Fort Worth Real Producers - December 2022

MEET THE FT. WORTH REAL PRODUCERS TEAM

Kareen Delos Reyes Administrative Assistant

Jordan Espeseth Co-Owner

Landon Robinson Director of Client Relations

Julie Altemus Executive Director

Lance Dunahoe Co-Owner

Dave Danielson

Mark Fadden Writer

Landon Day

Photographer

Brent Tinsley

Photographer

DISCLAIMER: Any articles included in this publication and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of The N2 Company d/b/a Real Producers but remain solely those of the author(s). The paid advertisements contained within the Real Producers magazine are not endorsed or recommended by The N2 Company or the publisher. Therefore, neither The N2 Company nor the publisher may be held liable or responsible for business practices of these companies. NOTE: When community events take place, photographers may be present to take photos for that event and they may be used in this publication.

you are interested in contributing or nominating REALTORS® for certain stories, please email us at lance.dunahoe@realproducersmag.com.

Missy Kremer

Katherine Fondren

Lanie Schaber

Desiree Roberts

Photographer

Renee Hart Event Planner

PREFERRED PARTNERS

This section has been created to give you easier access when searching for a trusted real estate affiliate. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the businesses sponsoring your magazine. These local businesses are proud to partner with you and make this magazine possible. Please support these businesses and thank them for supporting the REALTOR® community!

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CLIENT AND REFERRAL GIFTS

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FINANCIAL PLANNER

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HOME INSPECTION

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HOME WARRANTY

Tarrant Roofing (817) 554-2196 tarranthws.com

INSURANCE

Liberty Mutual Insurance (817) 898-6187 LibertyMutual.com/Agent/ Tracy-McNeil

LAW FIRM

Harris Cook Law Firm (817) 275-8765 harriscooklaw.com

MORTGAGE LENDING

Cardinal Financial Company, LP (972) 777-5626 (LOAN) TheBryanConnatserTeam.com

Cherry Creek MortgageThe Jefferson Team (817) 602-0348 TheJeffersonTeam.com

MOVING SERVICES

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PHOTOGRAPHY

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PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

American Real PM (469) 620-0114 americanrealpm.com

RESIDENTIAL ROOFING PROCO (817) 975-5948 procoroof.com

ROOFING

Tarrant Roofing (817) 571-7809 TarrantRoofing.com

Texas Direct Roofing & Construction (682) 408-8551 txdroofing.com

TITLE COMPANY

Alamo Title Company - Southlake (817) 896-8686 AlamoDFW.com

Capital Title of Texas (817) 343-5911 CTOT.com

Fair Texas Title (602) 421-6417 fairtexastitle.com

Yellowstone National Title, LLC (817) 473-3332 www.yellowstonetitle.us

WINDOWS & SIDING

Tarrant Windows & Siding (817) 571-7809 TarrantWindows.com

Before I wrote this, I pulled up my December 2021 pub lisher’s note to read what I had written last year about this same time. It was eight days out from the ESPEs, and I talked about how I was letting my mind get the best of me leading up to the event. All sorts of questions and doubts were starting to rise in relation to the event. It was the first time I had thrown an event of that size and caliber. But I reeled myself back and leaned in on my faith, and trusted that the event was going to be a massive success. And guess what? IT WAS!

I am glad I decided to read last year’s publisher’s note because, like last year, I have moments where my mind starts to go down the same old rabbit hole of doubt. Some of the doubts are similar, but most of them are new, with the predominant one being: “Last year was such a great success. ... What if this year isn’t as good?” What if people leave saying, “It was OK … but nothing like last year’s event?”

Isn’t success a funny thing? You think when you “make it” that you will be all good, but then these doubts and insecurities about maintaining the success, and the standard, start to seep in and

overwhelm you. No matter where we are at in life, our minds and flesh find a way to pull us into fear. That is where having continual reminders of our past successes and a strong faith become so very import ant. Namely, the latter.

Many of you know that I have been open about my faith and how Jesus has been working wonders in my life, especially this past year and a half. I have come to realize that all the great things that have happened in my life are because of Him, and I proudly give God all the glory. With Him on my team, I know that He will have his hand on this event, and it will be an incredible evening of deep connection and celebra tion. This I know for certain. We will find out soon!

