Today we’d like to introduce you to Ronnise Clark.
Ronnise, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Two years ago on August 13, 2016, my life changed forever. My house that I worked so hard to purchase on my own received 5 feet of water from what was named “The Great Flood of 2016” which happened in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and surrounding cities one of them a small town named Denham Springs. My life at the time was going very well. I had an amazing career where I was able to work from home and was heavily involved in community outreach. My son was happy and I was truly in a great space mentally and physically. My son and I had a great routine. I would drive him to school every morning, then go to the gym. I would come home to shower then get my work day started. I would sometimes cook dinner during the day while sitting at my dining room table working on my computer. I absolutely loved it. I wish I had a crystal ball and knew that my entire life was about to completely change for the worse because I was completely blind-sided with what was going to happen next. Since Louisiana is such a low lying state, anytime, it rains the roads start to flood quickly but it would go down not long after. This particular week it rained and rained and rained. It just wouldn’t stop. My son had started the 1st grade the week before and had only gone to school for one week or so but the way this rain was coming down, I had a feeling school would be closed. As it was getting closer to the time for school to begin, I didn’t receive any school closure notifications. I then went to Facebook and I saw that they had indeed closed school. This was on Friday, August 12, 2016, and I thought we would have a lazy rainy day and watch tv all day. I was wrong. As the day went on, the water outside my house started to rise higher than I had ever seen it before.
Now what you don’t know is my house was in a “No/Low Flood Zone” which means flood insurance was not a requirement for me to obtain my mortgage, so I did not have flood insurance. As soon as I saw the water rising I started to panic, I felt like I couldn’t breathe and just started to cry. Tears would not stop falling from my face and as soon as the first wave of water entered into my house, I just about died. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I felt like I was in a nightmare and couldn’t wake up. My chest was tight and I couldn’t stop crying. I felt even worse because I had my six-year-old son there watching his mother completely fall apart. Us moms try to stay so strong for our kids. I never wanted my son to see me cry but I had never been in this situation. I have been to the Iraq war and back and although that was a terrifying experience, seeing flood waters enter my home and not know how high it would get with my young son just about took me out. I received about two-three inches of water that day and I thought that was all I would have to deal with. The next morning we woke up to the worse smell in the house. It smelled like mold and mildew. We went outside to talk to a neighbor and she informed me that the worst had yet to come, She told me that the entire neighborhood was about to flood and that we needed to get out. I ran back across the street to my house and started to pack my son and I a bag to be gone for just a few days. I put my car in reverse, drove out of my subdivision and when I was to return days later, my entire house would be completely destroyed. I was able to get out and onto the interstate however after trying to go west, then east, we were surrounded by water. We stayed on the side of Interstate 12 until one of my friends made it to us and got us. He brought us to his home where I would live for the next ten months. I flew my son to live with my parents in West Palm Beach, Florida where he would spend his entire 1st-grade year. My house had just flooded and we were basically homeless. I had no safe place for him to live so off to granny he went. That was such a hard decision.
My heart was completely broken without him but I had to do what was best for my child. After returning to my house and seeing the mass destruction, I had to come up with a plan. My funds were extremely limited and I didn’t have flood insurance, so I had to rely on what little amount FEMA was going to give to me to help me rebuild, Once I hired a contractor then another contractor because of the shotty job the first one did, the time seemed to fly by. I ended up putting my house up for sale, got a promotion at work and was told since it was a weekly travel position that I could live anywhere that had a large airport and who has the busiest airport in world? Not the country, the world? Atlanta. I have always loved Atlanta every single time I would visit which was a lot especially after my younger sister moved to Fairburn. Once I received the confirmation for my new position, I flew to Atlanta on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend 2017 and was under contract on a house Sunday night. I flew back to Louisiana and had to close on my flooded house. It was bittersweet however I had always wanted to move out of state and after losing everything I worked so hard for, I didn’t want to experience flooding in that capacity again. If you ever are fortunate to come to my house, you won’t even have to ask why the foundation is so high and it sits on a slight hill. Leaving my home state and starting my life over was one of the scariest decisions I had ever made in my life but it has been one of the best. After the flood, I started to attend church almost every week. Something I rarely did before. I would go but not consistently. I attended Heavenly Hope Ministries in Baker, Louisiana and I must say that going there changed my spiritual life forever. Dr. Johnny Young, Jr. and his beautiful wife Feleshia Young are something else to watch. They welcomed me with open arms and didn’t just preach but teach the Word of God. If you are ever in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tell them I sent you. Because of my spiritual growth, I was able to handle another blow when six months after I relocated, the position I had just gotten promoted to was eliminated. I can’t even describe how devastated I was to receive that phone call right after the new year. After I picked myself up from weeks of being in a deep depression, I needed to do something. I couldn’t lay in bed and cry forever, so I decided to go to real estate school and obtain my Georgia real estate license.
