Meet the Owner of a Local Real Estate Business

Barrow County native Freida Knight is the owner of , a local real estate company located in Carl.

Patch: How did you get into your line of work?

Freida Knight: I have been in real estate in north Atlanta for 18 years. My late husband was a builder at that time and we thought t would be compatible and it was. It was a very good team. I found out real estate is a really good place to be. I enjoy working with people, helping them solve problems. We help buyers and sellers achieve their goals in real estate. My background as far as college is concerned, I graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in accounting. I had worked many years in office environments managing accounting offices, so this was a whole different situation.

Patch: What’s the best aspect of your job?

FK: The day-to-day contact with people. I just really enjoy it. Every person is different and every situation is different. It puts all my skills to work almost on a daily basis. It’s not a boring situation, like some things I’ve done in the past.

Patch: What’s the worst aspect of your job?

FK: Probably the hours that it takes. Right now I’m working six-and-a-half days a week just because so many of our sales are in the $50,000 range, therefore we’re not making much per sale. It just takes multiple sales to make things work.

Patch: What are some of your hobbies outside of work?

FK: I love to read. I like inspirational things. I like to cook. I don’t do a lot of it now that it’s just me. I like to do things for the grandchildren. They play sports and that type of thing.

Patch: What is your personal business philosophy?

FK: That is a great question. Wow. My personal approach is that I want everybody I meet today to be better because that path crossed mine. Sometimes that’s just a hug. Sometimes that’s just a smile. Sometimes I can really help them solve a major deal. I want everybody to feel like, “Well OK, it was nice that I met her. I try to manage this company the same way. Yes, we have to pay the bills, yes, we have to make money, but it’s also a matter of we’re a service organization and we try to help people who need help.

Patch: When you are showing homes, what have you found are some of the things that buyers are most interested in?  

FK: Location is a very important factor. School district is very important. I think, even now, it has to make good sense business-wise. I have told first-time home-buyers for 18 years that I didn’t want them to hate me on the first day every month. It’s very easy to get excited about a house and spend twice the money you should have on a home.

Patch: Tell me about your own house.

FK: I’ve lived in my present house since 1997. Prior to that we lived nearly 30 years in a home that my husband built in the ’60s. We found our home as a home to be moved and we moved it to (our) farm. I’ve lived for the last 40 years on a farm in Barrow County and this house was one that had to be moved from a construction site in Gwinnett and it has done really well.