I hope you enjoyed the ESPEs!

With peace in my heart,

JORDAN ESPESETH Owner

jordan.espeseth@n2co.com

Print media takes a long time, so as I write this month’s publisher’s note, it is Nov. 8 … nine days before the ESPE Awards Gala. As you are reading this, it is likely mid-December — a whole month since the event took place. How did it go? I am dying to know.

Jordan on stage at the 2021 ESPE Awards

WHICH REAL

PRODUCERS

TERRITORY ARE YOU A PART OF?

REAL PRODUCERS IN THE DFW METROPLEX

WHICH REAL PRODUCERS TERRITORY ARE YOU A PART OF?

A Quick Look at the Different DFW Real Producers Markets

Real Producers in the DFW Metroplex

A Quick Look at the Different DFW Real Producers Markets

Real Producers has 100+ franchises nationwide and there are four in DFW alone. In each of these markets, we pull the top 500 agents based off annual residential MLS sales volume. Where your broker address is located will determine which publication is for you. This map shows the territories for each of the four DFW franchises. If you are a top-500 agent in any of these markets, you will be receiving a publication every month and have the possibility of being featured at no cost to you!

Real Producers has 100+ franchises nationwide and there are four in DFW alone. In each of these markets, we pull the top 500 agents based off annual residential MLS sales volume. Where your broker address is located will determine which publication is for you. This map shows the territories for each of the four DFW franchises. If you are a top-500 agent in any of these markets, you will be receiving a publication every month and have the possibility of being featured at no cost to you!

North Dallas Real Producers

North Fort Worth Real Producers

Dallas Real Producers

Fort Worth Real Producers

RACHELLE

COOPER

HER TIME IN THE SUN

When you experience a fresh difference that you didn’t know you were missing, it can make an unexpected impact.

The same thing happened to Rachelle Cooper as she embarked on her real estate career in 2015.

“It may seem like something that is relatively small, but I get to see daylight in this role on a daily basis,” Rachelle explains.

“In so many jobs that I’ve had, I’ve been stuck inside. If I needed to do something, I couldn’t just get in my car and go do it because I was working for someone else. It makes me so happy to be able to be out and about and the fact that my schedule is my own.”

Dedicated Talent

Today, as a team leader and REALTOR® with The Property Shop, Rachelle is definitely enjoying her time in the sun and in the spotlight as a result of her dedicated efforts and talent in the business.

In 2021, Rachelle recorded a breathtak ing year … with 40 transactions as an individual agent.

Rachelle grew up in North Dallas and, in high school, moved to Fort Worth.

“I got pregnant when I was 18 and had a full ride to Texas A&M. I didn’t go. I stayed home and attended community college. During that time, I worked my way through school and raised my daughter. I went on to earn my business degree at TCU in three and a half years, graduating 14th in my class,” Rachelle says.

“My goal was that when my daughter was old enough to be cognizant, she wouldn’t notice that she was different from others and that we didn’t live any different from anyone else.”

Finding Her Path

When she graduated from TCU, she man aged accounts for software developers.

“It was a cool experience working in a casual environment in the hightech startup. Then I got recruited to work with a real estate development company in FW in 2007,” she remem bers. “I wasn’t licensed, but I gained a lot of knowledge. I worked with national retail brands and traveled a lot to meet with retailers trying to figure out what it would take to get them into our town.”

REALTOR® on the rise

Written by: Dave Danielson

Photos by: Landon Day, Daydream Photography

In 2008, as the bottom fell out of the econ omy, Rachelle’s position was one of many that were eliminated.

In time, opportunity met possibility.

As Rachelle remembers, “As I went through the process of selling our house, I was working with my REALTOR®, and I would let her know about things on the forms that I thought were incorrect. She told her bro ker that they needed to interview me. And I was honored when they took me on.”

Wonderful Life Family time is at the heart of life for Rachelle. She treasures time with her hus band, Walt Cooper, who she met at TCU.

Rachelle and Walt look forward to moments with their children — Taylor, Knox, and Gage.

In her free time, Rachelle admits that she continues to be fueled by real estate.