With everything I had just went through with my flooded house, who better to help you buy, sell or flip/invest? I have went through almost every emotion anyone could ever go through. I have personally bought two houses and sold one, so I know the emotional roller coaster that takes place when buying and selling a house especially being a first-time homebuyer. Once I obtained my license, I decided to join Keller Williams Peachtree Road in Brookhaven for their amazing training program. I like to brag and tell everyone that our brokerage is the #1 Closed Volume office of any brokerage in the state of Georgia. My real estate goal is to educate people about the benefits of homeownership, building wealth and leaving a legacy for their families. Black homeownership is stuck near 30-year lows and I want to help bridge the gap. Since I am just starting and new to Atlanta, I attend many business networking events. I have met some amazing men and women who are also building brands and if you are starting a business, Atlanta is the place to do it. If you are relocating to a new city, I would suggest to jump right in. Don’t wait. People are ready to meet and greet you. My main focus is on building genuine relationships. That is how you will sustain in business. Be true to yourself and love what you do and the money will follow but you have to work. Faith without works is dead and I know for a fact that I would not be as far as I am today if I didn’t work hard. Do something productive everyday for your business. Don’t be scared to talk to strangers. That is how I met my first buyer client. Volunteer. I currently sit on the SGT (Student Government Team) at my son’s elementary school. There was an election at the end of last year and I won. I get to vote on the budget and other school-related activities. I am also a cheer coach for my son’s youth football league. Although I do not have a daughter, I cheered up to the college level (GEAUX Jags) and I absolutely love it. The girls give me a feeling that I have never felt before. I love them so much and I want to be one of the reasons these young girls who are K-5 grow up to become successful women. Don’t allow fear to stop you from living a good life. Fight through it, There were days when I was ready to quit real estate but I made myself push through it. I also have to thank my productivity coach Dori Hicks for believing in me and not allowing me to give up on myself. Find someone to hold you accountable. If it were left up to me, I would lay in the bed and watch tv all day. An accountability partner will keep you on track to reaching your goals. Keep God first in everything you do. Give even when you don’t have much yourself, and live fearlessly and watch you soar.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road at all. Some of my struggles included anxiety and depression. After everything I had been through, I have finally been able to give all of my struggles to God. It sounds much easier than it really is but I had no choice. The stress I was carrying nearly killed me and that is no exaggeration. My health started to deteriorate and my body started to shut down. If you aren’t healthy then you can’t do anything. Nothing can get done if you’re laying in a hospital bed. Take care of your mental and physical health.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with RO SELLS ATLANTA – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a Realtor at Keller Williams Peachtree Road. I specialize in educating and helping buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals, build generational wealth and leaving a legacy for their families. My name is Ronnise but I am known as Ro, a name my former manager started calling me and it just stuck so I go by Ro Sells Atlanta. My official business name is Ronnise & Co., LLC. My proudest moment was speaking on the Business and Brunch panel and sharing my story for the first time. To be able to inspire and motivate other women is the reason why I do what I do. What sets me apart from others is my passion, spirit and work ethic. I’m sure being in the Army has a lot to do with my work-ethic but my passion, spirit, and personality is something I was born with. I want people to feel me before they see me. You will leave a conversation with me feeling better and smiling.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans for the future are growing my business. I want to help as many sellers and buyers achieve their real estate goals. I want to continue to share my story to others. I look forward to the day that I am able to hire my first employee. I want to be able to put as many people in a position to make money. I work hard not just for myself and my son but for others as well. I look forward to many closings in the future and years to come.
Contact Info:
- Address: 804 Town Blvd. Ste. A2040
Atlanta, GA 30319 - Website: www.rosellsatlanta.com
- Phone: 404-419-3500
- Email: rosellsatlanta@kw.com
- Instagram: @rosellsatlanta
Image Credit:
Pro pic by: Shots by Priiincesss
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