Gayle Bowen

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Gayle Bowen

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One Big, Happy Family

ow do you describe a local real estate legend in just one word? Fulshear and Katy folks paused to ponder the challenge of defining longtime RE/MAX realtor Gayle Bowen in a few syllables. Words like respected, loyal, effective, driven, proactive, and knowledgeable rolled off their tongue, but they could not stop there.

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Friends, business partners, and clients, such as Kevin Motsinger, feel compelled to elaborate.

Kevin says, “The one word I would choose would be family, because we have known Gayle for 30 years and have always trusted her to handle our realty affairs. She not only finds people homes, but she goes far beyond what they ask for.”

For Keri Burdette, executive vice president of Frontier Title, Gayle is best known as the “Queen of Fulbrook.” Notes Keri, “When I met Gayle, I was in awe of what she was accomplishing in the Fulshear market, and particularly the acreage community of Fulbrook. She was transforming this charming town long before many people knew what or where it was.”

A third generation Houstonian, Gayle has found the serene lifestyle and small town charm of

Fulshear easy to promote. “I grew up within the inner loop, so I have a special appreciation for the wide open spaces in far west Houston. The natural beauty throughout this slice of heaven allows me to see homeowners enjoying the oxbow lakes in a kayak or seeing eagles or deer along the hiking trails in Fulbrook.”

Back to the Future

Gayle credits her signature work ethic and entrepreneurial skills to her family role models who led by example. “I learned responsibility in my father’s grocery store business as a child because it was completely up to our family to cover all the bases,” adds Gayle.

After high school she worked for several attorneys and considered going to law school.

Coincidentally, she got a call to work in commercial real estate first. “I learned about the challenges of working in a volatile market firsthand after transitioning to residential real estate during the downturn,” she shares.

Gayle quickly mastered those challenges, evidenced by a stack of awards and certificates that could fill a room. Joining RE/MAX in 1988,

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WRITTEN BY APRIL CANIK, PHOTOGRAPHY BY RHONDA KUYKENDALL

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Gayle has since become a certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, earned hundreds of prestigious awards, and consistently enjoys special recognition in the RE/MAX Hall of Fame as a top producer. Local charities and chambers might also put Gayle in their Hall of Fame for her track record of giving back to the Coastal Conservation Association and other worthy causes. Jokes Gayle, “I am particularly a self-proclaimed pushover at a charity auction!”

In 2018, The Gayle Bowen Team hosted the first annual “Fulbrook Furry Friends Festival” to help raise money for Fulshear’s animal rescue organization, The Petterie. The team is excited to host the second dog-themed family event this year.

Gayle’s team also collaborates with business partners to provide continuing education and special community events. “Gayle has been a long time member of the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce, and we value her active engagement with the Chamber and her contributions to the Katy area’s business community,” adds Chamber Vice President Rick Ellis. She readily supports the Fulshear Chamber as well.

Then and Now

Among the many evolutions within the real estate profession, perhaps the Internet is the most impactful.

“Exceeding expectations is as important now as it was 30 years ago,” says Gayle, “but I don’t tend to drive clients around to see houses anymore since they prefer to meet me there.” Additionally, her buyers appreciate the ability to shorten their list of favorites by previewing homes through virtual tours. Gayle also notes an exponential jump in the price point of homes from when she entered the real estate profession. “If you sold a $100,000 home back then you were, as they say, in high cotton. Nowadays, the parallel would be in the millions.” Additionally, in the early years, she focused almost exclusively on marketing to the public, but now markets to other realtors as well.

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Local residents agree that Gayle Bowen serves the community as an enthusiastic cheerleader for Team Fulshear, as well as The Gayle Bowen Team. History is repeating itself once again, giving Gayle another

generation of clients to serve – her clients’ adult children.

She is also thrilled to add her own daughter, Stephanie Sykes, to The Gayle Bowen Team. “Rather than me, I am thankful to say we,” adds Gayle, “because each person on the team works in tandem with others to deliver results to buyers and sellers in the Katy, Brookshire, and Fulshear areas.” Other team members include Kristin Cady, Sonya Simmons, and Danny Curtis.

Being named to the RE/MAX Top 20 in Texas on a regular basis is one of many testaments to the power of teamwork.

“One piece of wisdom I can pass along,” adds Gayle, “is to keep mixing it up and trying different things in your profession, to avoid burnout and to continue to enjoy what you do. One of my greatest joys is meeting new people and becoming part of their family’s journey in or out of a new home; every person and every property is uniquely different, which makes my job truly rewarding.”

“The Frontier Title escrow team speaks highly of The Gayle Bowen Team, in saying that they are easy to work with and have proven systems, and the can-do attitude Gayle is known for,” adds Keri.

“Gayle Bowen is the most knowledgeable person in the Fulshear area when it comes to real estate,” shares Michael Pelletier of Fairmont Custom Homes. “She has longstanding roots in the community and touches so many lives by helping them find their forever dream home. I’m sure I speak for many in saying I feel fortunate to know her.”

Many local folks consider Gayle Bowen to be a fixture of Fulshear, a cherished compliment she takes to heart.

“It makes me happy to see residents enjoying Fulshear’s natural beauty and that contagious small town charm that we feel whether we are at a parade or in a parking lot. I will always be a cheerleader for Team Fulshear.” d

The Gayle Bowen Team - Sonya, Danny, Gayle, Stephanie, Kristin Photo by Debi Beauregard

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“My grandfather, Frank Azzarello, opened Houston’s first oyster bar and strategically located it in the city’s bustling downtown,” shares Gayle. “The Massa brothers worked for him then, and now have their own seafood restaurant downtown.”

“Seven of the grandest grandkids call me Gaga, ranging from age 1 to 21, and running a close second on my list of loves is my basset mix, Beaux.”

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“Thanks to my daughter’s research on ancestry.com, I recently visited New Orleans where my great grandfather once lived. I am thankful to have a keepsake picture of me with him in front of his original ‘shotgun house.’”