Every other week, we’re highlighting — and saying thank you to — members of HAAR leadership and the work they do every day on behalf of our members and their clients. This week, we’re spotlighting Board President Cindi Peters-Tanner.
Cindi is a Realtor with Mary Ellen Peters & Company at Legend Realty. She is married to Jerry, a firefighter with Huntsville Fire and Rescue, and she is a mother of Jocelyn, age 4, and Flynn, age 1. Together, they live in South Huntsville. Cindi currently serves as the President of HAAR, and is on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Realtors, the Alabama Association of Realtors, and the Homebuilders Association. In addition to that, she also serves on the Mayor of Huntsville’s Urban Advisory Council.
Locally, Cindi has worked with several non-profit organizations and is a graduate of Leadership Madison County Connect. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of South Alabama in Mobile. When free time is available, Cindi enjoys putting new skills to use in remodeling her home, landscape design, and gardening.
What inspired you to get into Real Estate?
Like many people in this industry, I joined the family business. My mom (Mary Ellen Peters) had a successful business that I knew from growing up and she invited me to join her. The best part about that path is that I feel like I learned the “right” way to do things. I had a mentor in my mother and all of her colleagues. Everyone was willing to help me since they knew me from my childhood, and now I try to build off of that generosity and help others. My very first job was answering phones at Rise Real Estate on the weekends, which was before cell phones and email, so I did a lot of transferring calls and taking messages. I learned a lot from those Realtors and heard tons of stories while working at that front desk.
What’s the most important piece of advice you would give about your business?
You don’t know what you don’t know. I have heard this from many people and I believe its so true in all aspects of life. Talk to other experienced Realtors about how they handled a situation, inspection, client request, radon report, structural report, or anything else that you can think of. All of us see and hear things differently, and you will be surprised how that conversation can help you and your clients in the future.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing a new agent today?
Competition in a busy market. There is low inventory and that puts pressure on people to try and get a client. Have integrity with your business and people will respect it and come back to you again and again. That unique brand of integrity and professionalism you see in your colleagues in our region is what makes HAAR and our local market one of the best in the nation.