“I am 100% obsessed with this business,” she says.

“We have rentals that we self-manage, including a tiny home community. We also like to camp and travel.”

With her dependable, problem-solving, and resourceful nature, Rachelle Cooper makes an undeniable difference in the lives of those around her.

So, as she enjoys time in the sun, Rachelle takes others along with her — lifting them up — closer to their own dreams.

MAGAZINE CELEBRATION EVENT event recap

September/October 2022

Starting in 2021, Real Producers started doing minimagazine release parties! In attendance for these events, we will have those real estate agents and businesses that were featured in that issue, along with a few non-featured advertising partners.

Last month’s party, like all of our parties, was an absolute blast! At this event, we showcased the September and October 2022 issues. These events are such a fun way to debut the magazine and connect with a smaller group of incredible people.

Photos by: Cruz Acevedo, Flux Media

Congratulations again to Clifton Johnson, April Clements, Lesley Stegmeier, Steven Bradbury and Ann Motheral, Cardinal Financial, Jared Benson, John Teixeira, Jamie Adams, Racheal Brenneman, and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Our team feels very grateful to have had the chance to share your stories and celebrate with you.

We look forward to continuing these smaller celebrations in the months and years ahead!

JEFFERSON

OF CHERRY CREEK MORTGAGE ALDREDGE

FIGURING IT OUT

Jefferson Aldredge has always leaned upon his brains and his faith to tackle any obstacle that might come his way. That philosophy has helped him cultivate a long list of adventures over the years.

“Go figure it out.”

As a kid growing up in Duncanville, Jefferson Aldredge would often hear those words from his dad whenever he approached him with a problem. “I’m always trying to figure out how things work,” he said. “I think my dad saw that in me early and would encourage me to learn how stuff worked rather than coming to my rescue.”

When he was 11 years old, Jefferson had a mini-bike motorcycle that quit working one day. “I told my dad, and he gave me his famous line — ‘figure it out.’ So, I took the engine off the bike, brought it into the house, set it on the kitchen table, and began taking it apart,” he recalled. “I started after school, and by the time my dad got home from work, I had it all in pieces. He got mad that I did it on the kitchen table, but hey, at least I put newspaper

down first!” When Jefferson couldn’t put the pieces back together, his dad told him to figure it out once again.

“So, I sold off the pieces. I didn’t have a motorbike anymore, but at least I got some money for it,” he said.

Growing up in Duncanville, Jefferson played football and was on the swim team. He was also a straight-A student and held down a part-time job in a gym. “The gym owner also owned a roofing company and had sent a bunch of his guys to South Carolina after Hurricane Hugo hit to put new roofs on houses,” Jefferson said. “These guys would come back to town every few weeks and hit the gym. They would go on and on about how much money they were making.” That’s all Jefferson needed to hear.

So, at the tender age of 16, he quit school and headed to South Carolina. But when the roofing repair money dried up, he was back in Duncanville six months later. He took night classes to earn his high school diploma and then enrolled in com munity college. It would take him seven years at five different univer sities — including a brief stint at

the University of Houston, where he didn’t attend even one day of class — but he finally earned a degree in philosophy from UTA.

Besides the great philosophers tug ging on his ear at that time, Jefferson had another big influence on his life.

“I loved the TV show Magnum PI,” he said. “I wanted in on that lifestyle, so I got my PI license when I was 19 years old,” he said. There was just one prob lem — most PIs were either ex-cops or ex-military and had experience. Once again, Jefferson had to figure it out. “I got out the phone book, turned to the PI section, and started calling compa nies one after another down the list,” he said. “No one would hire anyone without experience.” A few days later, one of the guys he talked to called him back and asked him if he had a car and a pair of binoculars. He said yes to both questions, and his private investigator career was born.

Jefferson would spend the next decade as a PI. The lifestyle allowed him to work for several months and then take a couple of months off to travel and experience the world, a desire that was nurtured from a young age by his

rp vetted business spotlight

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Brent Tinsley, Headshot Professional

grandparents. “My grandmother was a schoolteacher, and my grand father had retired early, so they had summers off. They had an Airstream trailer and would pick me up the day after school ended in the spring and then bring me back the day before school started that next fall. Over four summers, we visited 48 states, three Canadian provinces, and several regions in Mexico,” said Jefferson.

