Ep.#119: Lori Fuller, EXP Realty

We sit down with Auburn and Opelika REALTOR Lori Fuller of eXp Realty to talk about what real estate really looks like behind the scenes and why Auburn pulls people back for life. Lori shares her path from marketing and event work into a relationship-driven real estate career built on service, speed, and deep local love. 

• serving Auburn, Opelika, surrounding areas, and Lake Martin 
• building a later-in-life real estate career after years in marketing, sales, and events 
• the myth that real estate is just showing homes and writing contracts 
• legal compliance, ethics rules, and continuing education that shape daily agent work 
• how commission changes and industry shifts affect how deals are handled 
• why buying and selling is emotional, plus managing expectations around budget 
• high demand and low inventory in Auburn, and why urgency matters 
• the hidden work clients never see: inspections, title issues, paperwork, and problem-solving 
• treating clients like family and staying connected long after closing 
• investment properties, game day homes, and why so many people want to move back 
• giving newcomers a better feel for town with tours and Lori’s Locals Loves list 

LoriFullerHomes.com

Instagram: lorifuller_exprealty_auburn

Facebook: auburnrealtorlorifulllerexp

334-559-4940

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Suzanne Hodges.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Welcome and with me today is Laurie Fuller. She is a realtor with EXP Realty in the Auburn, Opalica area. Welcome, Lori.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Hi, thank you for having me on today.

SPEAKER_02 0:24

Well, tell me a little bit about your real estate business here in Auburn and Opalika.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Okay. So I serve Auburn, Opalika, and the surrounding areas, including Lake Martin. I've been a licensed realtor uh for nine years now. And I kind of this is a later in life career. Um it's actually the most rewarding but most stressful career I ever had. Um I'm 56 years old, so I've been around the block a little bit. Um, but I waited in life until my children were a little older because I'm the kind of person that when I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna go all in. And in real estate, you're expected to, you know, work nights and weekends and kind of go all in because you know it's it can be 24-7. So I just didn't want to miss out on my kids' lives, you know, when they were younger. So when my um youngest son, Brady, who's now 23, um started studying for his um learner's permit, I decided to study for my my real estate license. Um and my oldest Brooks, you know, was getting ready to graduate high school and go to college. So I knew that, you know, I had an empty nest coming. And once the kids start driving, you know, they just don't need you as much as they used to. And so um, I just figured it was a great transition and it has been perfect timing for me when my kids wonderful.

From Coca-Cola To Agency Life

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Yeah. Well, so you got into the real estate business later in life. What did you do before?

Baseball Moves And Sales Careers

Auburn Return And Flexible Marketing Work

SPEAKER_01 1:51

So I have a history um of sales marketing, um, social media, event management, event planning. Actually, when I graduated from Auburn in 1991, I'm from Atlanta and I moved back. My my dream job was to work for Coca-Cola in Atlanta. And I was blessed to get that opportunity as a you know, new graduate. So I went right out of Auburn and worked for Coke and had some wonderful experiences. I was on the launch team for the Power Aid drink. Um and then um just did some really cool stuff. We had the Lily Hammer Olympics, uh, Olympic um pen tradings. I don't know if you're familiar with that, but in all the Olympics, they pay trade pins and have Coca-Cola tents and just did some really fun, cool stuff. And then I worked for their I actually left corporate and worked for their Coca-Cola's um PR agency called Conan Wolf in Atlanta. And uh they were my client, which was neat. And then they also had an opportunity to work for other clients. So Hasbro Toy Company was one of my clients, and I got to celebrate G.I. Joe's 50th birthday at FAO Schwartz in New York and um cabbage patch kids. I know I've had some fun things. Cabbage Patch Kids, Xavier Roberts was the creator of Cabbage Patch Kids. I um held his 10th birthday party for the kids at um New York FAO Schwartz, New York as well, and also did some work for Coco, um, sorry, for Courtyard by Marriott. Um, so just some cool stuff. And then my husband started playing professional baseball. He graduated Auburn in '92. So Atlanta was kind of our home base. But then um, then I started kind of moving around with him um after we got married. So then I transitioned into a sales role. Um, but I had a 10-state territory, so I was able to travel with him when we were on the road. And then after that, we he went into college coaching. Um, we moved to Raleigh and I went to work for WQDR um 94.7 FM, which was the big country station up there. And I sold I sold NASCAR, knew nothing about NASCAR, still really don't. Um, other than the fact that I don't love NASCAR, but I love selling it. It just wasn't my thing. I went to one race and I was like, yeah, this is not my thing. I'd rather go to Auburn football game than go to a NASCAR race. But but it was really cool and it was just amazing because they're as passion about NASCAR in North Carolina as we are here about Auburn football. Um, so and then you know, started having babies. Um we moved to Auburn in 2000, and um Mark came back here to coach as the pitching coach at Auburn um University, and so um I had Brooks at the time was a baby, and then I got pregnant with Brady. So I just was blessed to, you know, we made a lot of sacrifices, but I was bound and determined that no matter what I was gonna do, I was gonna try to stay home with my kids. So right, and I just kind of picked up project work. Um I worked for Coach Chisak, um, he and Jonna Chiswick, they started a foundation um in 2011 after we won the national championship, and I was our director. Did some really fun stuff in the community, um, raising money and then giving it back into the community, which was amazing. And then the Auburn University Golf Club um was purchased by Mike Thompson and Will Hearing. Um, and after Coach Chiswick, unfortunately, was let go, um, the foundation kind of just you know fizzled. So AU Club called me and asked if that would help them rebrand it because they had just bought it. And so I rebranded AU Club, which was really fun. And then um, and then I worked for um eight years as the marketing director for Chick-fil-A at Tiger Town. Um, all those jobs allowed me flexibility, absolutely, yeah. And so God just blessed me with you know talents that I could pick up on jobs. Oh, I also worked for Auburn University and the College of Business at Harvard for a while too. So, you know, I kind of just did like freelance project work. And then, like I said, that transitioned me into my kids are getting older and I'm realizing that okay, let's take all of my background and skills and let's transition that into real estate. And so these experiences have actually really all added into my um real estate career, and I think they prepare me for you know being the best realtor I can be because of all the experiences that I've had in the past.

