Scott Noblett admits that his real estate perspective is different from many of his peers. He believes that serves him well at Dallas City Center Realtors, where he was recently named to the board of directors.
“DCC is known as one of the brokers that tries to do things a little differently,” he said. “They focus not only on educating the agent, but also on fostering an environment where everyone feels totally welcome, and transfers that on to the client.”
The thing Noblett most enjoys about being an agent is working with clients whom others might not take a chance on. It’s a challenge that he says gives him a sense of motivation every day to help people achieve goals they didn’t think possible.
“It’s such a feeling of accomplishment seeing the smiles on their faces when they tell me, ‘I never thought I could own a house of my own,’ ” he said.
Growing up poor in tiny Gillett, Arkansas — a rice-country town in the heart of the Mississippi Delta — helped mold Noblett into the person he is today. While Gillett may have lacked material wealth, the lessons it taught him still endure.
“It’s a tiny little farming community, but it’s a community that loves each other and supports each other,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade where I came from for a million dollars.”
Noblett went on to the University of Arkansas where he studied finance and insurance. Upon graduation, he realized that he could not risk working as a commission-only insurance agent, so he instead got a data entry job at Wal-Mart corporate real estate accounting. It paid minimum wage.
“I knew that if I applied myself and worked really hard, it was a company that I could grow with,” he said.
Within six months, he was moving up the ladder after showing executives how they could save around $3 million each quarter through process improvements. Two years later he was off to Dallas after a friend’s father told him about a job at JC Penney. This led to a 10-year career filling various roles within the company’s home division. After that, he served as the real estate operations manger for Zales in the United States and Canada.
Over the years, Noblett had developed an increasing interest in real estate. However, it was hard for him to walk away from a successful career. Then, Zales was bought out by Signet Jewelers, and he found himself at a crossroads. While still nervous about jumping into a commission-based career, he also knew he had to follow his passion.
“All my life I’ve always told myself, ‘You come from a small community where they always taught you to do your best, put your heart and soul into it, live it with compassion and you’ll do fine,’ ” he said. “I decided to do it. I studied, took my tests, and off I went.”
Noblett has not looked back since. When it came time to choose a broker, he said he interviewed the candidates “hardcore.” After an exhausting process, he chose Dallas City Center.
“I downsized all of my life to take this move seriously,” he said. “I had to pick a brokerage that was going to be very serious for me and that was going to support me when I needed it.”
Noblett often thinks about other kids out there living in small towns without much money. Whether they dream of moving to the big city or staying closer to home, he hopes they know there are opportunities out there. Sometimes they just need a little encouragement.
“I always tell people don’t give up just because you are from a small town,” he said. “What’s important is that you are doing something that you enjoy and love, but you are doing the very best at what you can do. When you do that, you are going to be successful.”
