58 YEARS AND COUNTING
Billie Scott is still repaying the favor. In 1964, Scott couldn’t afford the closing costs on his first home; his agent helped pay the costs for him.
A few months after moving in, Scott learned his agent had cancer. “I went to see him and I told him, ‘I will keep it going, Doug.’ I wanted to help people get homes just like he helped me.”
Scott got his real estate license in June 1965. In those days, there were very few Black licensed real estate agents in Texas. He remembers meeting only one or two other Black agents, and they had started after he did.
Scott faced challenges in his new profession. “I had a lot of problems trying to show properties because people didn’t think I should be showing properties to Black clients,” he says. “I told the sellers, ‘Show it or take it off the market.’” Scott’s pastor knew civil rights leader A. Maceo Smith, who worked at the Dallas HUD office, and at times Scott had to call Smith to advocate on his behalf.
Scott joined a new Century 21 franchise in Dallas in 1969 and began teaching new agents. Marketing to your sphere of influence, building a referral network, establishing rapport before asking for your clients’ business—he was promoting these techniques decades ago. “I have always put my advertising out there. I told people at church and everywhere I went. I still do. I carry my cards and wear my buttons to let people know I’m a REALTOR®,” he says.
In the late 1970s, he joined the Dallas chapter of the Texas Association of Real Estate Brokers. The Dallas chapter has been working for equal opportunities and civil rights for Black consumers, communities, and real estate professionals since 1957, and the state and national associations since 1947. Scott became a lifetime member and served in leadership roles, including Dallas board chairman. He loves building up future leaders.
Scott founded his own brokerage, Good Morning Real Estate, in 1990. He’s concentrated on residential and investment sales throughout his career, but he’s added commercial real estate work during the last 15 years. One of his latest projects is securing funding for a subdivision near Waxahachie.
He co-wrote his memoirs, The Billie Scott Story, and hopes to write a sequel about what he’s learned in real estate. “In my book, I write that you should never, never, never quit. And I hope to see you at the top.”
People are at the center of his approach to real estate. He once told a friend he hasn’t “sold” a property in 30 years. Rather, he coaches his clients to sell the property themselves. He’s just there to help them through the process.
“I love real estate because I love people so much,” he says. “I encourage people. You’re building equity when you own your home. You can borrow against it to send your kids to college or if an emergency comes to you.”
He says he’s enjoyed every bit of his real estate career. He’s still making deals and mentoring agents to this day. “Today, I only have three agents because I’m trying to cut down. I’m 88 years old. I tell them that REALTORS® don’t retire. I’m going to do this until I die.”
This article first appeared in the Texas Realtor/August, 2023.
