Chambers Realty: 80 Years in the Making

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: 2021/07 – July

Jeannie, Tucker, and Isabel Chambers

Somewhere on the journey to discovery that we all traveled during the pandemic, we all found real estate.  

After all, it was, for more than a year, the only trip we could take.  

And so real estate, and more specifically our homes, became the central question.  Together we mused about availability and price, home values, land costs, whether to build or rent or buy or renovate or restore. Unquestionably, the pandemic magnified and exacerbated what was already a perplexing conundrum for most of us.

To the rescue are Jeannie and Tucker Chambers of Chambers Realty and Vacation Rentals. The firm has been helping residents, prospective buyers, and vacation renters navigate the Highlands market for generations.  

As they say, “We’ve been here for ages.” Tucker’s grandfather, Tudor, a fifth-generation Highlander, founded the agency in 1941. They have the distinction of being the oldest continuously owned family real estate business in town and Highland’s first Realtors. 

In 1990, Tucker and Jeannie moved from Greenwood, South Carolina, and took over The Chambers Agency in 1997, under the tutelage of Tucker’s parents, Tony and Isabel Chambers.   When they married in 1989, Tucker told Jeannie that they would one day move back home to the mountains.  Then, with an engineering degree, Tucker also worked for a couple of surveyors in Highlands.  Tucker knew Highlands and understood real estate.  Jeannie had honed her management skills during a 15-year career in a hospital business office.  Jeannie became a broker in 1992, and Tucker in 1998.  Though the company has grown in the years since then, they continue to operate with the same family-owned, small-town business vision as their predecessors.

Indeed, the last 15 months have brought changes and challenges.  The rental market, a substantial part of their business, was affected first and dramatically.  

As Jeannie told me, “When the pandemic hit, we had no clue as to whether or not we would have a job.  For one month, everything was completely shut down as no rentals were allowed during April.”  

And when they did reopen, stringent new cleaning measures and longer intervals between stays had to be instituted.  

But then, as Jeannie said, “The whole world discovered Highlands.”  

And what started as an explosion in the visitor market eventually led to a boom in residential sales.  Last year was their best year ever.  Houses have been selling so fast that people are knocking on doors asking to buy homes.  

To prospective buyers, Jeannine advises caution and getting to know the area before making a purchase.  As she says, “Highlands does not fit everyone.  It’s not a little Vail or Aspen, but for most of us it’s heaven on earth.”

For inquiries about vacation rentals, residential or land, and acreage for sale or property management, call (828) 526-3717 or visit highlandsiscalling.com.