AUGUST 13, 2009 ISSUE
Business Spotlight
Jenkins Realtors—Thirty-Three Years of Full-Service Real Estate and Vacation Rental Resources
Jenkins Realtors Co-Owners Pam Vines, pictured on left, and Kim Rogers are taking over where their father left off by offering “the finest full-service real estate and vacation rental office in the area,” said Vines. Now, 33 years after it first opened, Jenkins Realtors handles approximately 130 short-term vacation rentals and 50 long-term rentals and manages 13 local neighborhood associations in and around Watauga and Avery counties. Photo submitted Forty years ago, the Jenkins family—parents and three young girls—permanently moved from Miami, Fla. to a vacation home in the High Country. The region was young at the time and Elmer Jenkins capitalized on an opportunity to tap into the burgeoning real estate market by opening Jenkins Realtors in 1976.
But Elmer didn’t just sell real estate—he helped foster growth in communities all over Watauga and Avery counties by serving on multiple real estate commissions, and he helped guide future growth across the state by serving as a member and president of the North Carolina Association of Realtors. “He was very political; we have big shoes to fill,” said Pam Vines, Elmer’s daughter and current co-owner.
By the 1990s, Elmer had grown Jenkins Realtors into a cornerstone of the local real estate and rental housing industry. One of his daughters, Kim Rogers, had worked for him for many years, and in 1991, Vines joined the team after receiving her real estate license. Rogers and Vines learned the ropes of the industry from their mother and father and in 1995, became proprietors.
“My father always had great foresight—he knew what he was doing,” said Vines. “At the time, I was an accountant by trade but [my parents] were looking to retire and wanted to keep the business running and keep it in the family.”
Thirty-three years later, Rogers and Vines are maintaining and growing the family business, taking over where their father and mother left off.
“We are the finest full-service real estate and vacation rental office in the area,” said Vines. “We handle everything.”
Currently, Jenkins Realtors handles approximately 130 short-term vacation rentals and approximately 50 long-term rentals and manages 13 local neighborhood associations, including many property owner associations, in and around Watauga and Avery counties.
“Diversification is our key to success,” said Vines, who said that home sales this year are down in comparison to last year, “but that means that a lot of people who are not buying are now renting. Different types of economic situations tell which entity [in our office] carries the heaviest loads. Rentals are strong this year, but because rentals are so strong, a lot of people forget that we have an enormous sales team.”
Currently, Jenkins Realtors features 13 employees and seven sales agents, counting Vines.
“Because our employees are diverse, we become in tune with the local market and everything going on,” said Vines. “We are so full service and so well rounded we can handle buyers, sellers or property owners who want to rent. There is literally nothing other than timeshares in the real estate industry that we don’t do.
“Everyone has their own piece and is good at their own piece,” she added. “We specialize in so many areas.”
Despite current economic conditions, Vines believes that now is the time to buy. Admitting that her personal opinion is that the market has hit rock bottom and will soon rebound, Vines said new homebuyers are finding themselves in a unique and promising situation considering the $8,000 tax credit and interest rates below 5 percent.
“It’s a scary time but with the right realtor behind you, it’s a good thing,” said Vines.
A good realtor not only understands the industry and local trends, but, in the case of Rogers and Vines, they also give back to the community and nurture its future.
“We’re both very involved in the local community,” said Vines, who, with her sister, often volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, Rotary and at the Hayes Center, local chambers of commerce and local churches. “We feel that what we take out of the community we need to give back.
“There’s no place I’d rather be or rather work than in Watauga County,” added Vines.
Jenkins Realtors is located at 452 Sunset Drive in Blowing Rock. The office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and by appointment on Sunday. For more information, click to www.jenkinsrealtors.com or call 828-295-9886.
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