Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Heck
Hi Morgan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born on a horse farm in Lexington, KY but moved to East TN as an infant. So I’m a true Tennessee girl. My mother spent most of her time taking care of my younger brother due to his severe autism and focusing on anything she could to help in his development; therefore I lived with my grandparents full time so it was easier on her.
When I was 18, I started my own family with the birth of my first child and marriage quickly followed. By the time I was 21, I had two children and lived overseas because their father had enlisted in the Army, and we were stationed in Germany.
Living in Germany, away from all my friends and family taught me how to make family wherever I went. I made my home into the central hub for home cooked meals, holidays, and “family” game nights for all of those who missed their own homes and that sense of normalcy one could find in civilian life.
After 3 years it was time to move again. This time it was to Fort Carson, CO.
Colorado was beautiful, but my stay only lasted a short time. Less than a year later, I found myself and my young boys back home in Knoxville embarking on a new life as the Three Musketeers!
That year marked many changes for me as I was a newly single mom who started college full time whilst also having to work full time and find a balance to spend as much time focused on my kids as possible. However, 3 days before Christmas that same year I received a phone call while at work that my mother was gone. She had been shot and killed at an atm while getting some money for last minute Christmas shopping. Due to this, at the age of 25, not only was I a single mother of two but now my grandmother and I were to share conservatorship of my brother and focus on his care as well.
Over the next 6 years we all adjusted to life as we must, but then it was time to add to the family. I got remarried to a wonderful man, and he came with 3 beautiful girls of his own. A couple years passed, and we had definitely outgrown the 2 bedroom condo we lived in! So in 2020 we bought our first home. At this point, I was 34 and FINALLY a home owner!!
Throughout this whole time, I had been working for a company that was subcontracted by ORNL for a chemical security contract. I enjoyed my job and in 12 years had moved up in ranks to become a supervisor, but then came another twist to our story.
Through a long time friend, I came to learn about a baby girl who had just been born to less than ideal circumstances. I asked what was going to happen with the baby, and I was told that she would be placed in foster care directly out of the hospital. I stared at my friend in silence, and she then stated “I thought about you and your husband too.”
I stepped out into the hallway and called my husband to tell him of the situation I had just learned of, to which he replied “Let’s do it”! Two days later we were filing papers for custody of the baby, and six weeks later she came to live with us.
Our family was so excited to have this baby girl as a part of our family, but the twists kept coming! Two weeks after our baby girl came to live with us we learned we were PREGNANT!! Our baby girl was now going to have a baby brother and at only 10 months apart, they are Irish Twins!
Now having two new infants, it no longer made sense for me to continue working with the crazy price of daycare! So I left my job of 12 years to be a full time, stay at home mom. It was wonderful at first, but I missed working and helping contribute to the household (with now 7 kids)! That’s when I was introduced to the idea of real estate by a long time friend who had been in the business a few years herself. “You have the perfect personality for it” were her exact words.
So I began taking classes online while the twins were napping or after they went to bed at night. It took a bit longer than it would for most, but I finished and passed my exams on the first try!
I joined with a brokerage that not only is number one in the state, but that made me feel like one of the family, Realty Executives Associates. I keep being told that I’ve done very well as a new agent. I’m now 8 months in and have closed 5 separate transactions, while still having a couple clients currently. The best part though, is that I get to do what I love which is working with people, people that I get to care about and fight for all the while being able to make my own hours and be with my family!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think many people in this life have a smooth road, and I am definitely no different. Everyone has challenges, but the way I see it is that you have two choices. You can either embrace the challenges as an opportunity to learn and grow while building your strength and character, or you can succumb to the hard times and use them as an excuse to stop trying.
I was a teenage mother, but I made the best out of it. I focused on being the best mother I could be. I wanted to show them that you could do whatever you put your mind to. I had to show them that even in hard times, you keep going and focus on all the good around you.
I experienced losing my grandfather (my only father figure) when I was 19 and then mother in my 20s, but it taught me to value relationships so much more. It made me strive to create a life that they would be proud of me for.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Working as an Affiliate Broker with Realty Executives has given me an unbelievable start to my career, not only because of the endless amount of resources and classes available but because of how amazing the people are. Our CEO Justin Bailey and Principal Broker Jim Oakley truly care and want you to succeed. They always make themselves available if you need anything!
In the past few years, it almost appears that becoming a real estate agent is the “new fad”. There are literally thousands of us! So you really have to set yourself apart.
For me, I’ve had so many tell me “you were born to do this”. What I take this to mean is that I genuinely care about people. My clients aren’t just a transaction to me. They become my friends and family. I take their best interests to heart, and I personally know the stresses of moving because of how much I’ve had to do it myself because of the military.
So my goal is to take as much of the stress that comes with buying, selling a house off of my clients so that they can just focus on finding their perfect Home! I like to keep things light and airy. I’m not a stuffy, transactional agent. I make jokes. We laugh. We build a bond and do it together!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My best advice is to find your crew. Make yourself approachable and find others with similar personalities and goals. In this industry, you can walk down the street and find another agent, but if you’re lucky, you find fellow agents that don’t see you as competition but as a friend. That way you can help each other and root for the others’ success.
Networking has surprisingly been very easy in this industry. Every which way I turn, I’m having people reach out to me on social media; people with mortgage companies, title companies, media and photographers are all different professions, but we all fit together. Learning to lean on each other and work together gives everyone a hand up.
As far as a mentor goes, I’ve been extremely blessed to have more than one. That’s the power of joining a brokerage where everybody wants to see you succeed, and that is exactly how it is with Realty Executives! When you have someone who believes in you, it gives you that extra boost to go out there and want to prove to yourself that you’re worthy of that praise and encouragement.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: sellingktown.tn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morgan.heck.ktown.realtor
Image Credits
Elijah Lightfoot Photography