He cultivated his travel bug during his PI years by visiting places across the globe, such as south Asia, Norway, and Hawaii, to experience the culture and cross things off his bucket list. “I had always wanted to surf. So as a kid growing up in North Texas before the advent of the internet, the only place I ever saw on TV where people surfed was in Hawaii on the North Shore,” Jefferson said. But when he got to Hawaii’s infamous surf mecca, he quickly realized it was one of the most dangerous places on Earth to surf. “The waves were enormous. Most people had surfed for years before setting foot in the water at North Shore,” he said. But, once again, he was deter mined to figure it out. “I got a job at the local surf shop and told one of the guys there I needed someone

to teach me how to surf. The next morning, he had me meet him at North Shore’s notorious Pipeline break,” Jefferson said. “While my first surfing lesson was a neardeath experience, I was hooked.”

Jefferson’s mantra that, sooner or later, we all can figure things out has propelled his success in several industries. After being a PI, he went to work for a company that invented video mystery shopping, built it up as a national provider to retailers, and then sold it. After all his salespeople went to work in the mortgage business, they told him that he should join them. “I always treat my employees like family, and it definitely paid off,” Jefferson said. “They got me a job with them at the same company. The rest is history.”

In terms of where he sees him self in the future, it seems that Jefferson already has much of that part already figured out but also embraces the uncertainty along with it. He will continue to spend his time with his “Fantastic, incred ible, super-fun and hilarious wife of 25 years … Angie Aldredge,” and his two daughters — his oldest is a fourth-grade teacher and his young est is in college studying education

as well. He will continue to try new things: he’s recently taken up wood working in the shop he built behind his Keller home, and he’s teaching himself how to play the guitar.

“I plan on retiring when I’m around 60 and seeing what Jesus has planned for me next. As business people, we go through this prepa ration to work, and then we get to work for many years serving others and providing for ourselves and our families. Then there needs to be a time when we perform discipleship, where we can pass on our knowl edge in a biblical perspective,” he said. Much to the chagrin of his for mer college professors, he might go teach at a university, help out at his church, or even be a shop teacher.

“Whatever it is, I know that life will always be an adventure,” he said.

“We just need to go live it.”

WHATEVER IT IS, I KNOW THAT LIFE WILL ALWAYS BE AN ADVENTURE. WE JUST NEED TO GO LIVE IT.

Dancing in the Rain

JAYME TAYLOR

Being adaptable has allowed Jayme Taylor to pass life’s tests and emerge with passions she couldn’t have expected.

The writer Vivian Greene, wife of dis tinguished novelist Graham Greene, once said, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” That quote is essentially about adaptability; if you only had one word to sum up Jayme Taylor, that would be it.

From an early age, Taylor realized that she had a passion for serving others. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in sociology from Tarleton State University, she set off to go to law school with plans of becoming a child advocacy lawyer. “While studying for my LSATs, I worked as a case manager for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Johnson

cover story

Written by: Mark Fadden

Photos by: Landon Day, Daydream Photography

County. This nonprofit works closely in con junction with Child Protective Services (CPS) to provide a volunteer and additional oversight and assistance to extreme child abuse and neglect cases,” Taylor said.

The experience allowed her to get an inside look at how the system worked, and she soon realized that as an attorney, she wouldn’t be serving kids in a hands-on role. “My role would have been a more logistical one,” said Taylor. “In many cases, I wouldn’t even meet the kids that I would be fighting for. After much thought, and even after taking my LSAT and getting accepted into law school, I realized that it was not the career path I was meant to take.”

Now that Taylor wasn’t going to law school, she was left with a big “What now?” question looming in her head. One day, she saw an old friend from high school in a hair salon. “He went to OU and told me that he earned his aviation degree and got a job with American Airlines. We started talking about our shared love for traveling, and I hinted

that I might want to get into aviation. He told me two things that sent me on a new path: one, that I should get my pilot’s license because every airline was desperate to hire women pilots. And two, go to work for a private aviation company first where I could earn a trainer certification and get engine time without having to pay for it.”

