The story below is a preview from our September/October 2017 issue. For the full story Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
As a Long & Foster real estate agent and Rookie of the Year, Chris “Kidd” Carter is excited about opportunities for prospective buyers in Roanoke.
Chris “Kidd” Carter is what some might call “Roanoke-famous.” If you haven’t met this busy young man, you may have heard him on K92 for several years as a radio host. Nowadays, he’s in the real estate game as an agent for Long & Foster Real Estate. Recently awarded Rookie of the Year and First Place Rising Star of the southwest Virginia region, he also made Presidents Club, an honor for agents with 20-25 closings within a year.
“It’s been a lot of fun. What I love about real estate is that it’s cool to see prospective buyers’ eyes light up,” Carter says. “It’s great to be part of the experience and be responsible for that happiness. You can’t put a price on that.”
Carter is from Roanoke and primarily works with potential buyers in the area. When he first started his new career, wanting to work full-time for himself, he didn’t know about the high demand for agents. He often works evenings and weekends. However, he doesn’t mind odd hours to get the job done.
Even on his days off, he still finds himself working, thanks to technology. He can do nearly anything from his smartphone, whether it’s sending contracts to get electronically signed, pulling listings or printing contracts in his home office.
“Real estate is evolving just like the rest of the world. Every field has new innovations to make life easier for workers and it’s no different in real estate,” he says.
For him, friendliness and knowledge are key, as is the willingness to put the work in. He believes it’s “absolutely without question” easier to be a realtor now than it was even a decade ago.
“When my mother was an agent, they had the thick listings book. Now we have the internet, apps, search results, all of it at your fingertips. There wasn’t GPS back then, either!”
Carter also has high hopes for the market, believing it will continue to grow due to people seeing opportunities. He encourages prospective buyers to check out everything Roanoke has to offer, whether they love the outdoors or city life, enjoy festivals and breweries or arts and culture.
In addition to his role as a real estate agent, Carter owns his own business, Blue Ridge Entertainment, providing disc jockey services for weddings and other events. For the past seven years, he’s run Star City Comedy, booking headliners and getting people in the door.
The list keeps going, too. He also leads trivia nights at Buffalo Wild Wings on Wednesday nights, and is the captain of two separate pool teams that meet two nights a week. You can also occasionally catch him back on K92 radio when he helps out should a DJ be out or on vacation. Carter thrives off a busy schedule and says it’s easy to enjoy work when it’s this much fun.
“I’d rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond,” he says. “I hope we continue to have great people working hard to provide fun things for people to do in our area. I can’t imagine anyone visiting the area and electing not to live here!”
When he’s not working–obviously a rare occasion–he loves spending time with his daughter Brooke, a rising senior at Patrick Henry High School. He moved into his own home a year ago and tasks himself with renovations and work around the home, such as adding a custom bar and a pool table in his basement. Above all, Carter enjoys working with people, which pairs well with his extroverted personality.
“I like being a part of a chapter in the story of people’s lives, whether it’s making people smile for the radio, making them laugh with comedy, being part of their wedding day or selling them a house,” he says.
He smiles at me as we finish up lunch at 419 West. “I mean, how many agents can sell you a house and then DJ the house party?”
… for more from our September/October 2017 issue, Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
