Houston-based broker Tiffany Curry has become Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’s (BHHS) first-ever African American franchise owner.
Tiffany Curry | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
“With everything that’s going on in the world, I feel like we need something positive and that shows progress,” Curry told Inman, regarding the timing of the announcement of her new role.
The announcement comes as the U.S. reckons with the recent release of video footage of Ahmaud Arbery, a young African American man, who was fatally shot in Georgia in February by two white men while going for a jog.
Curry, who has been granted numerous awards over the course of her career, including Woman of the Year by the Women CEO Project Global Power Tour Houston in 2017, will run her franchise as Tiffany Curry & Co., Realtors, based in Houston’s Upper Kirby neighborhood.
“I want people to see that we all need to come together, no matter what we are, where we are in life — what race, what age, what demographic,” Curry told Inman. “I want young children to be able to look at this, because I come from a working class family … I have struggled, I have made so many sacrifices, and I never had any expectations for succeeding in real estate.”
In fact, Curry was planning to go to law school when she decided to take a break in between finishing her undergraduate degree and starting graduate school, and decided to dabble in real estate to pass the time as an investment. Her interest in urban planning and developing underprivileged communities are what spurred her interest in real estate, and once she got in the field, she was hooked.
“I had a real estate license before I even knew what to do with it,” Curry told Inman. “I loved every day of it, even though I was not making any money.”
Now she looks forward to growing a diverse franchise, with people from “every race, every age, every background.”
“We want to see everybody succeed,” Curry said.
With the new firm, Curry aims to combine the nature of a franchise with a boutique appeal in which agents and clients can receive personal service and hands-on support. Tiffany Curry & Co., Realtors will serve residential and commercial clients in the greater Houston and surrounding areas, including luxury and global markets. In two weeks time, the company will be launching commercial, sports and entertainment and Latinx community divisions.
Over the next 10 years, Curry aims to grow the company into one of the nation’s top 75 brokerages.
Chris Stuart | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
“Tiffany Curry is a talented leader who brings out the very best in those who work with her,” Chris Stuart, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CEO, said in a statement. “Over the years her teams have been motivated, well-trained and laser-focused on clients’ varying needs. The same should be expected of Tiffany Curry & Co., Realtors.”
“I refused to be defined by walls, and so should you,” Curry said in a statement. “In the words of Babe Ruth, ‘It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.’ I always tell aspiring entrepreneurs; you can achieve anything in life if you put your mind to it. More than 83 percent of my business has never looked like me; that has never deterred me from achieving my goals or business aspirations.”
