By Sandi Tomlin-Sutker
Traci Burke is one of a rare group: born and raised in Asheville in a family who has been in the region for at least four generations. Her life and ambitions took her away and then back again, recognizing what an awesome place this is to create an extraordinary life.
SEARCHING FOR HER PASSION
“When I graduated from high school, I had no clue what I wanted to do or be.” Getting a decent job was her first goal and that landed her at Mission hospital in housekeeping. Her assignment was cleaning all the public bathrooms there. She quickly realized she wanted to do something bigger with her life. She became a nursing assistant working in labor and delivery, then took classes at AB Tech to get into the competitive LPN program. She didn’t stop there, pushing onward to become a nurse anesthetist.
The first program that accepted her was the University of New England in Maine. “I decided to go for it. I was divorced at the time and had to make the choice of uprooting myself and possibly my child (at age 13 he opted to stay here with his dad). I knew if I didn’t do it, I’d regret it and I didn’t want to get to the end of my life and have regrets!”
“The first year of working as a nurse anesthetist I made a good salary and you’d think I’d feel I’d accomplished something, but it was totally the opposite. I went through a major depression. Was this all there was to life, getting up every day to go to the hospital, pay my bills, doing something on weekends? I knew there was something else I was supposed to be doing.”
Traci had owned her first house before going to anesthesia school, decided to rent it while she was gone and realized, “the renters paid my mortgage while I was in school. I thought maybe I should do it again. I watched shows like Flip This House, etc. and learned a lot. I thought I could buy a house, remodel it and sell it for a profit . . . and I did. Unfortunately, she also did it at the very worst possible time, 2007-2008. It took about 10 years to sell it at the right price and along the way she learned a lot of valuable lessons, especially that she needed to educate herself about real estate investing, mortgage and financing options, and how to spot and close a deal. She joined a local real estate investors’ group and right away met the person who would become her mentor and private coach.
REMODELING HER LIFE
Real estate was a major breakthrough for Traci. “I had finally found my passion! I also managed to find and marry a wonderful man in the midst of all that. We both bring our strengths to the table.” The relationship also brought a new child into her life. Together they adopted a weeks-old baby girl about seven years ago. Life has been, as she describes it, fun and challenging ever since.
Traci and Doug’s portfolio now includes several single family and multi-family properties, renovated into beautiful long-term rentals, as well as several properties they have built on desirable West Asheville lots. Traci became a real estate agent and then a Broker in Charge, running her own West Asheville brokerage called Mad Ones. In their spare time, Traci and Doug coach others on how to become real estate investors, building passive income for themselves and their legacies.
The belief that is out there in Buncombe County is that there are not any bargains left, especially in West Asheville. “I think my stubborn nature says, ‘don’t tell me I can’t, I’ll prove you wrong!’ My coach always told me there are opportunities everywhere, in every season. I see the world as a glass half full; I refuse to focus on the negative. I want to live an extraordinary life, have extraordinary relationships and give back in a big way. To do that you have to be successful.”
She puts a lot of intentional effort into seeing life this way. Traci has developed tools to help keep her on the path. One of them is to run through a list, every morning before getting out of bed, of all she has to be thankful for. She also does a lot of inspirational reading and realizes if she can help just one person live a better life she will be successful. “You know we have so much in this country, but many are focused on what they don’t have. It’s little things like having fresh water to drink, a bed to sleep in, and a roof over our heads. We are truly blessed.”
WHY THE MAD ONES?
“The name is based on the well-known quote from Jack Kerouac”, Traci explains. “It’s really about my philosophy of life. I’m not willing to settle for a mediocre life! I want to suck the marrow out of life you could say! I want to live my version of extraordinary and help others live their version. I can help do that through real estate if they are willing to listen and put in the work. My partner came up with the name and when I heard it, I just knew that it describes who I am and how I live my life. I wanted a memorable name that makes people ask questions . . . and it does!”
As a brokerage, they work with buyers and sellers of all kinds and walks of life. As a team they are each crazy about life, real estate, and the people in our Asheville community. Traci’s story is one of perseverance, influencing people around her to go after an extraordinary life. In a way, learning how to build a life and legacy you are proud of, not being afraid to remodel from time to time.
Monthly Community meeting
at Mad Ones
Last Tuesday of every month at 6 pm
717 Haywood Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Food/drinks provided
Featured speaker
[email protected]
Phone: 828-222-7327