Real Estate Misconceptions And Legal Rules

SPEAKER_02 5:56

Well, that's awesome. And now you're in real estate and you've been in real estate for how long now? Nine years. Nine years. So you have uh been doing this long enough to come across the misconceptions that people have in the when they're buying and selling property. So what are some of the things that you've come across that you like to that you, you know, would like to clear up?

SPEAKER_01 6:17

Well, before I became a realtor, I kind of thought, wow, you know, that's fun. You get to show beautiful homes and um, you know, open doors and write contracts, and you know, it's just it looks like it's really fun and it shouldn't be that hard. Yeah. And then I became a realtor and I was like, wow. There's a lot to it. Well, first of all, the legalities of real estate. I mean, we live under a code of ethics and we live under not only Alabama Association Realtors, but Lee County Association Realtors and National Association Realtors laws and rules and regulations. And there are so many things that people don't realize that we can get fined for and lose our license. Um and so, I mean, you have to be in compliance, you have to be continue education classes are very important because it changes so much. In fact, our industry had a huge change in 2024 with a$50 million lawsuit against National National Session Realtors, which has changed the way we handle commission now. So I just didn't realize all that went into it. And I also didn't realize that when I knew I was 100% commission, but I didn't realize that, and you can go years helping a client before they ever decide to buy property. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Yeah, some people take a time, take their time making decisions, yeah.

Emotional Decisions And Auburn Market Urgency

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Well, and they, you know, change your mind, but real estate is a very emotional decision. It's it's the highest, you know, most high likely the highest investment you're ever gonna make. Yes, it's serious, yeah. And it's very emotional. People fall in love with their home, they don't want to sell their home a lot of times, but they have to because they're moving or lost their job or whatever it is. So it's emotional. There are people emotionally tied to their to their actual home because there's memories. And um, and then you know, a lot of times, and this is true for me, I have really good tastes, but my budget didn't always allow me to be able to buy what I love. Um, so having to, you know, bring people down to reality that you know, listen, I know that you know, you want a five pound square foot house and you want eight bedrooms and four bath, whatever it is, but like your budget is 250,000, you know. So like bringing people into reality and like and our markets are really hard in Auburn, especially.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

It is, yeah, especially now. Yeah.

The Hidden Work Behind Closings

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Well, there's a high demand, low inventory. And because of Auburn University, we're always gonna be that way in in our school systems, and so um, so there's an urgency in real estate that people just don't realize. And so after a few times of um them of them losing out on things because they don't make a decision, then they finally go, Oh, wow, maybe I should listen to my realtor. Okay, I need to make a decision quick because I'm gonna lose again. So um, those are the kind of things I just didn't quite understand. And and also your realtors work really, really hard for you. And you may think, oh, well, she just made, you know, a bunch of money off the sale of this house. But what you don't realize is I may have worked for a hundred clients, I didn't make a penny.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

Right.

