Tracy Hunter has spent more than 30 years working in the corporate world. As the vice president of finance and administration at a manufacturing business in Long Beach, California, Tracy did just about everything--from financials to customer service and human resources. As much as she appreciated her company and her experience, however, she realized she wanted to do something different than sit behind a desk from nine to five each day.
Tracy looked into franchise opportunities--as she had always dreamed of being her own boss-- but the opportunities she found that were in her comfort zone were things like UPS stores and similar businesses to where she was at before. After digging deeper, she realized she would be signing up for the same office life that she had just left. Tracy and her husband, Martin, instead started investing in real estate and getting into the roofing business. Martin was in construction his whole life, and Tracy’s cousin, who is more like a brother to her, had flipped homes for a long time, which always intrigued the Hunters as well.
A few years went by until one day, Tracy received an email with franchise opportunities – she hadn’t taken the time to unsubscribe from these emails after signing up a few years back, but she typically just hit “delete.” This particular email, however, caught her attention because there was an option to select “real estate” as an interest.
“I wondered what would happen if I only selected that ‘real estate’ box,” she said. “I hit submit, and Showhomes came back. It immediately intrigued me because after flipping my very first house, I learned how important staging is. We had that house empty and on the market for 60 days. It was so beautiful, but it wouldn’t sell! We finally spent the money to stage it, and it immediately sold. I’ve never had a house I didn’t stage since then.”
She knew well before exploring Showhomes as a franchise option that she believed in home staging, but the more she researched, the more she realized how perfect the brand is for her. The fact that this new endeavor didn’t involve sitting in an office all day was an added perk.
Tracy’s finance background helped her realize that not only is Showhomes the perfect fit for her personally, but there were also multiple revenue streams that she knew she would benefit from.
“My husband Martin started building houses at a very young age,” Tracy mentioned. “He owned his own contracting business and had the chance to build some huge buildings. The two of us are very compatible in terms of our strengths and weaknesses, so we plan to work together to tap into every revenue stream that Showhomes has to offer – from home updating to staging and, of course, the Home Manager program.”
Tracy and Martin plan to open Showhomes Long Beach in May of 2017 following the annual Showhomes Convention being held in Chattanooga this year. The Long Beach location comes off the heels of a momentous year for Showhomes and is one of many new development efforts continuing to fuel the brand’s growth through 2017. With 58 locations currently open across the country, Showhomes expects to open 10 more by the end of the year.
Showhomes provides a one of a kind opportunity to home stagers, real estate professionals looking to add in another revenue stream, or those looking to break into the industry for the first time.
“We’ve created a business model with an established track record that opens the door for entrepreneurs to broaden their reach or achieve new goals,” said Matt Kelton, COO of Showhomes. “We’re excited to welcome Tracy and Martin on board and are confident that they’ll help us build on the momentum we’ve already seen this year.”