and make it even more inclusive, and you know, a great place to live for everyone. That's all I care about. That's it.
Speaker 2:I agree. Well, how can someone get in touch with you, Whether they are, you know, in the business and want to be a part of the association or they need some help? What's the best way to reach the association?
Speaker 3:Okay, we welcome anyone who wants to learn more, grow and make a difference. Whether you're a seasoned real estate professional or someone just starting out, you belong here. So again, my name is Zandra R Davis, madam President of the Greater Auburn Opelika Realtors Association. At gmailcom Our website is in the middle of being redone and revamped. Book as well. At the Greater Auburn Opelika Realtors Association and also on Instagram. At NARAB, underscore GORA, g-a-r excuse me, g-a-o-r-a.
Speaker 2:Okay, all right. Well, it's been a pleasure learning about you, zandra, and the Realtors Association. I really appreciate you being on the show today.
Speaker 3:You're most welcome and I thank you for the opportunity. And just remember, we're not just a board, we're a movement and we're thankful for I'm thankful for my NARAB family and tribe that continues to inspire, support and lead with love and purpose. And just remember, we always say greater is coming, but I want people to also know greater is already here.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Sandra.
Speaker 3:Bye.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, auburn. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpauburncom. That's gnpauburncom, or call 334-429-7404.