Meet Heather Brooks, the Networker

Heather Brooks talks to everybody. We don’t think the word “shy” is in her vocabulary.

“Whether it’s Park Avenue or the park bench, I will talk to you,” she said.

Brooks, 38, a real estate broker licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina, divides her time between Greensboro, NC, and the Grand Strand – something she has been doing for 11 years, and she said she loves the drive.

“I have three kids, and this is my quiet time. I get up at 4:30 a.m. to drive to the beach. We have a sales meeting at 7:45 a.m. at the Dunes Club, and I am usually the first one there – and the farthest drive.”

Originally from New York’s Catskill Mountains, she moved to the Myrtle Beach area in 1996.

“When I moved here years ago, I had a lot of friends here,” Brooks said. “The beach is just home to me. It doesn’t matter where I am. As soon as I get here, I feel like I am at home.”

Brooks took the plunge into Real Estate at the prodding of friends and associates, primarily because she had a knack for finding houses for people – long before she ever considered becoming licensed.

She now owns her own real estate company in Greensboro and currently works for KingOne Properties International in Myrtle Beach, having joined the organization two years ago.

“Michael King is a phenomenal person, and his company is growing and established. I made a really good choice when I decided to go with KingOne,” she said.

Brooks specializes in distressed sales, investment and luxury residential properties, and to date has completed more than 42 short sales. She said she also incentivizes her buyer clients with a 15 percent commission rebate at closing.

But this is only part of the story. Brooks, who enjoys helping people and earning supplemental income, has long been involved in network marketing and currently represents three such companies – Damsel in Defense [personal protection], Jeunesse Global [anti-aging products] and doTERRA International [health & beauty/essential oils].

“I just constantly network, and I don’t know a stranger,” she said. “That’s why when these other things come into play, it just comes naturally to me.”

She recently attended a Lunch and Learn session hosted by the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, and a woman next to her asked about a self-defense tool on her keychain.

“I gave her a pamphlet, and she’s going to order. So while I am wearing my real estate tag, everything goes hand-in-hand. Safety is first and foremost, regardless of what kind of job you have,” she said.

One of the hottest new products in the Damsel in Defense line is called the Get A Grip stun gun, which is small, carries a price point of $65 and delivers a whopping 7.5 million volts.

“It comes in four different colors and is ergonomically designed, so you can put it in your hand and is really comfortable. It comes with a disable pin, so if someone grabs it out of your hand, they can’t use it back on you.”

Or how about a high-grade pepper spray that also emits a dye that lasts for 48 hours, making any assailant easily identifiable? She’s got that too.

How does Brooks manage to juggle all of this?

“You would think that I wake up at the crack of dawn, but I am not a morning person,” she said. I don’t get started until about eight or nine. I generally do all of my lead generation in the morning for real estate – I follow up on emails, I do my searches – everything my clients need – and from there I am out and about. If I don’t have client appointments, then I am just out meeting people. I try to get involved in the community and am involved in my church. But with everybody that I talk to – there is no question about what I do.”

She was quick to mention that she would never sell anything that she doesn’t use herself.

And Brooks doesn’t require a lot to be content in her downtime.

“I am an Aquarius,” she said. “Take me to the water. I need nothing else, so I love going to the beach. I love live music. Give me the beach and live music and church on Sundays and I am happy.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Meet Heather Brooks, the Networker."