Client For Life Relationship Approach

SPEAKER_01 9:15

And I may have not worked for you for, you know, four years, but um, but what I do behind the scenes for you is is a lot. I mean, there's so much paperwork, there's so many um steps and checks and balances that I have to do for you as a seller or a buyer that are extremely time consuming. And I think and I try to make it look easy because I don't want it to be stressful to my clients. So I think they just think, oh wow, she's so easy for her. But what they don't know is what is happening behind the scenes with inspectors, with you know, mold testing and sewer scopes and things that can go wrong, and you know, title issues and all sorts of stuff. And so um that's what I didn't realize. And and I think people, and how do you know unless you're a realtor? You don't know that. Um, but that but but it's a great, I mean, the it's a relationship business, and that's why I love it, and that's why I honestly I feel like I've been successful because I'm a relational realtor. When you become my client, you're my client for life, whether you like it or not. I mean, I'm just gonna sell your house and walk away. I mean, your kids become my children, yeah. Um, I work with a lot of college parents, uh, you know, parents that are living all over the world, and I'm the only person they know on this in this town. So I make sure that their kids have my number. You know, I take them to lunch, I follow up with them. They I've picked people out of pick people up at the hospital, I've picked some of their kids out of jail. I mean, I'm I'm there for you. I'm part of your family now. So that's good. Yeah. So and I tell the kids, listen, if you call me and you need me to come pick you up, Lee County Justice Center, I will, but I will be telling the parents.

unknown 10:52

Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

So um I'll do that a few times, but um, but overall, you know, and and the kids are great. I mean, people love Auburn and um and same for Opalike and Lake Martin.

Investment Properties And Game Day Homes

SPEAKER_02 11:03

I'm not I'm just saying Auburn isn't yes, this is the main is the main city here, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Well, my niche really is working with um investment properties, and um because I'm Auburn alum and Mark and I are at the stage of life where so many of our friends, you know, kids are coming to Auburn, or my some of our friends are starting to retire or want to move back, or they want a game day property here. You know, once once Auburn gets in your blood, it just doesn't leave. And people most people leave Auburn because they have to, because there's not a ton of industry here, back, especially when I was here. You know, pretty much you have to leave sometimes to get a job, but most people leave and spend the rest of their life trying to figure a way to come back.

SPEAKER_02 11:43

They do. It's amazing, Lori. Stories like that all the time. People are trying to get back to Auburn and then finally get back here. It is definitely our area is a place that you do want to settle down, raise your kids, and retire here. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Well, the other interesting thing that happens a lot is that, like, for instance, kids go to college here, you know, and then the parents and the grandparents didn't go to college here, but they fall in love with it. And then the kids graduate and they move to California or wherever for their job, but then the grandparents buy a game day here and retire here, and then their parents and then the kids are like, wait a minute, like I want to live in Auburn. I've got to live in Auburn and California, you know, and then um, and then also sometimes kids kind of freak out about this. But a lot of parents come to college with their kids in Auburn, and that doesn't happen in other places, right? So at first the kids are like, wait a minute, I'm going to Auburn. You can't come here too, you know. But why not? I know. I mean, I probably would have not liked that either when I came here from Atlanta. My mom decided to come to Auburn, but but that the I mean, my my son Brooks went to Auburn and I live a mile and a half from campus and I barely saw him.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

I mean, they're right. I mean, yeah, it is so busy, and the campus is just full of things to do, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

And the kids get so involved over there, and and you know, you don't people don't move here because they want to hover over their children. No, they want to experience our community.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

It's the the lifestyle here, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

We have a lifestyle, and I have you know, a lot of my friends being from Atlanta, they're Georgia graduates. I mean, I have all Alabama graduates, Clemson, and people say to me, Y'all have some kind of orange and blue cult going on over there in Auburn because people don't want to move to Athens, they don't want to move to Baton Rouge, they don't want to move, you know, to Clemson the way that people want to live in Auburn. And so, um, and I love it because so many of my friends are alumni of other colleges and their kids are coming here and it's killing them because they really want them to get a Georgia, but they're coming here because Auburn's just, you know, it's just different.

Selling Auburn’s Lifestyle With Great Tours

SPEAKER_02 13:37

It is, and it is kind of hard to quantify why it's different, but it there certainly is.

