Elizabeth McNabb grew up loving the look and feel of her hometown of Charlotte. When she went away to the mountains to get her undergraduate degree at Appalachian State, she knew she wanted to come back. Elizabeth followed through on her plan to return, and she’s been in Charlotte ever since.

 

Elizabeth says she is not surprised that US News & World Report declares that her hometown is one of the best cities to live in nationwide. She agrees, and she loves introducing her clients to this fantastic locale.

 

Introducing people to new things has been a major part of Elizabeth’s entire career. She started out as an elementary school teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District. “I loved working with young people, teaching them, and watching them grow confident and comfortable with their new knowledge and skills,” Elizabeth recalls. “I’m super perceptive, and this made me a better teacher because I could tell what my students needed to succeed.”

 

After 10 years of service in the public schools, Elizabeth felt she was ready for a change. She took inventory of what she enjoyed most: her passions and strengths. “On any given weekend, you could find me going to open houses and checking out homes for sale, so I thought, why not see if I can make this a career?” Elizabeth explains. She took the REALTORⓇ courses, and when she passed, she saw it as a sign that real estate would be her new vocation.

 

In 2015, Charlotte joined Corcoran HM Properties, finding instant chemistry with the broker, Valerie “Val” Mitchener, who would become her friend and mentor. “Sometimes you meet someone, and it just clicks,” says Elizabeth. “Val stood for everything that I wanted to incorporate into my real estate business, and I expect to continue to learn and grow with her help and guidance.”

 

Val adds the admiration was entirely mutual: "I am grateful to have Elizabeth on our team, but more importantly, as a friend. I knew from our first meeting that she would be successful and a great fit for us. She is a hard worker, smart, and cares about her clients and her colleagues.”

 

One of the keys to Elizabeth’s success is a mantra she learned from Val: “Selling more homes doesn’t make you a better person.” For Elizabeth, the client relationship, being of service, and being a good person are more important than racking up transactions. Her numbers reflect the respect and appreciation her clients and her circle of influence have for her dedication and caring. She’s a top producer at Corcoran HM Properties, earning impressive numbers in Charlotte.

 

“I find that the teacher in me comes out with clients,” muses Elizabeth. She says she loves introducing new arrivals to The Queen City, especially historic homes that she thinks are worth preserving and cherishing as part of Charlotte’s architectural heritage. She relishes working with homebuyers who are new or unfamiliar with the process. “For my clients, buying or selling a house is often a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime event, so I make a point to demystify the lingo that we agents use every day.”

 

Elizabeth uses her perceptive skills to tease out important information from her clients. When a husband and wife have different hopes that they may not be mentioning, she sees it as her job to find out what they each want and then find the property that they both will love. “I make working with me a no-judgment zone so clients can find the right fit,” she explains.

 

For Elizabeth, the excitement of homebuying shouldn’t be stressful; it should be an adventure. "Take home inspections. This isn’t just the moment of the deal where you find out what is ‘wrong’ with the house. You also find out what is right. I like helping clients to identify quirks and unique features about their future home that make the inspection a source of inspiration instead of stress.”

 

Elizabeth’s husband, Madison, is an architect who frequently suggests possibilities for her clients’ spaces. “He and I both love modern styles, but we also enjoy looking at any space and imagining how it can be transformed to meet the client’s needs,” remarks Elizabeth. “Being in real estate gives my husband and I so much more to talk about,” she adds. “He works on residential architecture, so he brings home ideas and concepts all the time.”

 

Real estate is not the only place where the couple teams up. Together, they are raising two children, Emmett (5) and Catherine (1), juggling the work of parenting and holding down two demanding jobs. “Madison and our parents are incredibly supportive of me, stepping in to be with the kids if I have an evening or weekend activity,” Elizabeth notes. When they get the time, the McNabbs love to take the children on adventure walks, which can be anything from a trip to the local playground to a more ambitious hike. The point is to keep a sense of wonder and engagement, Elizabeth says, which is a lot like her approach to her clients as well.

 

Her own sense of wonder is getting a workout this year as Elizabeth looks forward to turning 40.

 

“My mom has a keychain that reads ‘Life Begins at 40,’ and I can’t wait to find out if this is true,” she smiles.