Joyce Brown
AGENT FEATURE
STORY BY DAVE DANIELSON | PHOTOS BY SHAWNA McDUFFIE, PEAK RES
Pride & Purpose
During those moments when you are handing a set of keys to your clients for their new home, or delivering the news that their home has sold for their asking price, you witness a lot of unforgettable moments … times that you have played a big part in making happen.
Undoubtedly, those times are among your favorite aspects of your work.
The same definitely holds true for Joyce Brown.
As a REALTOR® with Metro First Realty of Edmond City, Joyce moves forward with pride and purpose on behalf of those she serves.
“I like how I can pull all my past experience together, including my design experience to help market and sell homes,” Joyce says.
“I like the fact that my clients become my friends and I feel privileged to be part of such an important process of buying and finding a home for them to live in with their families.”
Designs on the Future
Joyce grew up on a farm near Hennessey, Oklahoma. There, she had strong examples of successful living that she has taken with her through time.
“I learned a lot about the importance of having a good work ethic and living in nature,” she remembers. “I also learned a lot about design. My mother was very artistic. As I grew up, I wanted to design clothing.”
It turned out that Joyce had an early and passionate drive for design. In fact, it started when she was just 4 years old. She honed her skills and kept pursuing her passion. Eventually, all of her hard work had paid off when she was accepted to design school in Paris when she was 23 years old. “At the time, I was attending UCO for graphic design. I went to Paris. It was a fascinating experience. I didn’t know French, but went through the program.”
She not only went through it. She also excelled. So much so, that she was the only student who was offered a job through it. In fact, she had the option of working in Paris or New York. But she made the decision to come home.
“I am an Oklahoman at heart. That lifestyle wasn’t for me, so I came back and started my own business here,” she remembers. “This was before the Internet, so it was more challenging. I sold through QVC and to Disney, along with having items in several catalogs around the country.”
Opening New Doors
When she welcomed her son, Brooks, into the world, she sold her business and made the switch over to real estate.
“My late husband died in 2007. His family owns a bakery and I got involved with Midtown Development Corporation in OKC,” Joyce remembers. “That was my first entry into things having to do with real estate and development. As part of that, I helped to get the first roundabout passed at the intersection of 10th and Walker.”
Joyce worked for the development and served as president of a non-profit, prior to transitioning into real estate — earning her license in May 2004.
Made for This
The drive that Joyce has for life and work is part of her DNA.
“I’ve always wanted to be the best I can be. That’s part of my upbringing on the farm. I do what it takes to get the transaction done. I stage almost all of my own listings. As part of that, I own all my own furniture and accessories,” Joyce says. “I started doing that when I hadn’t been in real estate very long. I had spent a lot on marketing and then I got people to visit a home, but properties weren’t selling like they should. So I put more into that part of the presentation of each house.”
Today, staging is an element of the transaction that Joyce takes an active role in—putting her creative talents and passion for design to work on behalf of the homes she lists.
“When I first started, I did it by myself and then you start meeting people. I had someone who helped with staging for a while and she moved away,” Joyce says. “Now, I have someone who helps me with larger homes. I still stage some of the smaller ones by myself.”
Away from work, Joyce treasures time with her son, Brooks, who is 26. In her free time, she enjoys taking walks, as well as sewing, painting, drawing and riding her bike. She also likes reading her bible, and occasionally conducts children’s sermons at church.
As Joyce looks to the future, she has appreciation for the people and opportunities around her, including David Yost, the developer she works closely with.
“We built a show home together in one of his neighborhoods that he developed and I market,” Joyce says. “That was a lot of fun for me as well, since that gave me another opportunity to use a lot of my design skills."
Joyce is also very grateful to have found REALTOR® Kelly Truett, who began working with her in 2017. As she says, “We are a perfect fit. We have the same values, and it seems that many of our life experiences mirror each others. She was truly a Godsend and has improved the service and availability to our clients.”
With honesty, integrity and a relentless work ethic, Joyce Brown makes an undeniable impact for those she serves … making a difference with a true sense of pride and purpose.