Soon after their conversation, Taylor went to work for a private aviation company out of Spinks Airport in Burleson, Texas. She performed admin istrative work while taking flight lessons and gaining hours for her private pilot’s license. But life would once again make her flex her adaptabil ity muscles when she and her husband Anthony, a Fort Worth police officer, were given a bit of news. “A month before taking my single engine final flight exam, we found out we were expecting our first child, a little girl. Once I knew I was going to be a mom, a desire to stay close by and available to her and my family daily was my priority. I kept aviation as a hobby and still, to this day, have my private pilot’s license,” said Taylor.

Photo by: Greg Woods Photography

Photo by: Deana

Adamson Chicpea Photography

Photo by: Greg Woods Photography

Taylor comes from a family of educators, and upon her mother’s suggestion that teaching would be the perfect career that would allow her to be around children and also be there for her family, Taylor got her alternative teaching certification and began teaching fourth-grade social studies and reading at Plum Creek Elementary in Joshua, Texas. “I loved it,” she said. “In my second year of teaching, we found out that we were expecting our second child, a boy, Ayden Michael Taylor, into the world in May of 2012.” However, seven days after Ayden was born, Taylor’s world would once again completely change.

“I woke up in a mom panic that my son had not woken up to eat. I woke him, tried to feed him, and could tell he did not feel well. He was grimacing his face, cool to the touch, and just overall looked not like himself. We called the pediatrician, and they were about to open in an hour, and she said to go ahead and just bring him in. On our drive to Fort Worth, Ayden stopped breathing in the car,” said Taylor.

She began performing CPR on him until they got to the doctor’s office, where paramedics transported Ayden to Cook Children’s Hospital. “The ER doctors told us our son’s heart was very ill. They did the best they could but were unable to revive him,” said Taylor. “This day changed our lives in so many ways. As we told our son goodbye and prepared to walk out the Cook Children’s doors to our empty car with an empty car seat, we would bear witness to God’s abundant grace.” Word had spread quickly among their community and what seemed like an endless tribe of friends and family lined the hallways of the

hospital. “We were walked down a hall full of police officers and firefighters from all over the city, friends and family with their heads bowed and tears in their eyes,” Taylor said.

As the days, weeks, and months ticked by, Jayme and Anthony had the task of learning what their new norm would look like without their son. While the passage of time had helped them adapt to this new life, they never forgot the kindness and love they had received during their time of grief. “We often spoke about the outpouring of kindness we had received from those we knew and complete strang ers,” said Taylor. “In a world where so much attention can be focused on the negative, God showed up and made it clear he would work all things for good. We knew one day, we would have to do something to give back to our community. That’s where Ayden’s Acts of Kindness comes from.”

Ayden’s Acts of Kindness is a day full of events to cele brate not only Ayden, but it’s also a chance for people to brighten the day of others in their communities. The event has grown from a day when the Taylors’ friends and family members met at her house with gift cards to hand out to a full-blown annual fundraising event featuring a live band, silent online auction, and live auction to help raise funds for those in need within the com munity on an even bigger scale. “We’ve helped pay for veteran’s electric bills, house payments after job losses due to COVID19, and helped buy flights for a dad to be with his daughter

during cancer treatments so she wouldn’t be alone,” Taylor said. “Last year, we raised over $85,000 to help those within our community.”

As if Taylor didn’t have enough going on, she and Anthony were blessed with the birth of a second son in 2013. And it was during her maternity leave from her teaching job that she once again showed off her ability to adapt. “My husband and I had bought and sold three foreclosures since we had gotten married in 2009. Having been through this process several times, when I reached out to our REALTOR®, she let me know she was retiring and was no longer taking on clients. I was still out on maternity leave, so I thought, ‘You know what? I will go to school and get my license and sell our home and get us into our next adventure,’” said Taylor. Since getting her real estate license, a passion has emerged that Taylor didn’t quite expect. “Helping others while also being able to be present for my family is a dream come true,” she said. “Honestly, without Ayden, I would have never had the cour age to try something new at that point. He taught our family that life is short. We cannot control what happens to us, but we have the power to decide how we react and what we do next!”

For more information on Ayden’s Acts of Kindness, please visit https://aydensacts.com/.

