Tamrah Pryce – Flying the flag for real estate
SWITCHING professions and career paths can be daunting and while after 10 years as a stewardess, Tamrah Pryce was ready to hang up her “wings”, she was equally determined to make the right decision on the way forward. She chose to be a real estate agent at RE/MAX Elite and has not looked back since.
“I was looking for an internationally known company. I wanted a big group behind me and RE/MAX was the answer. It has been seven years and it has all worked out well. I would not change for anything in the world,” she said
Pryce says working in the real estate industry gives her the same freedom she had as a “fly girl” — the ability to set her own hours, work at her own pace, with unlimited earning potential. She describes herself as “driven and focused” and credits her success to these traits.
One of RE/MAX Elite’s “top producers”, Pryce says she “appreciates the big deals and big commissions but finds it immensely fulfilling when a regular person who never thought he or she would own a property and I work with them through the process to ownership”.
Looking at the current state of the industry Pryce added, “It’s a sellers market right now, lots of new developments and prices have been steadily increasing since the start of COVID-19. But real estate tends to be cyclical and as real estate agents we have to be aware and responsive to whatever is affecting demand and supply.”
Noting that prices may seem to have gone a bit crazy in some instances, Pryce further stated that her maxim is to always ensure that the value of a property matches the price tag.
Pryce noted, for example, “what could be afforded with a certain sum two years ago is very different today and sometimes the value is just not there. Sometimes a seller would choose a price point rather than allow the market to dictate. So, we have to constantly use our experience and expertise in the real estate market to inform and guide both buyers and sellers.”
She added: “While the real estate market is fairly active now, there is great demand for first homes in the $20-m range but not much inventory at that level. Young couples are looking for starter homes — two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen and living room — with the intention that once the family starts expanding they will sell and buy something bigger. There is also great demand for land especially from foreigners and non-residents.”
On that note, Pryce recommends that clients planning to finance their purchase of a property via a mortgage ensure they are “pre-qualified”.
“With our floating dollar, sometimes persons begin a sales process with the exchange rate at one point and if the exchange rate increases then the price escalates before the deal is closed, they can no longer afford it. Then, we have to find another property and start the process all over again.”
Overall, Pryce is very excited about new developments that have seen RE/MAX Elite being acquired recently by the UCC Group of Companies. She predicts that once Jamaica rebounds to near normal levels post-COVID-19, the real estate market will become even more dynamic and declares: “I look forward to what RE/MAX Elite will become under the UCC Group banner.”
