Timothy Smith, 24, Named Top Rookie Producer At BHGRE MCR Bahamas Group

Timothy Smith, 24, in his first year in real estate earned honors as a rookie sales associate of the year at Better Homes and Gardens MCR Group, one of The Bahamas’ leading real estate firms with offices or representatives in Nassau and on several Family Islands.

Smith did it, he said, by putting in days that began before sunrise starting with e-mails and researching the market and lasted long into the night attending functions and making connections.

Smith credits much of his success to the mentorship of one of the most successful brokers in Bahamian real estate, Mario Carey, president and founder of Better Homes and Garden MCR Group Real Estate.

“Mario took me under his wing. He has been great,” said Smith. “He really wants to see your career grow and he shares the stuff he did as an up and coming young realtor. He also shows you how to get out of your comfort zone when you need to if you want to be successful.” Smith had another advantage. He grew up in a family of real estate developers and was on site to witness the buildings go up and deals closed. “In an age when everyone relies more and more on doing business online, Tim has an advantage in being able to work social media and get those likes translated into sales. He doesn’t slumber on his laurels but gets out there and networks the old-fashioned way, letting people know he is in real estate and if they ever have a need, he’d be very pleased to assist them,” said Carey. “It works.” Carey described Smith as a disciplined and dedicated, fast learner. “It has been a pleasure to see Tim grow and develop an amazing amount of understanding of the market along with self-confidence this past year. Tim is a very likable person which works in his favor with clients as well as within the office. Everyone likes him and likes being around him.”

“It’s all about hard work and the willingness to do it,” notes Smith. “Real estate isn’t easy. There are more than 700 agents and brokers. A major key is differentiating yourself from the others and determining how the service you provide is different. There is only so much property and there are serious shortages in key areas like housing for millennials.” Smith believes the importance of millennials as investors and in national development is under-rated. He is the same young entrepreneur who was widely quoted from a non-partisan stance saying he believed millennials, many of whom were voting for the first time, made the difference in the May election in The Bahamas and he hoped younger people would be appointed to boards and recognized as significant contributors to national development. “The greatest shortage we have in housing right now is for people like me, those between 24 or 25 and up to 34 who are working hard whether in a trade or a profession and do not want to rent. They want to own and until they can afford to do that many continue to live at home,” said the winning young agent. “It is an under-tapped market with incredible potential for developers to create offerings, at a starter range with amenities and activities in a community, designed for millennials. It would also help to stop the brain drain because one of the reasons Bahamians say they don’t come home after college is they cannot afford the housing and they would have to move back in with family.”

Which is exactly what Smith is doing while he – young and successful in two fields – continues to live out his dream of conducting business.