MISSY

STARLING

inspirational agent

You become what you focus on, and your results follow suit.

That’s a lesson that Missy Starling exemplifies every day.

As a trusted real estate guide with Coldwell Banker Realty in Flower Mound, Missy moves forward with a solid focus on service over sales.

“I love helping people. I don’t believe that our job is to be a salesperson. My job is to help people solve a problem,” Missy emphasizes.

“It’s very fulfilling when you are able to be a part of your clients’ lives and help someone who never thought they could achieve that dream and watch them cry happy tears.”

AN EARLY START

Missy earned her real estate license on September 13, 2003. But her story in the industry actually began well before that.

“Before I got into real estate, I had been in the housing industry since I was 17. I was in hotel sales, and I worked with Radisson Suite Hotel in Arlington. That started my career in sales,” she remembers.

“After leaving hotel sales, I went to work at a staffing company. There I was the top staffing consultant …

Written by: Dave Danielson

Photos by: Brent Tinsley, Headshot Professional

and I enjoyed teaching new people how to become leasing agents. I would place the staff in different property management communities.”

GAINING GROUND

In time, Missy joined forces with another team member — starting the first black-owned apartment staffing service in Tarrant County.

“Then my uncle, Alfred, came from Oklahoma. He had his real estate license there,” Missy says. “After seeing the successes I had, he said, ‘You would make an amazing real estate agent. You need to check it out.’

The apartment staffing service closed, and I decided to look into real estate.

Within six weeks, I had my certifi cates, took my test, and started out at Century 21.”

Since then, it’s clear that Missy has been on a professional path that is perfectly suited for her.

In fact, in 2021, she closed 35 trans actions and received the International President’s Circle Award with Coldwell Banker.

REWARDING LIFE

Missy’s life is made much richer by her family, including her oldest daughter, Gabby, who is 23, along with 14-yearold daughter, Richelle; 11-year-old daughter, Cameron; and 4-year-old son, Clinton. Her family drives Missy’s efforts and achievements.

As she says, “I want to lead by example and show they can achieve anything they want. I’m very thankful for my parents who instilled in me tenacity and commitment.”

Missy also credits her parents for giv ing her a solid foundation in life. Her father, Dan Basha, is a retired master ser geant, and her mother, Lovy Basha, has a background in childhood education.

While Missy endured a difficult chapter with a divorce,

she is doing well and moving for ward with positivity.

“The great support from my friends and family has been so important for me,” she says.

In her free time, Missy likes to go to Resurgence Wellness Spa.

“I take care of myself and make sure I’m taking care of my well ness,” Missy says. “King Spa is my reward to myself every week. I get to relax and not stress out about anything. My earliest memory is in Madrid, Spain. I remember feeling the freest without boundaries and limitations there.”

When it comes to giving back, Missy serves as Women’s Council of REALTORS® Texas District Vice President.

“I’m passionate about what we do in our industry and in our real estate community … giving back and serving my clients and also helping, training, and assisting new agents in building their business. To help them build the skills they need to provide the best possible service to their clients is a very rewarding part of mentorship,” Missy emphasizes.

“I’m a big believer in continuous learning. You have to be constantly evolving, because it’s a very fast-paced

Clearly, Missy continues to fulfill the best needs of her clients. In the pro cess, she does it with service over sales.

CAMERON KNOX

JODY JESSICA &JODY JESSICA

BATES

HAVING HORSE SENSE

Knox. “I also worked with the California Construction Trucking Association recruit ing members and writing for their monthly magazine.”

Industry regulation changes in California made Knox start thinking about doing some thing else, and a change in her husband’s career path gave her the green light. “I have always loved real estate. My grandmother was an agent for many years, and my grandfa ther was an architect and, at the time, an ultra-modern-day custom home builder. My husband was in the pipeline industry, and when he got transferred to Texas, I saw it as the natural thing to do to get my real estate license.”

Knox and her husband started out in South Texas before a few more transfers landed them in Weatherford. “I had always wanted to be in Weatherford since showing my paint stallion at the world paint horse show there in 2003,” Knox said. She’s owned horses since she was a young child and has even bred quarter horses, paint horses, and Aztecas for many years. She’s also a certified ani mal therapist and has helped successfully treat paralyzed dogs to the point of being able to walk again.

