The Tribune

A realtor has become his company’s top producer just three years after he decided to swap accounting for a career in the industry.

Timothy Smith, an associate with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate MCR Bahamas Group, attributed his success to a four-pronged approach that involves studying the market as if he were going to be tested every day; a round-the-clock work ethic; a dedication to social media outreach; and negotiating every deal for a client as if it were his own money involved.

Having been named Mario Carey Realty’s rookie of the year in 2017, some two years later he took the top producer title at the company that is now part of the Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate franchise.

Mr Carey said Mr Smith, who has accumulated more than $20m in listings, is “a natural, one of those who everyone likes being around. A most valuable player-type in a professional environment, constantly studying and sharing what he discovers, a rare combination that makes him a great team player, and his constant eye on marketing gives him a real edge that is especially admirable in a competitive industry”.

Mr Smith, who grew up in Nassau, earned a degree in accounting from Georgia State University. He worked for a major accounting firm for two years in addition to interning during four college summers, and left the profession to turn to his real passion, real estate. He earned his real estate license in 2015 and joined Mario Carey Realty the following year.

The realtor, who is also an entrepreneur with self-drive truck rental company, E-Z Haul, says his key strength is social media marketing because he does his own. “A lot of people pay for their social media marketing to be done for them,” he says, but spends hours daily updating his.

It is a process and practice that pays off. Among the sales that pushed him to the top of his firm, bested only by the two managing partners, Mario Carey and Tim Rodland, who are excluded from top producer honours, was a five-acre commercial development site on Village Road plus and a property in Ocean Club Estates that had been on the market for more than one year.

“Real estate is a very crowded field with more than 700 licensed BREA (Bahamas Real Estate Association) agents in this country,” said Mr Carey. “When I founded Mario Carey Realty in 2008, I wanted to create a full-service firm with sales, leasing, appraisals, vacation rentals, relocation services, assistance with financing and a multi-lingual team. But, above all, my goal was to identify and nurture a group of young people who would be the future of real estate in this country.

“Tim is not just a team player but one who will create the model for what real estate professionals will be in the future. He is the future of real estate in The Bahamas. I am very proud to announce him as producer of the year.”