“Retirement isn’t in my vocabulary,” says Karen Fuller Parsons, a REALTOR® with RE/MAX Executive. “I strive and thrive on the work/life balance every day.”

 

Karen has been a top producer in the Charlotte area for over 15 years and she has no plans of slowing down. In 2022, she achieved platinum status with RE/MAX, averaging between $18 million to $25 million in sales and typically closing 40 to 60 homes per year. Karen is committed to making the home buying and selling process the best experience for all her clients.

 

A Charlotte native, Karen is passionate about the city and wants people to love the area as much as she does. She says she believes real estate is in her blood, following in her mother’s footsteps by embarking on a career in the same industry. “I’m a product of a very successful real estate mom,” she beams. “She had me running around helping her at a young age, taking signs, picking up things from the real estate board and helping her with marketing.”

 

After studying art at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and graduating with a commercial advertising degree, Karen worked as a marketing director for a traveling nurse company, spending many hours on the road at trade shows and hospital functions. However, as a young mom, she needed a career with flexibility, creativity, and a way to utilize her marketing education. Real estate was the clear choice, and with her mom as her mentor, Karen quickly established her name in the Charlotte housing market.

 

Since switching careers 29 years ago, Karen has seen the real estate market go through many changes, and she says it’s important to adapt and reinvent with every phase. The Great Recession of 2008 was a pivotal moment in her life when the economic downturn created fear and uncertainty. Many people involved in the housing market had to navigate uncharted waters during the financial collapse. Stories of job loss, divorce, and health challenges ran rampant throughout the workforce. Karen became an expert at guiding clients through the real estate process to a better situation.

 

“I began to reinvent myself, studying up on short sales and foreclosures and becoming an expert on both,” she says. “I did more business from 2008 to 2012 helping clients in need and dealing with helping people get into homes. The stronger agents survived and thrived in the business because we were versatile and changed with the market.”

 

Karen has been married to her husband, Bernie, for 32 years. They met while she was waiting tables for The Graduate Pub while finishing college. He played on the restaurant’s softball team, often joining the team for drinks at the pub after games.

 

“My weekend at Bernie’s never stopped,” she laughs, referencing a popular movie from the 1990s. The couple wed 14 months after meeting. Bernie works for Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinkler Company in Concord, a fire protection business, ensuring homes and multifamily complexes are equipped with fire sprinklers.

 

Their daughter, Madison, sells sprinkler heads and other products for a manufacturing company; and their son, Beau, is a superintendent for a company that does construction of multifamily buildings. The close-knit family includes a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law and three grandsons all living within a few miles of each other. They enjoy vacationing together and meeting for Sunday dinners. Karen and Bernie like to escape to their vacation home on Pawley’s Island every so often and try to explore a different part of the Caribbean every year.

 

Karen says her competitiveness and drive to make opportunities happen have helped shape her career today. “Being part of a team gives you the support and drive,” she says. “Being part of RE/MAX gives me that team support to be successful and know I’ve got my firm behind me.”

 

This ambition is what drives Karen’s dedication to helping her clients find a dream home, stage a home, or see potential in making the basic house into a home. She cares about every client, saying they aren't just customers, they're friends. “At the end of the day, it’s about my clients,” she says. “Purchasing or selling a home is extremely stressful and I’m here to help them through the entire process and beyond.”

 

For anyone looking to become a top producer, Karen advises to “Always answer the phone and view competitors as resources. Texting is great for a quick conversation, but a phone call for an introduction or a follow-up is better. Communication is key in the real estate business, and it’s important to keep the personal touch between clients and other agents. Also, don’t be scared to change with the market, and don’t pigeonhole yourself into one price range.”  

 

Karen hopes to be remembered for her passion for real estate, her devotion to the city of Charlotte, and her dedication to all of the people that have come into her life through her work here.

 

“I just want to continue my path of helping clients and enjoying life with my family. I have no plans to retire because I love my career choice. It’s not a job to me, it’s my passion.”