When it comes to investments, most financial advisors will tell you that being diversified is a good thing. Some stocks, some bonds, maybe some real estate, and even perhaps a little Bitcoin will help your portfolio handle the ups and downs of the financial markets. Jody Cameron Knox and her daughter Jessica Bates have also used that strategy when it comes to perhaps an even larger investment … the one we make in ourselves. “When we lived in California, I worked in the construction industry and owned a water truck service company for 38 years. We were a private contractor, supplying water to the forestry wildland vehicles on the fire line, along with dust control at the fire camps for the U.S. Forest Service and CAL Fire for over 28 years,” said

Knox’s love of animals, and her affinity for horses, was something that her daughter Jessica Bates picked up pretty much from birth. “I grew up on the back of a horse,” Bates said. “As far back as I can remember, I was always on a horse as a child. I would come home from school and go straight out to ride. My

love for riding grew as

ODY CAMERON KNOX and JESSICA BATES are a mother-daughter team in real estate, share a love of horses, and are proprietors of “Cluckingham Palace.” Yup, you heard it right.

power team

Written by: Mark Fadden Photos by: Landon Day, Daydream Photography

I got older and took me on my rodeo journey.”

In high school, Bates was on the volleyball team and was a member of three different rodeo associations. Her ability to ride led to a full rodeo scholarship to McNeese State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in agricul tural business. “After gradu ating college, I worked in the oil field for a few months and then was offered a job selling life insurance and invest ments,” said Bates. “In order to work for that company, I had to get my life insurance license — Series 6, 63, and 26 licenses, as well. I worked for that company for two years and then decided to jump into real estate with my mom to make more money and have more freedom.”

Diversification is also the watchword when it comes to how this mother/daughter team approaches their real estate business. “We can go from show ing tract homes to raw land to lake homes and cattle ranches,” said Knox. “We can give our clients input on what we think could help sell their property. We are upfront and honest and will give all the pros and cons that we can see and then let our clients make their decision.”

Being teammates also provides them with a more comprehensive approach to

their clients’ transactions. “The biggest difference in our business compared to the business of a sin gle agent is that we are basically interchangeable and can both do all of the same things. However, we’ve figured out how to use each other’s strengths to best serve our clients,” Bates said. “For example, I am more tech-savvy, so I am quicker at writing up contracts or researching a question or issue that may arise, whereas my mom is more patient when difficulties occur on a transaction and can keep a client calm and levelheaded if negotiations are not going in their favor or if an unexpected problem pops up.”

Living in Weatherford, which is known as the Cutting Horse Capital of the World, and therefore

attracts people from all over the world that want to buy horse farms, Knox and Bates call upon their life experience with horses to help those clients envision the possibilities. “I love the excitement when we find our client the home they love and picture themselves living in it,” said Knox. “When it involves horse property, we can help give them vision on how they can set up their new equine facilities or improve existing ones. Jessica and I both can envision where to place the barn, arena, turnouts, and pastures. We abso lutely love taking the Can-Am out on large tracts of land with clients and exploring new potential ranches for them!”

Bates and Knox are a team that is in real estate for the long haul. Their shared love of real estate and living the rodeo lifestyle keeps their bond strong. But their love of animals doesn’t just stop with horses. “I have a new fascination with chickens,” Knox said. “My husband Don built me a chicken coop worthy of many wives’ envies. We have chairs out in front of the coop where we sit and dis cuss the happenings of the day and how I want to expand the chicken town. So far, we have Cluckingham Palace and now the new addition of the Cluckingham Courtyard.”

So, is the egg-spectation that Bates will follow her mom’s lead and build a hen-semble of chicken buildings of her own? While we might not know for a while, odds are she won’t just wing it. She will definitely work around the cluck to make it egg-ceptional!

I LOVE THE EXCITEMENT WHEN WE FIND OUR CLIENT THE HOME THEY LOVE AND PICTURE THEMSELVES LIVING IN IT.

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Were you, your broker or the team featured in an issue of Real Producers?

REPRINTS!