Lori’s Locals Loves Resource List

SPEAKER_01 13:42

And if someone's listening here, if it's not an Auburn alumni or been to Auburn yet, and you're considering coming to Auburn, you'll get it once you taste it. You just come here and and let me show you. I give a heck of a tour. In fact, I'm good friends with with our mayor, Ron Anders, who I love. And he was like, People tell me that your tour is like really, really good. And I've lived here my whole life. I'm like, Yeah, because I see it from an outsider perspective. Right. So when people come here, people don't even know why we put toilet paper in trees. And you know, to me, everyone in the world should know why we roll tumors trees, but a lot of people have no clue. In fact, I have a lot of international clients. I'm like, what do you why is a toilet paper in a tree? So I explain that, and like, I just when people come to Auburn, I want them to love it like I do. Yes, and I don't ever want anyone to move here and say, God, I hate living there. I I want to leave. And so I just make sure that I, you know, am intentional about sharing everything. In fact, I have a a list called Lori's Locals Loves. And I created it because first I get a lot of people, I've been here so long, people are always asking me for referrals. And it's honestly easier for me to put together a master spreadsheet and just send you a link than for me to tell you my favorite restaurants or boutiques. So I did that because I was getting asked so much, and then it became, you know, like everyone's, you know, guide to live in here, and people that even live here, not even my clients, use my list. Um and so that's the resource I give for free, you know, to anybody that's even considering looking at Auburn or that has lived here forever or that is new here because I keep in touch and up with the new things.

SPEAKER_02 15:23

Yeah.

Values, Referrals, And How To Reach Her

SPEAKER_01 15:23

Um, if a business goes out of business, then I take them on my list. If there's a new business coming, then I add them. And so I just, you know, I have a good pulse because I've been here so long because I love it so much. I just want to make sure everyone loves it like I do. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

Well, what is one thing you wish people knew about Lori Fuller with EXP Realty, your business here, that they may not realize?

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Well, I mentioned I'm gonna be a you'll be a client for life. Um, and that I take it very personal. Um, uh, like I said, real estate's very emotional um transaction, but I don't see it as a transaction, I see it as it's a relationship, and I'm gonna treat you just like I would if you're my own family, because you do become my family. And I would never sell your property that I wouldn't want to buy myself or that I wouldn't want, I wouldn't let my family or my close friends to buy. I want you to love your property and also years from now, if you have to sell it, then I'd love for you to allow me to do that. So if I sell your property that know it's not good, then you're not gonna want me to sell it and I won't be able to sell it. So um, so I just, you know, I 90% of my business comes from you know, referrals. I'm I'm very blessed that I really don't get out there and spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising other than social media because I've just, you know, my husband and I've been in our market for 30 years and we have, you know, a reputation that people thankfully, you know, prefer business to me. And so a lot of my past clients um refer their friends. And so that's why it's important to know going into relationship with me that you know I don't have to be part of your family if you don't want me to be, but I sure love falling in with your falling in love with your family too. And so um it's just you know, it's about relationships, honestly. And it's also about serving. I mean, I you know, I'm a I'm a Christian and and I, you know, believe that part of the mission um why God has me here is to help other people and serve them. And I see real estate as a wonderful way to be able to do that because, like I mentioned, it is a complicated emotional sale. A lot of times people move here and they don't know a single soul but me. So if you love pickleball or you like to play mahjong or you want to get involved in a small group, or you know, you want to go mountain biking, whatever your interest is, I don't just stop at the sale. I follow up and make sure that you're connected, make sure that you're gonna, you know, also are you happy here? You know, how can I help you make your life better in Auburn? Do you need me to connect you to, you know, whatever your interests are? Then I do that. So just know that I'm here and whether you like it or not, I'm gonna I'm gonna be involved in your family. And if you don't want me to be, that's fine too. But um, but I'm here for you and I just see it as part of my purpose. Real estate is definitely part of my calling and my purpose. It's not, it's not a job.

SPEAKER_02 18:18

It's yeah, yeah. So tell me, how can people find you if they want to do business with you or just become friends? What are some of the best ways to learn more about you?

SPEAKER_01 18:29

So I believe that the links to my social are on the screen. Is that correct? Yes. Okay. Um, happy to reach out to me, you know, directly, of course, um by by phone. I love talking to people. Um happy to text and email as well, but don't ever be afraid to pick up the phone, just call me 334-559-4940. And then um my website is lauriefullerhomes.com. And then um you can also email me through my website or send me a DM through any of my social handles. I'm pretty active on social media. In fact, you'll you'll get to know me and my family really well because my family's part of my team. My husband is my sign guy, and yeah, friends are my sign guys too, and so you'll see my family on social media as well. So when you get me, you get team fuller.

SPEAKER_02 19:22

Absolutely. Well, it has been a real pleasure talking to you, Lori. I appreciate your time with me today. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much. And uh, Roar Eagle.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Auburn. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpauburn.com. That's gnpauburn.com. Or call 334 429 740.