What the heck is a reprint? A reprint is a four-page, mag azine-quality-grade paper with your full article and photos featuring you on the COVER of the publication.

WHY DO I NEED THOSE?

• These reprints are a professional marketing tool that can help brand you, your team and/or your business.

• Use on listing appointments.

• Send out to friends and family.

• Send to clients with your holiday greetings.

• Brokers, use as recruiting tools for capturing new talent.

• Use when farming your favorite neighborhood.

WHAT IF I CHANGED COMPANIES OR NEED SOMETHING CORRECTED IN MY ARTICLE?

No worries! We can make any changes needed. We send you a proof, you approve, and they are sent to you via FedEx.

WHO CAN BUY THESE?

The REALTOR® who was featured, the broker or family. Anyone who wants to promote you.

HOW DO I ORDER?

Email Katherine Fondren at katherine.fondren@n2co.com or call 985-518-1991.

ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE

Real Producers magazine started in Indianapolis in 2015 and is now in over 100 markets across the nation and continues to spread rapidly. Real Producers first launched in DFW in August 2018 with North DFW Real Producers (now called “North Dallas”). In May 2019, Dallas Real Producers launched, and then Tarrant Real Producers in March of 2021.

In 2022, Tarrant Real Producers split into two publications, North Fort Worth and Fort Worth Real Producers Fort Worth Real Producers is launching with the August 2022 issue!

Q: WHO RECEIVES Real Producers MAGAZINES?

A: The top 500 real estate agents in each of the four markets in DFW based on their MLS production for the previous year. Refer to the map in this publication for the exact territories. If your broker address is within that given territory and you are in the top 500, you will receive that publication for the year. There are approximately 60,000 licensed real estate agents in DFW. The list will reset at the end of every year and continue to update annually.

Q: WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS MAGAZINE?

A: We believe that we are better together. When we surround ourselves with other successful, like-minded people, we grow to new heights. Real Producers is a platform that brings together the most elite individuals in DFW real estate.

We take the top 500 real estate agents and RP-vetted busi nesses in every market, and we build an exclusive community around that group. We share their stories, successes, market trends, upcoming events — really, anything that will connect, inform and inspire, we put in our monthly publication.

Q: DOES Real Producers HAVE EVENTS?

A: Yes! Each community will have two main events a year, and then we do a combined event at the end of the year, which is an awards gala called The ESPEs. For these events, we invite the top 500 real estate agents and our RP-vetted businesses. Top 500 agents are allowed to invite members on their team as well. These events are an incredible opportunity to connect with the best of the best in DFW real estate. It is amazing to

see the power in the connections made at these events. Be on the lookout for your exclusive invites!

Q: WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR BEING FEATURED IN THIS MAGAZINE?

A: It’s really simple. You have to be on the top 500 list, and we take nominations seriously. You can nominate other real estate agents, businesses, brokers, owners or even yourself! Office lead ers can also nominate real estate agents. We will consider any one brought to our attention who is in the top 500 because we don’t know everyone’s story, so we need your help to learn about them. We cannot guarantee a feature, but we encourage you to meet with one of our team members, support Real Producers and attend our private events to increase your chances.

You can email your nominations to jordan.espeseth@realproducersmag.com.

Q: WHAT DOES IT COST A REAL ESTATE AGENT/ TEAM TO BE FEATURED?

A: Zero, zilch, zippo, nada, nil. It costs nothing, my friends, so nominate away! We are not a pay-to-play model. We share real stories of Real Producers.

Q: WHO ARE THE RP-VETTED BUSINESSES?

A: They are one of the best businesses in DFW in their category, and you can find them listed in our index! We don’t just find these businesses off the street, nor do we work with all businesses that approach us. One of many of the top real estate agents has recommended every single business you see in this publication. We won’t even meet with a business that has not been vetted by one of you and “stamped for approval,” in a sense. Our team will further vet every business to make sure they are a good fit and bring value to our community. Our goal is to create a powerhouse network, not only for the best real estate agents in the area but the best businesses, as well, so we can grow stronger together.

Q: HOW CAN I RECOMMEND A BUSINESS?

A: If you know and want to recommend a business that works with top real estate agents, please email us to let us know at jordan.espeseth@realproducersmag.com.